Physical illness and mental health

  • Hi everybody. I have had a rotten cold which lead to sinusitis which lead to a chest infection and a touch of pleurisy thrown in for good measure.My diet has gone to pot as I haven't been well enough to do any exercise for nearly 4 weeks. And as for my mood ....well......it's been pants.
    It's almost as if I can cope OK whilst I am well and exercising but give me an illness and BANG my house of cards comes a-tumbling down.
    Is this just me? Please tell me there is someone else out there who experiences the same sort of thing.
    I am doing voluntary work in a junior school and it is likely that I will be constantly exposed to a whole host of sniffing children as I am hoping to train as a teacher's support worker. How do I protect my physical health.....and/or how do I protect my mental health and healthy lifestyle if I am physically unwell.????????
    I was doing soooooo well...........
  • I think everyone tends to go to pot a bit when they are sick, don't be too hard on yourself. I am sure when you get to feeling better you will get back on track. You have done so amazing, 80 pounds! Go you!
  • Just when you feel like a squidgy sack of pooh .......I saw somebody I hadn't seen in ages who couldn't beleive how much weight I had lost!
    I was feeling like a failure for succombing to illness and temptation and thinking how much I have put on these last couple of weeks and SHE saw what I had lost since May!!!
    A lightbulb moment!!!
  • Oh wow, I can't wait until someone can notice what I have lost. That must have felt so gratifying! You must have been so excited!
  • Yep, all your bodies are tied, physical mental emotional etc. It's normal to function poorly and feel like crap when your body is sick.

    Keeping well really depends on your situation - genetics, diet and how well your body deals with certain things. Are you talking mainly colds and coughs?
  • Tubolard I was quite humbled and gave myself a good mental kick in the pants. Now I feel better I am hoping to end the year almost 100lbs lighter than when I started and that wider view is what I struggle to focus on.
    Miss Health it is mainly coughs and colds when it starts....however I have asthma so anything snotty tends to dive down on to my chest and I also have had life long sinus problems so they tend to get a worked up too.
    I have posted this somehwere else but I went on line to have a look at prevention as I work with small children and it seems handwashing and antibac gel are the best defence. Supplements are generally not effective if you have a good balanced diet and exercise probably helps in moderation, though the jury is still out on most of the research.
  • Argh, that's annoying. Perhaps you could try taking a herbal remedy if it helps the immune system, like Olive leaf extract. Could be the result of stress also, in that case you might benefit from taking magnesium (I'm not trying to diagnose you or anything, just give some options of things that may help )

    I think a lot of people don't get the nutrients they need from diet alone, as there are so many refined foods in todays world it's really hard to eat organic raw vege all the time. I take magnesium every day and a multi vitamin.
  • I'm about 3 days into a cold and I'm waiting to see if it's going to develop into a chest infection, I REALLY hope it doesn't, they suck so bad..
    I've gone wayyy off track. You'd think the fact that I can't taste much of anything would stop me from gorging on fatty foods, but no, haha. Actually I think I'm using the cold as an excuse to eat more. I haven't been able to exercise properly either because I'm wheezing like a MF. I just cannot wait to get back to normal.. I hear high doses of Vitamin C is good for helping reduce the length of a cold, though it's disputed.. Maybe worth a look into though? Zinc is good for the immune system too
    Anyways, as someone said above, don't be too hard on yourself, chest infections are horrible, it's no wonder you're struggling. Take some time out to get better and get back on it!