This material is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or psychotherapeutic advice. If you are experiencing an acute psychological condition or need professional support, please contact a doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist, or crisis service.
Immune System, Stress, and Psychosomatics: Why the Body Sometimes Turns on Security Even When There Is No Enemy Left
Original Text Author: Dmytro Telushko, MriyaRun
Meta Description: In simple words about the immune system, stress, allergies, autoimmune reactions, and psychosomatics. Why the body might live in a state of anxiety, how emotions affect well-being, and how to regain a sense of security through mindfulness, journaling, and small changes. In this expanded version, we will delve deeper into the biological mechanisms of stress and analyze exactly how our thoughts turn into bodily reactions.
The material is for informational and educational purposes and does not constitute medical, psychological, or psychotherapeutic advice. If you have symptoms, suspect an allergy, autoimmune process, immunodeficiency, chronic inflammation, or any other medical condition, consult a doctor. Psychological work does not replace diagnosis, treatment, vaccination, or a specialist's prescription.
Immunity: An Internal Security Service That Doesn't Take Days Off
The immune system is not just "to keep you from getting sick". It is an entire network of organs, cells, and processes that daily solve a very complex task: distinguishing self from non-self. Biologically speaking, this is a titanic effort: every second, macrophages, T-lymphocytes, and antibodies scan millions of cells, determining who belongs and who is an intruder.
Its work is similar to the security service of a large city. There are checkpoints at the entrance, patrols, analysts, an archive of previous offenders, and special rapid response units. And all this works not to create drama, but to save lives.
Immunity must recognize viruses, bacteria, toxins, parasites, and altered cells. But at the same time, it shouldn't attack its own healthy tissues. It's like a security guard in a supermarket: it's good when they spot a thief. It’s bad when they start chasing all the customers with bread because "they look suspicious".
When the system works in balance, we often don't even notice its work. It quietly does its job. But if the defense becomes excessive, weak, or misinterprets a signal, the body can begin to react inadequately: with allergies, exhaustion, frequent colds, inflammatory processes, or autoimmune conditions. The modern pace of life, information overload, and lack of sleep often force this "security service" to operate on high alert 24/7, which inevitably leads to system failures.
And here it is important to distinguish right away: not every illness is "from nerves". That is a simplification that can cause harm. But the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems are indeed connected. Stress does not invent a virus out of thin air, but it can affect how the body copes with it.
How Immune Memory Works: The Body Keeps an Archive Too
One of the most interesting functions of immunity is memory. When the body encounters a certain antigen, it can "remember" it. This is exactly the principle on which vaccination works: the body is shown a safe or weakened version of a threat so that in the future it reacts faster to the real one.
The psyche has a memory in this sense, too. Neurobiology calls this neuroplasticity: synapses (connections between neurons) that fire together frequently become stronger. If a person has experienced a situation where it was dangerous, shameful, painful, or they felt helpless, their nervous system may later react faster than logic has time to say: "Wait, it's a different situation now". The amygdala (our emotional radar) seizes control before the prefrontal cortex (our logic) has time to assess the situation.
For example:
- In childhood, a person was often yelled at, and now any raised voice triggers a freezing response;
- A loved one once disappeared suddenly, and now a delayed response in a messenger feels like a catastrophe;
- The experience of criticism was so painful that even a neutral comment at work is perceived as an attack.
- A sudden loud noise on the street makes you cringe because the body remembers the experience of being in a dangerous environment.
The body says: "I've seen this before. Sound the alarm". Sometimes it helps. But sometimes the siren wails over burnt toast.
Therefore, the topic of the immune system ties in well with the topic of emotional literacy. You can read about how we substitute real feelings with habitual reactions in the MriyaRun article about emotional racket: https://mriya.run/post/emocijnij-reket-ak-perestati-zbirati-obrazi
Innate and Acquired Defense: What We Have "By Default" and What is Shaped by Experience
Immunity can be innate and acquired. Innate is a basic response system that acts quickly and doesn't ask for many details. Acquired is more precise: it learns, remembers, and shapes a response to specific threats.
In psychology, there is a similar logic. Some of our reactions are very fast, bodily, automatic. We haven't even had time to think, but our shoulders have already tensed up, our stomach clenched, our breathing shortened, and our hand reached for the phone to check if "everything is okay". These are evolutionary survival mechanisms (fight, flight, freeze) inherited from our ancestors.
And there is acquired experience: beliefs, scenarios, habitual ways to defend oneself. These are the masks and strategies we have developed over our lives to adapt to society and our family.
- Some people attack under stress.
- Some people please.
- Some people freeze.
- Some escape into work, jokes, control, or an endless "I'll think about it later".
Sometimes humor is an excellent resource. But sometimes it's like a bulletproof vest with glitter: everyone is having fun, but inside the person is under fire.
The important question here is not "what's wrong with me?", but "what defense is turning on, and what did it once save me from?". Acknowledging this fact already lowers the level of self-criticism.
You can also read about the different levels of personality, reactions, and internal strategies in the article about the 5 facets of personality: https://mriya.run/post/5-granej-osobistosti-novij-test-ta-diagnostika-mkh-11
Analogy of Defense Systems (Text Format)
Reaction Level: Innate (Fast)
- Biological (Immunity): Inflammation, fever, macrophages. Acts instantly but not specifically.
- Psychological (Psyche): "Fight, flight, freeze" reactions, adrenaline rush. Acts before logic engages.
Reaction Level: Acquired (Learned)
- Biological (Immunity): Production of specific antibodies after illness or vaccination.
- Psychological (Psyche): Formation of behavioral patterns, avoidance of triggers, cognitive biases.
Stress: Short-Term Mobilizes, Long-Term Exhausts
Stress itself is not an enemy. Short-term, moderate stress (eustress) can even mobilize: the body pulls together, attention sharpens, energy rises. Before an important conversation, performance, or dangerous situation, this is normal. Cortisol and adrenaline are released into the blood, circulation speeds up, the brain works clearly.
The problem begins when stress becomes prolonged, severe, or chronic (distress). If the body constantly lives in a "something is about to happen" mode, it spends its resources not on recovery, but on defense.
Imagine that a burglar alarm is ringing around the clock in a house. For the first ten minutes, this is useful. After three days, all the residents hate not the thieves, but the alarm itself. A month later, no one sleeps, the cat stares at the wall, and the kettle looks suspicious.
It's the same with the nervous system. If it does not snap out of tension mode, persistently high cortisol levels begin to suppress the immune system, and the body may start paying for it with:
- fatigue;
- sleep disorders;
- more frequent colds;
- muscle tension;
- digestion problems;
- hypersensitivity to stimuli;
- a feeling that "I seem to be out of resources all the time".
This does not mean that every symptom should be explained by psychology. Medical checkup first. But in parallel, it is useful to look honestly: what is the level of tension in my life right now? Is my body even getting a signal that the danger is over?
A related topic is anxiety. The MriyaRun article about anxiety has an important thought: anxiety often originates where there is a deficit of information and a negative premonition. Read more here: https://mriya.run/post/trivoga-ci-trivoznist-ce-otruue-nase-zitta
When Immunity Attacks Its Own: The Psychological Metaphor of Autoimmunity
Autoimmune diseases are medical conditions in which the immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. They must be diagnosed and treated with a doctor. Here we will not jump to simple conclusions like "it's your own fault because you were nervous". This is unfair and dangerous.
But as a metaphor, autoimmunity is very eloquent. It is a state of deep internal split, where one's own energy is directed towards self-destruction.
Sometimes the psyche also begins to attack "its own":
- its own desires: "Don't want too much";
- its own anger: "You are a bad person if you get angry";
- its own fatigue: "Others manage somehow";
- its own joy: "Don't rejoice, it will hurt later";
- its own boundaries: "Endure, don't cause trouble".
A person seemingly becomes their own internal controller, prosecutor, and a strict aunt in a line, all at once. As soon as a living need arises, it is immediately put up against the wall: "Do you have the documents? Do you have justification for the desire? Where is the stamp for the right to rest?". Imposter syndrome or constant perfectionism are also forms of psychological autoimmunity, where we destroy our own achievements.
Such an internal attack can look like "responsibility", "modesty", "willpower", or "maturity" for years. But if there is a lot of self-criticism, shame, and a ban on feelings inside, the body can live in constant tension.
Self-compassion helps here—not as self-pity, but as the ability to be on your own side. There is a separate article about this on MriyaRun: https://mriya.run/post/ak-samospivcutta-zminue-zitta-na-krase
Allergy: When the System Exaggerates the Danger
An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a substance that is not dangerous to most people. Pollen, dust, food, pet dander, medications—the body perceives something as an enemy and triggers a defense.
Psychologically, we are also familiar with such an exaggeration of danger. In psychotherapy, this phenomenon is often called catastrophizing.
For example, a partner says: "We need to talk". For one person, it's just a conversation. For another, it's an internal siren: "That's it, they are leaving me, there will be a scandal now, prepare the defense".
Or a manager writes: "Drop by for a minute". And the brain has already opened an internal cinema:
- I'm getting fired;
- I messed everything up;
- Everyone knew for a long time;
- I shouldn't have answered with that tone back in 2007.
Reality hasn't said anything yet, but the nervous system has already bought popcorn for a horror movie.
This is not stupidity. It is a learned reaction. If similar signals meant danger in the past, the body tries to warn you. But the adult task is to learn to check: is this a real threat or an old memory?
Immune Tolerance and Psychological Tolerance: Not Everything Foreign is an Enemy
Immune tolerance is the body's ability not to attack what shouldn't be attacked. It is important so that the immune system does not confuse its own tissues with an enemy.
In the psyche, tolerance is also needed—towards one's own feelings, weakness, ambivalence, mistakes, and pauses.
Because often a person fights not against a problem, but against the fact that they have feelings.
- "I am angry, therefore, I am bad."
- "I am scared, therefore, I am weak."
- "I am tired, therefore, I am lazy."
- "I want support, therefore, I am dependent."
But having feelings is not a crime. A feeling is a signal. It might be unpleasant, uncomfortable, imperfect, but it is not an enemy. It comes not to ruin your life, but to communicate something important.
In this sense, the first step is awareness. The second is acceptance: yes, this happened; yes, I am reacting like this; yes, I am in pain or afraid. But then comes responsibility: not "it's my fault," but "now it matters how I go through this today".
And then—modeling a healthier way to react. New experience. New experiencing. Not perfect, not on the first try, without fanfare and an orchestra. But alive enough so that the nervous system gradually learns: it is possible to do things differently.
Life Stories: What It Looks Like in Practice
Story 1. Maryna, Who Got Sick After Every Deadline
Maryna worked on a team where deadlines were a way of life. Everyone joked that their calendar was not for planning, but for dramaturgy. A project would end—Maryna would exhale—and a day later she was in bed with a fever.
At first, she would say: "My immune system is just weak". Then she noticed a pattern: as long as she needs to hold on, she holds on. When the danger passes, the body seemingly says: "And now I issue the bill".
Maryna started keeping brief notes:
- What am I feeling right now?
- Where is the tension in my body?
- What didn't I say?
- What did I put off "for later"?
- What minimum rest do I need today?
A few weeks later she saw: her body was not an enemy. It was an accounting department. Just a very honest one. It recorded everything that Maryna wrote off "for later".
For such practice, you can use the MriyaRun web diary: https://mriya.run/diary. And if you want a paper structure for regular work with emotions, you should check out psychological diaries and workbooks: https://mriya.run/catalog/diary
Story 2. Oleh and the Internal Customs Officer
Oleh often joked that he had an "allergy to people". In reality, the allergy was to conflicts. As soon as someone spoke to him more harshly, he either fell silent or started attacking in return.
In a therapy group, he once said: "It's like I'm a customs officer at the border. I inspect all emotions, but I only let sarcasm through".
That was very accurate. Sadness is not allowed. Fear is not allowed. The need for support is not allowed. Anger—is allowed, but only in the format of an "ironic grenade launcher".
When Oleh started naming real feelings, it turned out that aggression often masked the fear of being humiliated, and sarcasm masked the shame of asking nicely.
A simple formula helped him: "When you speak to me in that tone, I get tense and want to defend myself. It is important to me that we speak more calmly".
This doesn't sound as spectacular as a sarcastic post on social media, but it works better.
You can read about authentic feelings and racket reactions here: https://mriya.run/post/emocijna-gramotnist-autenticnist-ta-reket
Story 3. Olena, Who Learned to Ask Her Body
Olena lived in "I'm fine" mode for a long time. It was her universal response. You ask: "Are you tired?" - "I'm fine". "Are you in pain?" - "I'm fine". "Do you want to rest?" - "No time".
One day, she caught herself not understanding whether she was hungry or just nervous. The body was seemingly somewhere in the background, like a browser tab that was opened three years ago and forgotten.
She started with a small practice:
- Where does my body touch the surface right now?
- Is there tension in my jaw, shoulders, belly?
- Is my breathing deep or short?
- Do I want movement, water, food, a pause, silence?
- What one sentence could support me?
A month later, she said: "For the first time, I felt tired before I broke down". This is a huge victory. Because maturity is not knowing how to endure to the very end. Maturity is noticing yourself earlier.
MAC cards can help when it is difficult to find words for a state right away. An image is sometimes more honest than an explanation. You can view MriyaRun MAC cards here: https://mriya.run/catalog/mak
Psychosomatics Without Magical Thinking
Psychosomatics is not "you invented the illness yourself". And it's not "forgive everyone, and your test results will be perfect". Such an approach can cause shame and turn a person away from normal medical help. Toxic positivity ("just don't think about bad things") only drives the problem deeper, forcing a person to ignore real distress signals.
