feeling numb when sick.

[Countrymusicgirl]

It wasn't until recently I got sick with the chickenpox. After being sick with the pox I started to feel numb all my emotions were gone and I felt alive again. I liked it.

Now im back to feeling overwhelmed, depressed and anxious worthless etc.

Am I the only one who feels alot better when I'm sick? Or is this normal

[Doolhof]

Hi Countrymusicgirl,

Everybody feels their sicknesses in different ways. Maybe being ill with chicken pox gave you different things to think about due to the reactions of your body during your illness.

Did you receive more understanding, help and assistance when you were ill with the pox? Some people are better able to understand and accept illnesses like the pox but not mental health issues.

Can you write down why and how you felt better and try to replicate those thoughts and emotions into your days now?

For example when you were physically ill, did you have more time to rest or fill your time with things you enjoy doing? Can you try to add those actions/events to each day?

Cheers from Dools

[Countrymusicgirl]

Hi​ dools

So when I was sick I didn't receive any help. All I did was sleep and watch movies. It's the same what I do now sleep movies colouring and clean.

And as terms of how I feel now compared to the pox I didn't have feelings I was just sick. now it's emotionally numb and mentally exhausted and tiredness (If that makes sense) I can't explain it its hard to explain.

CMG

[SourceShield]

Hey CMG,

It sounds as if you're experiencing a few things here...

Firstly, have you heard of psycho-motor retardation?

PSYCHO - The Mind

MOTOR - In this case, we are talking about THE BODY as a biomechanical machine!

RETARDATION - Just means that mind and body come into a stand still, or 'freeze' mode effect.

We have three modes, okay?

Flight - Fight - Freeze.

They are there for our survival.

But, with modern day living our survival modes are always on go...go...go!!!

When we are depressed, anxious etc, our nervous system kicks in to overdrive!

The sleeping all day etc...thats the body needing to repair.

Psychological and emotional fatiguing are very real, and need to be addressed more in our society.

Its a very normal and natural part of the 'getting better' process to want to sleep all day, but this can also feed into a negative feedback-loop because JUST sleeping all day, can be depressing...and so the vicious cycle continues.

When you clean and watch movies, colour-in etc... you're releasing dopamine - the feel-good reward chem that we release when we start and complete a task for example, and the colouring and movies will most likely be releasing serotonin as well.

Just remember that what we call 'feelings', on the outside are actually just a series of chemical reactions firing off internally.

I imagine that this feeling 'good' that you experience after being 'sick', is actually the same that people feel after a purging experience - I used to be bulimic, and know that feeling all too well but its a short term feeling of relief, from what has just happened i.e. pox...but this feeling is non-sustainable.

I would suggest that you keep colouring, keep watching the movies, keep cleaning, and rest when the body needs to...go with the body, and not against it.

And, in time introduce other healthy activities.

You're not alone.

And, what you're feeling is normal, based on what you have experienced.

Stay in touch.

MuchLove