Can Being Sick Make You Vulnerable To Anxiety?

Every year in the United States alone we get billions of colds, flues, and other common ailments.  For most people these well known sicknesses cause a lot of aggravation but not much else.  If you have an anxiety disorder on the other hand, something as basic as the common cold can make you a bit jumpy.

The motivation behind this post is really simple – I’m sick.  I’ve been sick with a chest cold for about five days now and although things are improving slowly I have noticed an effect on my anxiety.

And because I’ve been laying in bed for a couple of days I’ve had some to time to think about this issue and want to share my thoughts.

What I have found is that the common cold, flu, or other common ailments don’t actually effect your anxiety level.  What can effect your anxiety level is the emotional stress related to being sick.

You see as you lay there with the sniffles, runny nose, cough, body aches, and fever your mind starts to wonder.  Because you’re actually sick (for a change) you begin to see the sickness as something more threatening than it is.  Or you may believe that it may turn into something more serious.

On a more tangible level you may also become effected by some of the things you’ve tried to do to kill the bug causing all the misery.  That is you went to the store and stocked up on over the counter drugs to suppress the many symptoms you have.

These over the counter or OTC drugs however might also cause problems.  They may cause drowsiness, increase your heart rate, or mix poorly with some other medication you’re taking.

For example, shortly after coming down with a nasty cough I headed to my local pharmacy.  I looked for something safe and recognizable, so I picked up a bottle of Robitussin cough and cold medication.  I picked up the bottle and carefully read the directions and warnings on the label.

To my surprise you are not supposed to mix good ole Robitussin with any antidepressant medication.  Now if you have an anxiety disorder you might be on anti-anxiety meds and this could cause a problem.

So to answer my own non-rhetorical question, sickness can make you vulnerable to anxiety.  When sick you’re helpless, feeling crummy, drugged up, and maybe a little worried.  If you combine all those things than anxiety for an anxiety sufferer is likely to come.

And even though we are only talking minor things like colds, I think there is a certain level of anxiety associated with all forms of illness.  And I’m afraid we are simply a tad more susceptible to anxiety than most people.  That being said we should take a page out of Winston Churchill’s playbook.  Churchill once said, “if you’re going through hell, keep going”.  When you’re sick (with something basic), just like when you’re anxious, time will usually do the trick and worry will only get in the way.

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