If my body had any sense it would join a trade union. My sinuses could go on strike, my stomach could take an extended leave of absence, and my back could demand daily massages and a pay increase. My poor overworked anatomy.

It seems that no matter how many vitamin pills I pop or apples and oranges I consume, I'm permanently in a state of chronic ill-health.

Whenever I feel that maybe, just maybe, I'm on the track to good health, I get hit with a cold, tummy bug or excruciating headache. Strangely enough, these always seem to coincide with periods of stress — deadlines at work, money troubles or a tiff with my boyfriend.

I know, I know, I sound like a hypochondriac. But I'm not — stomach bugs result in unpleasant trips to the toilet and each cold sets me back about two boxes of tissues. So, what is really going on here and how do I escape this cycle of bad health?

Psycho… what?

It seems I could be suffering from psychosomatic illnesses. Contrary to popular belief, 'psychosomatic' doesn't mean that it's all in your head or that you're intentionally making yourself sick.

For sufferers of psychosomatic illnesses, the physical symptoms are real and can harm you as much as symptoms that originate from other means. The difference is that the symptoms are brought on by stress or damaging thought patterns.

Psychosomatic illnesses cover a wide range of symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, and anxiety attacks to more vague symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, chest, back or muscle pains and breathlessness.

Chronic stress and negative thought patterns compromise your immune system's ability to fight viruses when it's attacked.

Stress triggers a 'fight or flight' response which activates the sympathetic nervous system. Frequent activation leads to a downgraded and less effective response and gives the body less time to recover, so that it is unable to fight off illnesses which would otherwise have posed little threat.

According to Dr Rosamund Carey, treatment of psychosomatic illnesses needs to be twofold and consists of treating both the physical manifestation and the psychological origin.

"One would treat the stomach cramps, diarrhoea and other effects of the irritable bowel syndrome, but also refer the patient for counselling to reduce stress and learn to deal with stress in a positive way. Treatment rarely cures the problems, but rather keeps them under control. In times of stress they often resurface."

Many people who suffer from psychosomatic illnesses resist psychological counselling as a form of treatment because they fear that in doing so they will be admitting that their illness is in some way not 'real'.

Give yourself a boost

Unfortunately we can do very little about the things that stress us out, but we can change the way in which we handle that stress.

By practising some coping techniques and taking a positive approach to life (which includes believing that you are going to be healthy) you can improve your health. So, while the illness may not be in your head, you can still use your head to get rid of it.

A good place to start is to think about what stresses you out. Stress comes in all shapes and sizes and does not only accompany 'bad' things. New relationships, a promotion, a baby and buying a new home can all cause significant amounts of stress.

Work out which situations and people are stressful for you. Physical symptoms of stress can include sweaty palms, tense muscles, an uneasy stomach or a raised heartbeat. Psychological symptoms can include negative thought patterns or a more general feeling of being upset, angry or flustered.

Once you've figured out what pushes your buttons, you can start implementing some coping strategies. Not everyone copes with stress in the same way, so experiment and find out what works well for you. Here are a few suggestions:

• Talk to someone you trust


• If possible try to work through the problem


• Go for counselling or join a support group


• Take up a relaxing hobby


• Exercise


• Eat lots of fruit and vegetables


• Avoid caffeine and stop smoking


• Meditate, start yoga or do relaxation exercises


• Make sure you have some 'me' time

Useful links

The American Institute of Stress

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