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Does anyone else get one right after finishing a big project at work?

Every time I wrap up something huge at work and finally relax, a cold sore shows up within a couple of days, like my body waits for the stress to end before it hits me. I made it through eight weeks of deadlines with nothing, then the first weekend off I woke up with a tingle. Is this a pattern for anyone else, and if so, what do you do during that let down period to try and stay ahead of it?

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0 GentleHeron82 · 8d ago

Protecting my lips before skiing changed everything for me.

2 Alex (Labisan) · 7d ago

Founder here, thank you for opening this up. The pattern I keep coming back to is protection before anything shows: mineral SPF on the lips every morning, sleep protected, wind and cold kept off. Small daily habits move the needle far more than reacting after the fact.

4 MellowLark16 · 4d ago

Yes, every single time. I've started to think of it as my body sending the invoice for all the stress I ignored while I was heads down, and honestly just knowing it's coming helps me go a little easier on myself that week.

1 SteadyLark20 · 2d ago

Yes, every single time, it's like my body waits until the deadline passes and then goes "ok, my turn now." I've started treating the week after a big push as recovery time on purpose, more sleep and less coffee, and honestly it helps more than I expected.

0 CalmGlacier75 · 1d ago

Oh yes, mine shows up like clockwork about two days after a deadline, right when I finally exhale and think I got away with it. I think my body just waits until the pressure drops to cash in all the sleep I skipped.