Hi Stave, I started this discussion because I know that vit often starts at a stressful moment of peoples lives. All the people I have ever known in person with vit have told me the same thing
For example my vit started when I was 15 , there was the death of my grandmother who was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known .
I agree that it is probably more complex than that just being a soul issue, but I believe that happiness is a great cure :)
We only have knowledge about this life ...Why not live it to the full ?
My Vitiligo starting was not associated with any emotionally stressful time, but did seem to manifest itself after a bad sunburn. I don't know if the sunburn just showed the Vitiligo, or triggered it.
Ivanka > Steve HargadonFebruary 15, 2009 at 5:51pm
Interesting , but you have different tipes of stress and I suppose that a sunburn can produce a stress hormone ???
Yes, I've wondered the same thing. On the other hand, I went through a few years of enormously stressful times in my job that didn't seem to have any effect on my Vitiligo.
But the point is well taken, and there may be different kinds of stress and mechanisms at play. I guess I can just say that for me, stress has not been what I would consider a primary factor.
My daughter is going to London for study abroad in April--she's majoring in Theater Education. I'm totally jealous of her!
Ivanka > Steve HargadonFebruary 16, 2009 at 1:13pm
So you like Theatre too ? Would you do acting yourself if you had the opportunity ?
I'm not sure that's the case. Anna (my daughter) loves it as a form of expression. I'm an appreciator, but I have other creative outlets! She's particularly interested in how drama can help with social change. I guess I'm jealous of the spending time in London aspect.
I also love a good laugh, and find Shakespeare's humor very much to my taste.
I guess I come down somewhere in the middle on this issue of body/soul. I think that we are likely to discover some pretty compelling medical reasons for Vitiligo and that suggesting that having Vitiligo is from not being emotionally whole will just make some people feel worse. (Part of the dilemma is that for most of us, having Vitiligo itself gives us stress. )
On the other hand, if stress does play a role in Vitiligo manifestation or spreading, which it might, then it might be helpful to learn some of these techniques. It certainly can't hurt with the "coping" side of having Vitiligo. I can say for me that there was no correlation between stress and the onset of my Vitiligo that I'm aware of, but ceasing to feel personal stress about having Vitiligo (which took me several years to accomplish) has helped me a lot.
I've said it here before, but when I began to see myself in the role of helping to bring comfort to others with Vitiligo, and using my Vitiligo to start discussions around personal challenges, my outlook on life changed. I went from feeling mad about having it to seeing it as a part of my personal opportunity to help others in life. When I see someone else with Vitiligo, I immediately strike up a conversation and hope that in some way by doing so I am helping them feel more at ease with having it. And since as a part of my work I speak to audiences frequently, I always look for a way to point out my Vitiligo in some way that is relevant, but also because it helps me to feel more at ease to have them know why my skin looks different.
Again, all of this comes with the caveat that while I tan deeply and easily, I am naturally fair-skinned and my Vitiligo is not as visible as it is for others.
Replies
For example my vit started when I was 15 , there was the death of my grandmother who was one of the most remarkable people I have ever known .
I agree that it is probably more complex than that just being a soul issue, but I believe that happiness is a great cure :)
We only have knowledge about this life ...Why not live it to the full ?
My Vitiligo starting was not associated with any emotionally stressful time, but did seem to manifest itself after a bad sunburn. I don't know if the sunburn just showed the Vitiligo, or triggered it.
But the point is well taken, and there may be different kinds of stress and mechanisms at play. I guess I can just say that for me, stress has not been what I would consider a primary factor.
My daughter is going to London for study abroad in April--she's majoring in Theater Education. I'm totally jealous of her!
I also love a good laugh, and find Shakespeare's humor very much to my taste.
On the other hand, if stress does play a role in Vitiligo manifestation or spreading, which it might, then it might be helpful to learn some of these techniques. It certainly can't hurt with the "coping" side of having Vitiligo. I can say for me that there was no correlation between stress and the onset of my Vitiligo that I'm aware of, but ceasing to feel personal stress about having Vitiligo (which took me several years to accomplish) has helped me a lot.
I've said it here before, but when I began to see myself in the role of helping to bring comfort to others with Vitiligo, and using my Vitiligo to start discussions around personal challenges, my outlook on life changed. I went from feeling mad about having it to seeing it as a part of my personal opportunity to help others in life. When I see someone else with Vitiligo, I immediately strike up a conversation and hope that in some way by doing so I am helping them feel more at ease with having it. And since as a part of my work I speak to audiences frequently, I always look for a way to point out my Vitiligo in some way that is relevant, but also because it helps me to feel more at ease to have them know why my skin looks different.
Again, all of this comes with the caveat that while I tan deeply and easily, I am naturally fair-skinned and my Vitiligo is not as visible as it is for others.