Hi friends! I have been incredibly itchy the past week or so, from my scalp to my toes. It got to the point where I would have my camera off during work Zooms or I was so incredibly itchy that I had to tap out of meetings because I couldn’t possibly pay attention while constantly scratching my body.

At first I thought it was an allergic reaction. I am a person with many allergies so it was the logical reason. I thought about what I ate recently (was it anything new?) or did I use a different soap or lotion or detergent? The only thing that I had that I’d never had before was coffee that was a gift. So, I tried a different coffee the next day. Still itchy.

Then I had a flashback to senior year of college during finals. I had broken out in shingles from the stress.

I put two and two together and yeah, you guessed it. Stress and anxiety can cause itchiness because your body’s stress response may kick into overdrive. Last night I had a good night’s sleep. I woke up relaxed and itch-free. About an hour into my work day and having looked at the internet a bit, the itching started back up.