An Unusual Positive Correlation

Now, who would have thought stress can actually cause allergies? I was not a particular believer in this correlation until it happened to me recently. 

About three weeks ago, my middle finger started to itch. I saw some mini, red hives but I did not make a big deal out of it because I thought it was an ant or a mosquito bite. On the succeeding days, I noticed that my ring finger is experiencing the same symptoms. But still, I didn't worry much because they looked too normal to be something serious. It got worst as the days passed and when we welcomed May, I had hives wrapped all over my lower left arm, both sides of my torso, a portion of my back, and a portion of my chest. My body just felt so damn itchy and I decided to go to my dermatologist for a consultation. 

She asked me a few questions to determine the diagnosis. In a nutshell, the allergies I have are not caused by asthma, food, or supplements since in the first place, I do not have asthma and allergies to any particular food or medicine. She asked me how these allergies started and I disclosed that I first saw the hives on my fingers. And when she heard "fingers", she asked a follow-up question if I have been stressed lately. I had to be very candid to get to the root cause of these itchy blots. Hence, I told her that I have been under a lot of pressure and stress-not just with work, but also with personal life. I disclosed that I always carry this heavy baggage of expectations from work and even from the people around me. If I do not meet all of these, I told her that it would make me feel sick since I was brought up to practice the best and be the best. After sharing how I felt, my doctor shared that all the feelings and emotions that I have been carrying are valid and most likely the reasons why I had allergies. 

I just didn't get it. I didn't want to believe it. How can allergies and bottled emotions have a significant or positive correlation? I asked my doctor if how is that even possible. She tried explaining it to me in the best way she could and from our conversation, I understood that the worries I have can increase the cortisol hormones, which is the main stress hormone that our body produces. After this incident, I was advised to take it slow. 

I always get that advice. The thing is, it's quite difficult for a workaholic to take it slow. Believe me, I try to take it slow. I complain about how tired I am mentally, physically and how I need to take a day off. However, I constantly end up wondering if there is a way I could relax that would be more productive. Such struggle, at least for me, is real. With the help of my family, friends, and even workmates, I can say that I am slowly practicing the art of taking it slow. Aside from taking my medications and applying the prescribed creams, I watch Netflix more often. I go out with my friends. I visit places to unwind. I work until 6 pm--yes, trying to do some hard stop at 6 pm. It'll take a long time for me to master true relaxation but I am proud to say that I took the first step to get the hang of it.

I'll be sharing some photos below with the intent to inform you how the allergy could look like. However, please take note that all of these contain sensitive content which some people might find disturbing. 

Take my advice. Don't stress yourself too much, get enough sleep, take your vitamins, listen to your body, and eat more veggies and fruits. All of these are motherhood statements but are simply true. Most importantly, be like bread. Why? Because the only way to rise is to get enough rest. 

Always,

Ki