CFS and Stress
Learn How Stress Could Be a Major Cause Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Research is revealing more about the roles stress and anxiety play in CFS. Could anxiety be both a cause and a symptom? Understanding how it works can help relieve it.
There has been a lot of research done on the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, (also called M.E. )including the muscle pain and indescribable exhaustion. However, do we understand the role played by anxiety?
What Is It that Causes the Stress and Anxiety?
Let’s go back a step to the exhaustion. Anyone who has experienced CFS will say that the exhaustion can arise from the slightest event. From taking a shower, to reading an article on the Internet, the tiredness can result in dizziness, chest palpitations, muscle pain and the need to lie down. Some people may be able to manage the shower and the reading, but then become ill after meeting friends and going out to dinner.
“But you were sitting down all the time!” friends might say. “You were only there for two hours!” It is impossible to explain or describe the physical and emotional stress of CFS. Suffice it to know that the exhaustion is real.
Recent research has shown that CFS could be the result of extremely high stress levels causing anxiety and physical reactions. Imagine a situation where a large ferocious dog is running towards you. Everything tells you to run but you are so frightened that your muscles freeze and your life flashes before your eyes! OK, now the dog runs past you and continues on its way to catch the ball thrown by its owner. You can relax. What happens? Your legs are shaky, you feel faint, and you have to sit down. You need a drink of water and to calm your breathing.
With CFS, it is as if that stress response is occurring over and over again. The over-stimulated part of the brain is sending out messages of fear and high alert all the time. The muscles are freezing and then unlocking, the ongoing tension causing pain and discomfort, as well as headaches and hyperventilation.
The elevated stress levels begin to weaken the immune system. The body is more vulnerable to colds and flu, infections and virus attack, and then the digestive system starts to complain. Opportunistic organisms like Candida overgrowth start to colonise the gut as well as other areas. Allergies develop. The person with CFS thinks that their body is falling apart. It feels like it. They feel anxious about it. Will it ever get better? The anxiety creates more stress and the stress creates more anxiety.
Remember the person who seems to be coping but then feels ill after dinner? Imagine the scenario: “My stomach is so bloated and painful. What's wrong with it? I have promised to go out to dinner. What shall I do? I feel shaky. My head is starting to hurt." The anticipation of further illness creates anxiety. The event itself is like watching that ferocious dog running towards you and hoping you will be on your way home before it reaches you.
The vicious cycle of stress continues. It’s no good saying, “Calm down,” because anxiety has become an automatic conditioned response that you have no control over. It wears you out.
Five Things You Can Do to Relieve Stress and Anxiety
- Learn about abdominal deep breathing to stop hyperventilation
- Learn about Autogenic relaxation - a technique for muscle relaxation
- Learn about Visualisation - you create a calming situation
- Have a regular gentle massage to soothe the muscles
- Research the The Lightning Process and NLP which work to change conditioned patterns of thinking.
For general information : The ME/CFS Association
