Not everyone has the same ability to verbalize what they feel, especially the negative, so the body does that for us.
Clearly, this emotional control can lead to somatization, that is to say to develop various physical manifestations, of anxiety, sadness, malaise.
Who has never had a stomach ache as a child before going to school?
In the absence of a determined organic cause, the neurologist Aurélien Benoilid confirms that the psyche influences the body, the hormonal and immune system, to the point of being able to “promote the occurrence of infections and autoimmune diseases. »
According to the doctor author of
No, it's not just in your head!
To put an end to the taboo of psychosomatic illnesses
(1), the extent of the physical reaction depends on the genetic heritage, and above all on the individual's past experiences and traumas.
But to protect yourself and preserve your health, you still have to recognize the red flags sent by your body.
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A fatigue that accumulates
The state of our nights says a lot about our well-being.
“If you are preoccupied or depressed, you necessarily sleep less well,” comments Déborah Haddad-Baudry, psychologist at the Kremlin-Bicêtre pain treatment center.
This results in more complicated falling asleep, nocturnal or early awakenings.
As a result, “we end up with less restful sleep, which will cause a drop in attention, mood, a test of the immune system and therefore a general state of fragility, summarizes the psychologist.
And if this fatigue becomes chronic, it becomes more toxic to the body.”
To hold on, the individual in debt of sleep will make more use of chemical crutchesMarie pezé, psychosomatician
However, this symptom of a malaise is generally minimized by most of us.
"In the case of a burnout, we often ignore it, for fear of reprisals from colleagues, from our hierarchy or from an additional dose of work on our return", reports Marie Pezé, doctor of psychology, psychosomatician and head of the Suffering and Work network.
"To hold on, the individual in sleep debt will make more use of chemical crutches: energy drinks, alcohol, anxiolytics, antidepressants...", she adds.
If you want to tell the difference between a yawn of occasional fatigue and another of exhaustion, the psychosomatician Marie Pezé advises to worry when the fatigue does not subside despite good sleep habits (naps, going to bed early) .
In video, five signs that show that you are in sleep debt
Getting sick while on vacation
In situations of extreme exhaustion, as surprising as it may seem, the arrival of the holidays is not always profitable.
“It's like stopping a train launched at full speed, illustrates Marie Pezé, we very quickly accuse the backlash of this period when we struggled too much to remain hyperactive.
This undermines our last bastion, namely our immune defences, and makes us switch to repeated ENT infections or neuralgia.
Shortness of breath, dizziness
If stress weighs heavily on the mind, it also affects the ability to breathe well. Faced with a disturbing element, an important file to be treated or an unforeseen family event, the anxious person's heart rate and breathing change significantly, at the risk of causing intense pain in the chest, oppression. "When the heart beats too quickly, the brain lacks a little oxygen and can cause dizziness, or even loss of consciousness," says neurologist Aurélien Benoilid.
In the absence of medical history and serious signals, the psychologist Déborah Haddad-Baudry invites those concerned to focus their attention more on the solar plexus, "seat of many emotions", to the detriment of the racing heart.
"The return to calm and relaxation goes through breathing," she says, praising cardiac coherence exercises to regulate this emotional "yoyo".
Sore, lumpy throat and inability to speak
Some symptoms do not appear by chance and come to be fixed on a very telling function: the throat.
“Under the effect of intense stress or stage fright linked to public speaking, the body can prevent us from accessing this ordeal which puts us in difficulty, and thus make us speechless, details the neurologist Aurelien Benoilid.
Beyond the psyche, the symptom can also result from a mechanical reflex where the muscles associated with the vocal cords will be solicited in excess when approaching an oral presentation and generate irritation.
Herpes, shingles and other rashes
By coloring itself red under the effect of embarrassment or pleasure, the skin sometimes betrays our moods.
But this is not the only manifestation.
“Skin rashes say a lot about our relationship to the world and to others, explains psychologist Déborah Haddad-Baudry.
Thus, it is not uncommon to experience herpes after a big fight.
Other times, a strong psychological annoyance will lead to the appearance of warts and shingles in some people (
reactivation of the chickenpox virus, Editor's note
).
Skin rashes say a lot about our relationship to the world and to othersDéborah Haddad-Baudry, psychologist
Weight change, stomach aches
In this complex health period, it is not surprising to see the plates change.
When some snack to compensate for anxiety, others experience a sudden loss of appetite.
If this phenomenon is accompanied by sluggishness, be careful not to miss depression, warns psychologist Déborah Haddad-Baudry.
“This pathology leads to a form of total letting go, where a lack of enthusiasm and constant sadness mix, which can lead to weight gain or loss,” she underlines.
Some will literally work "fear in their stomachs" and suffer more or less serious transit disordersMarie Pezé, psychosomatician
In addition to the quantity of the meals, digestive inconveniences are observed in particular situations, in particular harassment at work, mentions the psychosomatician Marie Pezé.
"The victims will literally work" fear in the stomach "and suffer more or less serious transit disorders in the long term, from motor diarrhea to colopathies", she adds.
The reflexes to adopt
Before establishing a psychosomatic cause, the neurologist Aurélien Benoilid reminds us that you must first make sure you have done all the additional medical examinations, such as, for example, undergoing an electrocardiogram in the event of pain in the stomach. chest and shortness of breath.
In the event of proven anxiety, the prescription of chemical molecules is not sufficient on its own.
The psychosomatic approach must always be complemented by a psychotherapeutic approach (hypnosis, brief therapies, psychoanalysis).
“Concerning chronic pain, it is very important to seek psychotrauma, insists the doctor.
This is why I systematically ask my patients if they have experienced complicated emotional episodes and if they have been victims of sexual assault.
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The manual treatment of physical suffering should not be ignored.
Dr. Aurélien Benoilid advocates physiotherapy work to treat muscle tension related to pathology.
“I don't rule out the use of alternative medicine either, adds the neurologist.
The use of a placebo, such as homeopathy or traditional Chinese medicine, is taken into account to promote all the right conditions for improving the patient's condition.
(1)
No, it's not just in your head!
To put an end to the taboo of psychosomatic illnesses
, by Aurélien Benoilid, published by Marabout, 220 pages, €17.90.
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