Politics Stressing You Out And Causing Asthma Attacks?

When I was growing up, I was taught to avoid talking about politics and religion. Especially at family dinners.

This past year has made that impossible - especially if you spend any time on social media. Sometimes I would put my phone down, turn off the news, and watch a movie to escape. Or pull out a good book and get lost in the pages.

But there was no avoiding seeing what happened in January at the Capitol building in Washington D.C.

I was stressed

I knew something was wrong because my phone kept pinging while I was helping with our COVID response team. At first, I ignored it because we were so busy. But I kept getting alerts, so I knew something was wrong.

I quickly checked my phone and saw that friends had sent photos of the attack. I was so shocked that almost walked into a wall!

As a tireless allergy and asthma advocate, I have spent many hours in the Capitol and surrounding buildings. I have visited my representatives and senators to raise awareness of issues with our allergy and asthma community. So, when I saw those familiar sites under siege, I was shocked.

Asthma attacks caused by strong emotions

I quickly went online to see the TV coverage. And as I was staring in shock, I could feel warning signs of an asthma attack.

Did you know that stress and strong emotions can trigger an asthma attack?¹ Yep. Strange, but true!

Most people know the usual asthma triggers (mold, dust, pet dander, pollen, strong odors, weather changes, etc), but stress and strong emotions can also cause an asthma attack.

The annoying thing about asthma is that our lungs like everything to stay the same. People without asthma have lungs that can adjust when something changes. Not those of us with asthma. Our lungs tend to overreact.

Sometimes it feels my lungs are drama queens. They overreact to everything - kind of like teenagers do (or a toddler who didn't get their sandwich cut the right way).

And sure enough, my chest started to tighten up, and my throat started getting "twitchy." Then the cough started. Ugh. Another asthma attack caused by strong emotions and stress.

How do you reduce stress?

One of the most important things about managing asthma is avoiding your asthma triggers. And those can be different for everyone.

Since I know stress and strong emotions are one of my asthma triggers, I have to learn how to control them. Easier said than done, right?

I have tried a few things to help with stress and strong emotions.

• Yoga - I'm not very coordinated (and often joke that I can't walk and chew gum at the same time), but I have found some online yoga videos that leave me feeling calm and relaxed.
• Breathing - It's really easy for me to start to panic and breathe really fast when I have an asthma attack. I try to focus on belly breathing, which also helps me to calm down.
• Distraction - Is there anything cuter than looking at puppies and kittens on Instagram? I think not! Turn up the sound and listen to that cute meowing.
• Chocolate - Okay, no evidence that this helps, but it can't hurt, am I right?!

There are lots of other ways to deal with stress and strong emotions. I would like to hear from readers! What works for you?