I am going to die. That was the phrase I repeated to myself as I sat in the passenger seat of my moms car, heart pounding, chest tighter than my clenched fists. We were driving to the emergency room because I at 15 years old was convinced I was having a heart attack.
That wasnt the first time my anxiety got so bad that I became convinced there was something gravely wrong with my body. I spent high school in a hypochondria-induced haze, fixated on every little sensation in my body and assuming Id drop dead at any second.
But the constant stress and panic went beyond racing thoughts and an ever-present sense of doom. It also seemed to be directly responsible for another chronic condition Ive dealt with most of my life atopic dermatitis (aka eczema) although it would take nearly a decade before I realized what was going on.
After all, eczema seems to be all about the skin. It caused stretches of rashes across my hands. Sometimes, they were a mild annoyance, but other times, my skin oozed and bled. The swollen welts made my fingers so stiff, I could hardly bend them.
Ointments and treatments did little to ease my symptoms. It wasnt until I faced my stress and anxiety head on that my skin finally cleared up.
Heres how I discovered the connection between anxiety and atopic dermatitis, and how getting rid of stress calmed them both at the same time.
My first visit with a therapist when I was in high school was mediocre. I left the appointment feeling no better, and wondering what the point of the session was.
Fast forward a few years later, when I moved 350 miles from home to go to college. I found myself craving a space to process the big changes going on in my life, as I learned to live on my own and buried myself in new, exciting projects.
I cycled through several therapists at the school counseling office, but eventually I connected with one who helped me unpack a lot of negative experiences in childhood that likely led to the snowball effect of anxiety taking over my teens.
One session in particular sticks out in my mind: I was explaining a particularly stressful situation Id been in, when my therapist noted, Look how youre sitting. Youre holding all this tension in your shoulders.
I was shook. I had never noticed how much my anxiety manifests in my body from my stiff posture to the way I picked at my hair and bit the inside of my cheeks when I was stressed.
I knew from experience that when I was less anxious, my stomach hurt less. When my mind wasnt racing, I could sleep better at night.
And then it clicked: When my anxiety got worse, so did my physical health a pattern that had been hidden in plain sight for years.
Seeing a therapist on a regular basis helped keep me grounded in college. It didnt make my problems go away, but gave me some solace knowing I had a place where I could feel safe talking about how I felt.
I slowly worked through my hypochondria and learned how to cope with panic attacks vital skills that helped me feel in control when my world was spinning so fast.
But during my last year of school, things took a turn for the worse. My dad passed away suddenly from a heart aneurysm the summer before my senior year of college.
Crushed by grief, I could feel my hypochondria roaring with a vengeance. And with it came one of my worst eczema flares yet, just in time for the funeral.
I remember looking down at my hands, from the base of my right-hand pinky to my wrist, my skin was oozing bright yellow liquid and burning with the need to be scratched.
When I returned to school, I focused on simply surviving the next year. Stress piled on me with every class, job, and internship I took on.
Amid the eczema flare-ups, warts grew on my hands for the first time. And just like with eczema, I turned to topical treatments to get rid of the ugly lumps, which didnt help at all.
I kept going to therapy, and started taking antidepressants, which was just enough to keep me from staying in bed every day. But my skin continued to rage, and there I was, hands constantly covered in Band-Aids as I endured the slow slog to graduation.
What happened after I gathered my diploma, however, felt like a miracle.
A few months after graduation, I was standing in the bathroom, looking at the warts on my hands. I noticed theyd lost their firmness, and some smaller ones even vanished. So I did what any anxious meddler would do I picked at them.
To my surprise, the deformed lumps fell off with ease. The months of trying to chemically rid my hands of their afflictions suddenly seemed like a waste. What was different now compared to just a few months ago?
Well, a lot, actually. I had a full-time job that kept me in a steady 9-to-5 rhythm. I didnt jam-pack my already-busy schedule with a half of dozen extracurricular activities on top of my normal work week.
