Do You Make Yourself Sick

[jordmare]

I suffer from GAD which causes "extra" things to happen like my phobia, social anxiety and some hypochondria.. I wake up and feel nauseated on a daily basis. I saw many different doctors and had every test possible done to find the cause of it, including having my gall bladder removed and no cause of my constant nausea was found.

Do you think it's possible to really make yourself physically ill from all of these anxieties? It has been so hard for me to think about the fact that I have been making myself sick after everything I've been through with my health but if it comes down to the fact that my mind is just being extremely powerful and that I am in fact causing my chronic nausea, fatigue, etc, than I want to be able to change that.

Aside from feeling stomach upset, do you think anxieties can cause cold/flu symptoms? Some days I'll start to feel the very beginning of a respiratory illness come on and the symptoms never last for more than a day, 2 days max. Right now for instance i have the feeling in my ears of being blocked up and full, a slightly stuffy nose and some nausea, I can't figure out if Im really coming down with something or if it's just anxiety.

Anyone have any input for me? Sorry for also posting this in another section but Im panicking a lot right now because of how sick I feel...

[senior15]

I don't have an answer to your problem..but I feel the same way on a daily basis. my parents are against me seeing a doctor so therefor I cannot get any of the help I need for it

[Otherside]

Yeah, it's possible. Worrying about symptoms can make them worse as well. I've done it several times.

Ever heard of the placebo effecct? It's where they give something a sugar pill and tell them it's the real thing. There problems may seem to get better or disapeer on it's own because the mind thinks its taking something that helping them get better. It's almost like the reverse of that.

[QuietCalamity]

Otherside put it well. Your brain is your most powerful organ. It controls (basically) all of your body and our brains always want to confirm our beliefs.

On top of that, the stress response can be very damaging to your body when you are in fight or flight frequently over a long period of time. It weakens your organs and immune system.

[Chantellabella]

I think that stress can lower your immune system, thus allowing illnesses to catch hold. I also think that stress can cause things like high blood pressure and acid reflux. I used to work in a very stressful situation and had to take high blood pressure medicine and I lived on antacids. As soon as I quit and found a much less abusive work environment, I no longer had problems in either physical area.

[SmileyFace]

I feel as though my anxiety worsens my allergies. It especially worsens my acid reflux as well. Doesn't help that I get stressed out easily as well.