Getting a cold and it's making anxiety worse

[jadedreams]

I think I have seen another thread about this before but couldn't find it. But I am trying to come down with a cold, started coughing and getting congested, blah. Does everyone else find their anxiety gets worse when they physically don't feel well? I would think the answer would be yes, but just wanted to get opinions.

I also have been working really hard the past 2 days to focus on positive things, mindfulness and homework my therapist gave me. Wondering if I should take it a bit easier for a couple days if I'm getting sick or not?

[lindadiana]

well if its any help,ive had a cold and chesty cough for about two weeks now I caught it off my daughter who also is still not quite better,i know when my nose as blocked I felt very panicky as it made is so I felt like I couldn't breath when I walked around too much,this in turn made me more paniky then the chesty cough where you can feel phlegm on your chest like kind of wheezy,and it was horrendous trying to cough it up,this also made me more panicky(thoughts of oh god its asthma,or oh god ive not got a cold ive got heart failure as I keep getting more and more phlegm,i thought oh god my lungs are wrapping up.also having a blocked nose stopped me being able to do calming breathing when I needed to,so I think ive given you my answer anyway,dont know about other peoples but that's how my brain works.sounds barmey to anyone who hasn't got ha or panic attacks I suppose.but that's me best wishes and hope your not ill too long

[jadedreams]

Thanks Linda, yeah my anxiety is way up this morning. I didn't sleep well last night because of the cold. And I know it's just a cold, but my anxiety is higher and that is stressing me out. Also when I get higher anxiety I get more intrusive thoughts. I did this morning and it really freaked me out.

[GingerFish]

My anxiety gets 10 times worse when I am ill or my partner is ill. He is just by with the flu and thankfully, I only caught the tail end of it and had very minor aches and a runny nose but he had the full deal and my anxiety was high for days. I have noticed though that when I am seriously ill like when I had pneumonia, I wasn't anxious at all. I was too ill to care so now when I am ill and I still have the energy to be anxious, I take it as a good sign although the anxiety feels horrid.

[TomsThoughts]

I'm congested at the moment with the flu makes my anxiety worse and I feel a little miserable/down, hot showers and baths make me feel better. Getting out of the house also helps, not doing anything too physical though! :)

Take it easy.

[jadedreams]

Thanks, yeah I figured it would make it worse. I actually have not been sick with a cold since all this anxiety started 8/9 months ago. So that is a good thing, I talked to my therapist about this and she said it was very common for anxiety/dep to increase with a cold/not feeling well.

Hopefully it will pass soon! Trying to get my vitamin c in and take care of myself.

[MyNameIsTerry]

That makes sense, long before any mental health issues I would be moaning about having a cold :winks:

Yes, plenty of fluids and a good couple of doses of vitamin C per day. We can't hold much vitamin C in our bodies, most of it gets wasted from supplements. I think it is 250mg, but I would have to check that. So, some timed release ones are useful or just split the doses up throughout the day.

Get some fruit too. That's a better source and full of lots of other things your body wants right now. Strawberries are high in vitamin C, Rosehips much higher.

[hheavenlyangel]

When i sick i panic that i will never get better. It happens every time, its like my brain forgets. I sympathize with you, i hope you're feeling better soon.

[TalkTonight]

Hi jadedreams

When I ail anything my anxiety increases.

It's not because I fear it's something sinister (well, not always anyway). I suspect it's purely a consequence of the energy I ordinarily expend keeping my mind on an even keel being required elsewhere. Everything is more onerous when I'm sick, including staying mentally well.

I hope this message finds you on the mend.

[jadedreams]

Thanks everyone, it's been an up and down affair with this cold. I actually stayed home yesterday, missed my first day of work in 7 months. I actually took a nap which was good, haven't been able to do that in months because of the anxiety/ruminating, etc.

Bad part though was that for a while I was very anxious and had lots of intrusive thoughts because of being home alone. My home used to be my haven but with these intrusive thoughts I'm still scared to be alone. Working with my therapist but not seeing a lot of headway yet. Wish I knew better how to help myself here, my intrusive thoughts are 95% self harm based with only a few towards others. After 8 months you wouldn't think I would still be so scared by them :weep:

At work today and not feeling too great, also having intrusive thoughts today I don't like.