In the evenings, I made dinner for myself and my partner, watched TV, and strolled around the neighborhood. And on the weekends, I got to hang around the house and rest, rather than feeling guilty about neglecting assignments or skipping social events.
Life was moving at a far slower pace than it did in school. Not only did I feel less on edge, but my skin seemed to take notice, too. Before I knew it, my eczema simply disappeared. Id finally tackled my main trigger: stress.
Without the constant demands of school, I was free from the never-ending loop of anxiety. I had more time to listen to my body and take care of it.
Today, I still get eczema flares every now and then, but now that I know they come from stress, I can take care of my mind to soothe my body. And my skin thanks me for it.
Jennifer Walter is a journalist based in Wisconsin. She writes about health, psychology, tech, and history. You can follow her on Twitter or visit her website.
See original here:
How Reducing Stress and Anxiety Calmed My Eczema - Greatist
- Retrospective analysis of 397 DABE | CCID - Dove Medical Press - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- Derm In The News: November 26-December 2 - Dermatology Times - December 3rd, 2023 [December 3rd, 2023]
- When is the Best Time to Try Alternative Treatments for Eczema? - National Eczema Association - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- How Eczema Negatively Impacted the Way She Talked to Herself - National Eczema Association - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Colloidal Oatmeal Effective in Improving Atopic Dermatitis in Black ... - Dermatology Times - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Combination Treatments in HS Require Further Review - Dermatology Times - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Addressing Misconceptions, Concerns Around Biosimilar Use - Dermatology Times - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Native American and Indigenous Communities Face Dermatologic ... - Dermatology Times - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Microwave Therapy Successful for Treating Warts in Children - Dermatology Times - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- 9 Best Antifungal Body Washes Review - The Jerusalem Post - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Patients With Severe Psoriasis Have Higher Risk of Heart Disease ... - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Swimming and skin: What to know if a child has eczema - Harvard Health - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Experts demand traffic-light labels to show strength of eczema cream - Daily Mail - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Its mosquito season. Here are tips for treating bites, preventing them in the first place - Yahoo News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- How new EU incentives will help all patients get the best treatments - Euronews - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Consistent Use of Ceramide-Containing Products Combined With ... - Dermatology Times - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- The Best Swimming Skin and Hair Products | livestrong - Livestrong - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- These 13 Household Items Contain Smells That Are Harmful To ... - Rock 92.9 - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- FDA Approves First Pill to Treat Moderate-to-Severe Crohn Disease - HealthDay News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Feds investigating eczema cream after two Oregon babies found with high levels of lead in blood - OregonLive - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Heres how to treat eczema and other skin conditions for cold weather - The Hindu - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Atopic eczema - NHS - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Seborrheic dermatitis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Oatmeal skincare is the perfect solution for sensitive skin (+ best products to try) - Lifestyle Asia Singapore - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Eczema - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Cold, dry weather can trigger eczema - how to reduce damage to the skin this winter - Express - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Eczema on lips nhs - kved.erxe.de - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- xrfkc.vitalhaskap.pl - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Atopic eczema and alopecia areata - cyasn.kugel-lernfoerderung.de - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- north shore zipline oahu - owk.tophouse.shop - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- nak stock - vbi.maxense.shop - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Atopic eczema and alopecia areata - zayqif.hydra-market.shop - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- fort worth map with zip codes - prxrzj.rids-gear.shop - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Ear Eczema: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments - Healthgrades - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- The Mutha Body Oil Is Worth the Splurge, Especially If You Have Sensitive Skin - POPSUGAR - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Are You Allergic to Your Beauty Products? A Patch Test Might Tell You - Allure - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Stinky sweat turns out to have a surprising health benefit : Goats and Soda - NPR - August 29th, 2022 [August 29th, 2022]
