As far as I’m concerned, the link between Mental & Physical Illness is REAL!
For 15 years I have been living with a chronic illness now known to me as interstitial cystitis
For years it got me down, always on antibiotics and in & out of hospital for testing and procedures.
I was often the youngest person by 50 years at the urologists office and I never had a clue when to expect flare ups.
Just a couple of years ago, after being in the routine of journaling EVERYTHING due to my ride with bipolar disorder, I noticed a pattern.
When I was undergoing some tough trauma therapy I would begin to get sick in the days leading up to our sessions.
Very curious.
Then again any time I was stressed or low, BANG – bladder or kidney infection.
Which btw, never amounted to anything in my cultures. Just plain old feeling like I’d had the daylights kicked out of my lower back, weakened immune system, pain and irregular bathroom habits.
On more than a handful of times I’ve been hospitalized.
But what was the bewildering phenomenon?
My doctor soon diagnosed me with interstitial-cystitis, which we have linked to a minorly traumatic (in the grand scheme of things) event that happened when I was 18.
My boyfriend at the time was having an affair with my best friend, (in our bed might I add) which gave me a bladder infection. Something linked between my traumatized and stressed mindstate and my physical pain, which has replayed time and time again over the years.
When I was younger I often linked it to my drinking sessions – a bender equaled a week or so of phantom kidney infections BUT it turns out I was leaning on those drinking sessions more often when I was depressed or stressed. Cue flare ups.
Our minds and bodies are such powerful and magical entities!
I can’t believe it took me so long to learn about the link.
I haven’t had a flare up since 2019, actually that was when we put a lid on the trauma therapy as I was dissociating hard, but I’ve also reduced stressors, tweaked my nutrition and lifestyle habits and added daily cranberry supplements.
Our bodies can literally keep the score of our minds anguish. Pains, rashes, headaches, temperature fluctuations, bloating . . can all be physical signs of stress, among much more.
And physical ailments often take such a hit on our mental stability, I cant say I’ve ever felt considerably happy when I have been physically ill, can you?
Our health – when bad, is like a flat tire. You cant go anywhere unless you change it. Now I know that this includes all faucets. That my body impacts my mind and my mind impacts my body.
I have learned so much from this that now I put a focus on my Physical Health as a wellness tool for my Mental Health.
How does your mental state impact your physical health?
Nat x