[Fishmanpa]

It makes total sense that one's anxiety would increase with a real life physical ailment. Feeling like crap is feeling like crapp regardless of your mental state. A cold or flu makes you feel like crud. Having anxiety would amplify that feeling and with HA? There are countless threads about a common cold being the for-bearer of cancer or some other such nonsense.

Positive thoughts

[the_anxious_mind]

I must be weird, but whenever I get actually sick, I don't struggle as much with my HA because I actually have something "real" to deal with. But thats how my anxiety works. When I have a distaction, it's almost like it goes away. Very odd I know!

[MyNameIsTerry]

I must be weird, but whenever I get actually sick, I don't struggle as much with my HA because I actually have something "real" to deal with. But thats how my anxiety works. When I have a distaction, it's almost like it goes away. Very odd I know!

When I went off work with my relapse I picked a cold up the following week. It was great, it substantially reducing my anxiety but it just kicked straight back in once I was over it. It wasn't a distraction for me, I think it's just how things like fatigue tend to affect me.

[jadedreams]

Still fighting my cold and believe it has turned into bronchitis, looks like I'm heading off to the doctors. Now my HA is rearing it's head making me worry about pneumonia and such things. Sigh..

[jadedreams]

Well the cold got worse, had lots of coughing n some dizzyness the other night so I went to urgent care. my oxygen was low so they gave me a breathing treatment and a steroid shot. they said I have bronchitis and gave me an inhaler too. Trying not to freak out but I'm getting wheezing and winded on exertion. Have any of you had bronchitis before like this?

[Chocolateface]

Hi

I have never noticed but then have never been majorly ill since having anxiety, but when I am anaemic my anxiety is worse.

As mynameisterry said we can't store vitamin c so flood your body with it, eat and drink and rest up. Hope you feel better

Clare

[glassgirlw]

Well the cold got worse, had lots of coughing n some dizzyness the other night so I went to urgent care. my oxygen was low so they gave me a breathing treatment and a steroid shot. they said I have bronchitis and gave me an inhaler too. Trying not to freak out but I'm getting wheezing and winded on exertion. Have any of you had bronchitis before like this?

I did last year. Was definitely scary!! Plus I had never used an inhaler before and they prescribe Albuterol in the states which can increase feelings of jitteryness and anxiety....which is awesome when you deal with PA episodes...however, it did help and I got better. The wheezing is totally normal with exertion. Use the inhaler...it helps 😀 feel better soon!!

[MyNameIsTerry]

I did last year. Was definitely scary!! Plus I had never used an inhaler before and they prescribe Albuterol in the states which can increase feelings of jitteryness and anxiety....which is awesome when you deal with PA episodes...however, it did help and I got better. The wheezing is totally normal with exertion. Use the inhaler...it helps 😀 feel better soon!!

Yeah, I can relate to that. I've had asthma since childhood and Salamol is the same. I wouldn't use it, stopping using my Qvar as well just in case it also caused jitteriness and ended up having a mild asthma attack which forced the issue.

I agree, if you have a breathing problem it is best to use the Reliever as it can give a lot of benefit. You can get used to the jitters. Feeling breathless is not good for anxiety/panic and it's worth trading that off for this. Not everyone gets these effects anyway.

[jadedreams]

Thanks you guys,yes it is albuterol they gave me. I've never had bronchitis this bad so it is freaking me out, I tend to hyperventilate with anxiety anyway so that doesn't help. the wheezing scares me, I'm getting it laying down too.

[jadedreams]

Well I got better for a couple weeks and pretty much thought the bronchitis was over. Then last week I started getting an upper respiratory thing again and now it feels like it is trying to turn into bronchitis again. I am freaking out once more, not sure if the old cold came back or if I caught another cold while my immune system was down.

Don't know what to do, I feel so discouraged and of course my anxiety is way up. :weep: