How Fear Weakens the Immune System
I have been wanting to cover this topic on my blog for a while, because so many of my clients shared with me over the course of the past year how their symptoms have been exacerbated throughout the pandemic without them understanding the cause behind it.
Of course, the fact that we are still in winter in the Northern hemisphere plays a role at this time. It’s a season where we are all inclined to engange less in healthy habits like moving outdoors, getting enough light and fresh air or fresh produce. Instead, we tend to stay home more and eat more foods that contain higher amounts of sugar feeding inflammation, parasites and germs. But regardless of the seasons, all of my coaching conversations eventually lead to this realization: my clients are frequently triggered and constantly stressed. And since the stress response is closely linked to anything that you perceive as a threat, it’s associated with fear.
Almost two years since the beginning of the pandemic and the introduction of lifechanging, constantly changing restricting measures in most countries in the world have passed, here you are: still confronted with many of your deepest fears, losing loved ones and parting ways with lifelong friends for various reasons, isolated and deprived of the freedoms and the life you need in order to thrive, unsure about what you can or should do, what’s safe, what isn’t, and far from many activities that you so dearly loved. This is a time that triggers deep childhood wounds and trauma on a daily basis. Every day is bathed in uncertainty and you are challenged to ground yourself within.
Not only do you need to find ways to self-regulate and step out of fear to think clearly, sleep well, or connect with others. Finding ways to calm the nervous system down is probably the best thing you can do for your own health today, because fear weakens the immune system.
The central nervous system communicates in a delicate balance with the immune system at all times
Any kind of stress, no matter if physical or emotional, no matter if caused by real or perceived threats, can disrupt this balance. Chronic stress - just as much as traumatic stress, brought forth by daily triggers - makes you vulnerable and puts you at a much higher risk to get sick physically, because the adaptive response to stressors and triggers of the brain is to send signals to the hormonal system to mobilize your inner defense mechanism in order to keep you safe.
The role of the hormonal system involves the release of hormones adapted to what you are faced with or need at any given time. When you are triggered or stressed, this entails the release of hormones like cortisol that prepare your flight from emergencies. Unfortunately, this comes along with the downregulation of your immunity: The immune system is simply not prioritized in this case, because if you are in a situation of danger, the priority is to physically enable you to get back to safety.
Apart from the fact that your immediate defenses are down, the flooding with cortisol caused by the trigger or stress decreases inflammation and white blood cells while increasing the risk of tumor development and the rate of infection and tissue damage (Goliszek, A., 2014).
The constant stress response can also lead to an increased release and high levels of histamine – which is responsible for the inflammatory response as seen in allergic reactions. Some people have chronically high histamine levels that might be diagnosed as a histamine intolerance where the body’s enzymes to metabolize histamine do not function or aren’t available in sufficient amounts.
Another effect of the stress response triggered by traumatic or chronic stress is the downregulation of the so-called growth hormone (Yaribeygi H, 2017). This hormone is responsible for metabolic processes and is involved in any process of healing and regeneration in your body. With a lack of growth hormone over time, regeneration and repair does not take place - also contributing to the development of disease.
In consequence, you’re more susceptible to be frequently ill and to develop chronic diseases, auto-immune diseases and allergies when you’re stressed over long periods of time or frequently triggered.
This shows how finding ways to navigate the world and making space for rest, healing and self-regulation are some of the most important steps to improve your health.
Some ideas for stepping out of fear and regulating the nervous system
remove yourself from the environment that triggers you - in the context of the pandemic, that could mean: switch off your TV, limit your exposure to news
stop listening to people that are stuck in their own fear
practice breathing, humming, chanting to regulate the vagus nerve
journal
take epsom baths or hot foot baths
go for walks in nature
connect with friends and family you can safely be yourself around
meditate
practice EFT tapping
do yoga
practice mindfulness exercises (observing your heartbeat or breath, for instance)
Don’t have a grounding practice yet?
You can find my free grounding self-love meditation here or download my free trigger transformation tool here to get started with a new practice that helps you stay grounded within yourself today!
Resources
Goliszek Ph.D. Andrew, How Stress Affects the Immune System: Using mind-body therapies to keep stress from making us sick. Psychology Today, 2014 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-the-mind-heals-the-body/201411/how-stress-affects-the-immune-system
Yaribeygi H, Panahi Y, Sahraei H, Johnston TP, Sahebkar A. The impact of stress on body function: A review. EXCLI J. 2017;16:1057-1072. Published 2017 Jul 21. doi:10.17179/excli2017-480