Does anyone else get one right after they finally relax?
I can push through weeks of deadlines with nothing, and then the first day of a long weekend I feel the tingle, like my body was waiting for permission. It happened again this month, two days into a trip I had been looking forward to for ages. Is this a known thing, the let down after stress, or am I just noticing it more because the timing is so annoying? Curious if anyone has found a way to brace for it.
Yes, every single time, it's like my body waits until the stress is over and then decides to punish me for it. I finally learned to be extra careful the first few days of any vacation because that's when mine always show up.
Ugh yes, mine always show up the first day of vacation like clockwork, right when the stress finally lets go. Took me years to realize it wasn't bad luck, so now I just expect it and try to be extra gentle with myself that first week off.
Really glad you posted this. Prevention over treatment is the shift that helped me most, and it sounds like you are already there.
Yes, every single time, the week after a big deadline is basically my danger zone and I've learned to just expect it now. Something about finally exhaling seems to give my body permission to fall apart a little, so you're definitely not alone in this.
Yes, every single time, the second I finally get a day off my lip starts tingling like it was just waiting for me to stop. I've started thinking of the first day of a holiday as the danger day and honestly that's helped me catch it sooner.
Yes, every single time, the week after a big deadline or the first day of a holiday is when mine shows up, like my body was holding it in and finally let go. I've started treating the first two "relaxing" days as high alert days now, which feels a bit silly but honestly helps.
Oh yes, the post vacation cold sore is so real for me, like my body waits until the stress is over to fall apart. I read somewhere that the crash after stress can trigger it too, so at least we know we're not imagining it.
Yes, every single time, I can make it through the stressful weeks totally fine and then the first day of vacation my lip starts tingling like clockwork. Someone told me it's the stress hormones dropping that does it, which honestly felt validating because I thought I was cursed.