It has been a difficult summer.
There has been the death of a close relative, my perfectly healthy husband had a stroke caused by a blood clot, I was rear-ended in an auto accident, both of my grandparents were hospitalized, and we moved to another home.
Knowing I would need an abundance strength and energy, I maintained healthy eating habits.
That was good.
In addition, after each occurrence (except the auto accident because I was too sore), I increased my exercise routine as an outlet for the stress.
That was also good.
My other effort to cope with stress was not so good.
Emotionally, I shut down completely and would not talk about my feelings.
That was bad.
Well-meaning family and friends would phone, but I would let the call roll to voice mail and then text them back.
At the time, I was so overwhelmed that I could not handle speaking to anyone, that was my way of staying strong and focused.
That was a mistake.
Due to all of the stress I was experiencing and not dealing with properly, I ended up developing shingles, twice.
Stress does not technically cause one to develop shingles, anyone who has had chicken pox before can develop shingles because the varicella zoster virus remains in the body laying inactive in our nerve roots.
Something has to rouse the virus for it to become active again.
Studies have shown that emotional stress can rouse the virus and cause an outbreak of shingles in some people, because stress can weaken the immune system, the body cannot fight off the virus.
My symptoms included itching, burning, aching, and piercing pain that was only tolerable with medication.
Perhaps there was nothing I could have done to avoid getting shingles, but as a Holistic Health Coach I know there were things I could have done to manage my stress better.
When undergoing emotional stress it is important to eat healthy, exercise, get enough sleep, don't keep feelings bottled up inside, seek support from others such as talking to trusted friends or a therapist, write about it, listen to music, meditate, read, pray, do something you enjoy every day, avoid stimulants (caffeine, sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs), and set aside relaxation time.
I wished I had coached myself better through my own crises, but at least I learned something.
When going through stressful times, it is important to try all of the things listed above instead of one or two.
Since shingles are most common among people over the age of 50 and I am only 40, I believe my outbreaks were triggered by stress and that I could have avoided getting shingles if I had practiced better stress management.
Stressful times will come again, but when they do I will do things differently.
I have learned my lesson.
I guess in my case the words of Harry Callahan are true when he said, "Experience is the best teacher...
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