How Your Cold or Flu Can Be Impacting Your Mental Health

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The cold and flu season has been upon us for awhile now and whether we’re talking Covid-19, the flu, the common cold, or some other virus, becoming sick can have an impact on our mental health even after we’ve recovered from other symptoms.

It’s not just the biochemical impacts of that sickness, but also our behavioral responses to becoming ill that can be at play. Illnesses can alter our sleep habits, eating habits, mobility, socialization, and productivity. All of these things need a sense of balance for overall mental wellness, so when so many of these changes might be occurring at once, it can throw off our ability to handle the increased stress, frustration, and limitations on us. So give yourself some grace because YES you are more easily frustrated or overwhelmed right now. When our internal system is in a state of stress (illnesses do this naturally) we can often fall into maladaptive coping habits. We know that times of stress can negatively impact our responses, especially when we’re already struggling with a mental illness such as depression, anxiety, a mood disorder, or ADHD. It can make our current symptoms more pronounced. It may be hard to pull yourself out of all the extra napping or sleeping you’ve done since becoming sick, even when you’re feeling better. You may have trouble getting back into completing tasks that you necessarily set aside when you were sick. It may feel overwhelming to start socializing as actively again after the time you were home or to start planning out healthier meals after just eating what was quick and easy while you felt ill. The behavior changes were necessary while we were not feeling well, but prolonged they can impact our mental health negatively.

Whether you have a mental illness or not, we can see temporary increases in an anxious or depressive mood-set following some illnesses, even the common cold. Viruses cause the immune system to attack them and this internal response can then increase inflammation and stress within our body and many studies have shown a relationship between inflammation and depression. This immune response can leave us feeling down, tired, and sometimes even depressed. Viruses can impact the function of noradrenaline in our brain (a neurotransmitter) that can impact our alertness and reaction times, causing trouble concentrating and an overall sluggish feeling. Illnesses can also mimic anxiety in our body through our body’s temperature changes and stress responses, leaving us feeling more anxious or worried- especially when we consider the mental load that becoming sick can also bring.

We can see that when we’re ill or someone in our family is ill, there is a mental load that also comes with modifying our routines and the routines for others. It can spur off a flurry of thoughts and concerns: Who is going to watch the kids? What will happen about that work meeting I’m supposed to have? I can’t afford to take off right now. I hate that I have to tell _____ that we can’t make it now. How am I going to make up all this school work? As the days go on and we’re still sick, those modifications may feel like they just keep adding up. Then look around your home or office at what you haven’t gotten done and the work ahead of you. All of it increases our stress and mental load at a time our body is trying to recover.

So what can you do if find you’ve been more anxious or sad since your recent illness? First, talk to your doctor if it is chronic or severe to be assessed for post-viral syndrome, like depression or fatigue. These tests would be looking for persistent and substantial symptoms.

If that is not the case, then focusing on balancing our body’s responses can be beneficial. By this I mean focusing on resuming healthy and consistent eating (reduce greasy, processed, or sugary foods and increase anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting foods), drinking water, sleeping (work on a consistent night time sleep schedule of 7-9 hours for adults and plan to reduce waking from coughing or lingering illness responses), and increasing activity levels (physical and social). Also reduce screen time and engage in stress-reduction activities like deep breathing, meditation, or creative outlets- music, art, construction- but remember to be aware that your focus and mood may still be impacted by your illness like I’ve discussed. Identify the habits that were necessary for you before but could begin to negatively impact you now and allow yourself time to address them.

The Mayo Clinic recommends taking nutrients that will assist in boosting your immune system as well. Probiotics (yogurt, kefir, kimchi), Beta Carotene (sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, broccoli), Vitamin C (citrus, bell peppers, broccoli, melons), Vitamin D (eggs, fatty fish, fortified milk) and Zinc (beef, seafood, tofu) can be found in a variety of foods or through supplements.

Finally, ask for help to reduce that mental load- fight your instinct to ignore it or feel like you have to do it all on your own. Prioritize what matters first to you and begin from there, rewarding yourself for each portion done because it will take time to feel caught up and that’s OK.