The Letdown Effect: Why We Get Depleted & Even Sick After The Fact

Ever wonder why you experience mental fog, fatigue, unproductivity, or even bouts of sickness after a long period of stress? You know, that moment you finally feel some actual rest, the holiday guest has gone away, or you’re not in crisis mode anymore? Well, there is actually a condition called “The Letdown Effect”. 

This is a condition following stressful events, such as conflict, work deadlines, school exams, moving, an on-going crisis in the home or world, etc. that leads to physical illness or mental problems like feeling run down, the common cold, flu, depression and anxiety, headaches, stomach pain, panic attacks, skin outbreaks, and fatigue or tiredness. We’ve all heard that stress can lead to illness, which is true, it doesn’t usually happen during the stressful period though. 

Interestingly enough, is that it can even occur after positive events as well, such as a wedding or a sporting event.

Various research studies have linked the that people experienced more panic attacks and peptic ulcers on the weekends than weekdays, with reports of stressful weekdays. Another study in 2014 at the Albert Einstein College of Mideince in NY had migraine sufferers track their symptoms and stress patterns. It showed that there was not a correlation between migraines on stressful days, but if stress-levels were lower the next day, they were reporting an increase in migraines. 

The rise in cortisol levels really affects us, so it’s important to put some things in place to take care of yourself! If you can prevent the strain and manage stress in your life to begin with, through eating well, exercise, having boundaries, etc., you are less likely to feel the letdown effect.   It’s important to decompress on a regular basis! However, if you have been unable to, don’t let your body go into complete shutdown mode right after a stressful event or week. Make sure you exercise for at least 30-60 minutes and create some sort of mental stimulation for yourself like a puzzle, crossword puzzle, or game.

With all of the events going on in our world, I have a feeling many people will be experiencing the “Let-down effect”. Spread the word and take care of yourselves and each other!

Therapist Mandy, LPC, EMDR Certified Therapist

#mentalhealth #anxiety #letdowneffect #burnout #stress #depression #mentalillness #cbt #emdr #selfcare #resiliency.