- Makeup for Eczema-Prone Skin: Considerations, Products, and Tips - Healthline - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Eczema Vaccinatum: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment - Healthline - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- What Is Topical Steroid Withdrawal in Atopic Dermatitis Treatment? - Everyday Health - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- A new 'cure for eczema' pill has been signed off but who is allowed to take it? - Cosmopolitan UK - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- What Causes Dandruff And How To Get Rid Of It, According To A Dermatologist - Fatherly - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Allergies on the rise due to climate change - BusinessWorld Online - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Cryotherapy Treatment: Uses and Benefits - newschannelnebraska.com - July 13th, 2022 [July 13th, 2022]
- Mutations of Filaggrin Leading to Eggs & Milk Allergies - Physician's Weekly - June 18th, 2022 [June 18th, 2022]
- How AI & the Pandemic Are Changing the Skin & Hair Clinic Experience - The Quint FIT - June 18th, 2022 [June 18th, 2022]
- How to treat your childs dry skin in winter - Lowvelder - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Topical steroid: Types, uses, side effects and treatment as revealed by doctors - Hindustan Times - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Psoriasis in the Belly Button: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment - Healthline - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- In his last days, my father asked for Yiddish music - Forward - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Throwing away the water after cooking rice? Know how it could benefit your skin and hair - Times Now - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Family 'devastated and numb' as boy, 9, dies a day after breaking his arm - Coventry Live - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Happy Cappy Not Just For Babies; Everyone With Sensitive Skin Can Benefit - Pediatric Shampoo Granted Trademark in New Campaign: 'No Scalp Left... - June 15th, 2022 [June 15th, 2022]
- Eczema on black skin: Pictures, symptoms, and treatment - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Eczema on the Ears or Eyebrows: How to Cope - Everyday Health - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- What People With Eczema Need to Know About Self-Screening for Skin Cancer - National Eczema Association - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- How to protect children with eczema from scratching until they bleed - Channel NewsAsia - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Autism, allergies and other diseases and disorders afflicted baby boomers, too - PolitiFact - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Is saltwater good for the skin? What to know Beaufort South Carolina The Island News - The Island News - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- What's trending? The most-read stories on APAC beauty market and consumer insights - CosmeticsDesign-Asia.com - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Canada to require a warning be printed on every cigarette - Coventry Live - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Holistic Acne Treatments That Are Better Than What You've Been Doing - The List - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Almirall: Eight out of Ten Patients Maintained Skin Clearance at One Year in Lebrikizumab Atopic Dermatitis Monotherapy Trials - PR Newswire UK - June 7th, 2022 [June 7th, 2022]
- Woman left balding and bedbound by chronic eczema clears the condition with a 9 face cream - The Independent - June 7th, 2022 [June 7th, 2022]
- Poll: Six in 10 people would eat food that has fallen on the floor - Coventry Live - June 7th, 2022 [June 7th, 2022]
- The itch that rashes: Treating and understanding eczema - El Paso Inc. - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Celebrities With Eczema Speak Out - Everyday Health - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Lotion, Cream, Gel, and Ointment Similarly Effective for Childhood Eczema - HealthDay News - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Antibiotics Given Before C-sections Are Not Linked to Asthma, Eczema in Young Children - Pharmacy Times - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Eczema Skin-Care Products Market Size, Scope and Forecast | Alliance Pharma Plc., Bausch Health Companies Inc., Bayer AG., AbbVie Inc., Eli Lilly and... - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- What are the benefits of ceramides for the skin? - Medical News Today - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Some Allergies Associated With Lower Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection - Smithsonian Magazine - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- The CDC is sending monkeypox vaccines to people at high risk in a race to prevent the spread - CNBC - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Missing Sikeston teen may be heading to Kansas City area - KMBC Kansas City - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Should you cleanse or exfoliate first? What to know - Medical News Today - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Dry Skin: Eczema, Itchy Skin, Causes, Treatments, Relief, Types - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid If You Have Eczema - The Beet - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- 3 Women With Eczema Describe the Ways They Combat Nighttime Flare-Ups - Verve Times - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- The Challenges of Parenting a Child With Eczema - Verve Times - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Manuka Honey Benefits for Skin: Benefits, Masks, and More - Greatist - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]