Trigger factor
Stress, anxiety & low mood
People say stress, anxiety, overthinking, fear of a flare or guilt about masturbating make symptoms worse; others say long stretches alone, boredom or low mood make them worse or last longer. Some think stress is how their POIS started.
28 remarks
What people said28
Community self-reports only — not medical advice. Do not use any medication without a prescription.
- “I had been sleeping roughly 4 hours a day for weeks... severe stress + sleep deprivation that started it all. I had one day off came 4 times... I knew something was wrong with my body.”
- “When I'm under particularly high stress, the brain fog / inflammation response is much more intense.”
- “Exercise and anxiety /nervousness both cause me to have worsening cognitive issues now.”
- “I had been concealing the fact I was gay for a period of 3/4 years and doing very well in my academic exams...so I was under a lot of pressure all the time then”
- “Don’t have fear or anxiety about POIS. It will increase it more.”
- “I had been abstaining from orgasm for about 3 weeks. I had some POIS symptoms that were appearing from general horniness, unrelated anxiety and exercise.”
- “when I'm anxious my symptoms seem worse”
- “Stress and social confidence issues; father's death possibly worsened symptoms.”
- “I do get similar, but much milder, symptoms from anxiety/weight lifting though”
- “I think it's caused by chronic stress and anxiety.”
- “Stress makes it worse.”
- “I had some POIS symptoms that were appearing from... unrelated anxiety”
- “I thought it was because my dad passed away but I only started to feel like this 9 months after.”
- “stress, which is highly connected to neurosis, is a great factor on how intense the POIS symptoms are”
- “Whenever I exercise or get nervous my sinuses block up and I have thick mucus.”
- “this continuous guilt due to the intense personal conflict created this neurosis”
- “I get the same symptoms when I excercise or get nervous or am stressed.”
- “Reduce stressful situations as much as possible***, and don't overthink about what has already happened or dwell in guilt.”
- “I think being freaked out, stressed, and borderline psychotic is the main thing we have to fight.”
- “I always get triggered when I think of my fears and I get so panic and can't breathe.”
- “Basically you are under constant stress and thus you feel those symptoms.”
- “I often wake up in an anxious state which triggers my symptoms”
- “Stress also appears to be a trigger for me.”
- “I have found that stress has been a big one for me”