Can Anxiety Make You Sick?

Shell Beach, Bodega Bay, CA

The day before this photo was taken, I woke up with so much stress and anxiety that I felt like I was getting the flu. My throat and head felt inflamed, and I had pain throughout my body.

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The cause: built up stress, which turned into anxiety. Stress can be insidious. You can be fine for weeks, months, or years, and not feel the severe impact it can have in you. That’s what happened to me. I had months of stress that I chose to power through and not deal with. But — eventually it all caught up to me, and I almost got sick from it. I realized that my anxiety was a warning sign to me that I needed to take care of myself, ASAP.

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After this realization, I spent the rest of my weekend doing things that brought me joy and peace - such as hanging out with a friend, sitting in nature, drinking LOTS of fluids, writing, walking, unplugging from my phone, etc. Basically — detoxing.

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I have realized that this “detoxing” needs to be done daily. It can be as simple as walking for 10 minutes, 5 minutes of deep breathing, or even just sipping tea in bed while watching your favorite TV show.

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We have a lot of stress in our lives, and we need to spend time taking care of ourselves to release that stress. Most importantly, we need to find joyful releases, otherwise we are less likely to want to take action to destress.

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What helps you release your stress?