It is healthier to look at it like this:
- the body and psyche interact;
- emotions have a physical component;
- chronic stress can affect sleep, appetite, hormonal regulation, inflammation, recovery;
- psychological work can support a person, but it does not replace a doctor;
- a symptom is not an enemy, but a signal that needs to be investigated.
If an indicator light comes on in a car, we don't stick a "stay positive" sticker over it. We go for diagnostics. But we also look at how we drive: are we constantly pressing the pedal to the metal, ignoring technical inspections, or carrying three hundredweight of other people's expectations in the trunk?
Practice: Immune Security Diary
Try answering a few questions in the evening for a week. Not for perfection. For contact. By writing out thoughts, we transfer them from the zone of emotional reaction (amygdala) to the zone of logical analysis (prefrontal cortex), which physically calms the brain.
- Where did my body turn on "anxiety" today?
- Was it a real threat or an old reaction?
- What feeling didn't I notice right away?
- What did I do automatically: attack, freeze, start pleasing, escape into chores?
- What could be a healthy reaction next time?
- What small safety signal can I give myself right now?
Examples of safety signals:
- exhale slowly;
- drink some water;
- write three sentences in a diary;
- ask for a pause in a conversation;
- say "I'll get back to this tomorrow";
- go for a short walk;
- name the feeling with words;
- don't reply from a panic mode.
This is exactly where MriyaRun tools work well. A web diary helps translate chaos into words: https://mriya.run/diary
Psychological diaries and workbooks provide a structure so you don't start from a blank slate every time: https://mriya.run/catalog/diary
MAC cards help you see a state through an image when the right words can't be found yet: https://mriya.run/catalog/mak
And all self-discovery products can be viewed in the catalog: https://mriya.run/catalog
How to Understand That You Are Living in an Internal Defense Mode
Perhaps your "security" system is overloaded if you frequently:
- wake up already tense;
- constantly scan what could go wrong;
- react sharply to neutral words;
- can't rest without feeling guilty;
- feel your body only when it already hurts;
- confuse calm with danger: "it's too quiet";
- hold grudges inside and then explode;
- don't ask for support because "I'll manage myself";
- live as if love, safety, and rest must be earned.
- spend hours "chewing thoughts" (rumination), going over dialogues from the past.
This is not a life sentence. It is an invitation to be attentive.
You can start not with a revolution, but with a small recalibration:
- notice;
- name;
- accept;
- choose a new reaction;
- get a new experience;
- repeat.
This is how not just "positive thinking" is formed, but a new internal evidence base: I can go through difficult things not only through tension, control, and self-criticism.
Conclusion: The Body Is Not an Enemy, It's Just Trying Very Hard
The immune system protects us from what can harm us. The psyche also creates defenses when we are in pain, scared, or in danger. The problem begins when defense becomes the only way of life.
Then a person doesn't just protect themselves. They stop feeling.
They don't just control. They can't relax.
They don't just hold on. They forget how to be alive.
Returning to yourself begins with awareness. Then comes acceptance: yes, this happened, yes, I have such reactions, yes, my body has learned to defend itself this way. But my responsibility today is not to blame myself, but to gradually learn to go through this differently.
Not through violence against oneself.
Not through "pull yourself together, wimp".
Not through a spiritual sprint for survival.
But through new experience: a little more contact with the body, a little more honesty with feelings, a little more support, a little more healthy boundaries.
Sometimes one diary entry is no longer a small thing. It is the moment when the internal security service hears for the first time: "Thank you, I see that you are protecting me. But right now, we can try a different way".
And this is already the beginning of change.
Internal Linking for Publication
- MriyaRun Catalog: https://mriya.run/catalog
- Psychological diaries and workbooks: https://mriya.run/catalog/diary
- MAC cards: https://mriya.run/catalog/mak
- Web diary: https://mriya.run/diary
- Emotional racket: https://mriya.run/post/emocijnij-reket-ak-perestati-zbirati-obrazi
- Emotional literacy: https://mriya.run/post/emocijna-gramotnist-autenticnist-ta-reket
- Anxiety or anxiousness: https://mriya.run/post/trivoga-ci-trivoznist-ce-otruue-nase-zitta
- Self-compassion: https://mriya.run/post/ak-samospivcutta-zminue-zitta-na-krase
- 5 facets of personality: https://mriya.run/post/5-granej-osobistosti-novij-test-ta-diagnostika-mkh-11