Lupus and Stress Management: How to lessen stress [January 2025 Update]

January 2025 Update: Mounting evidence that practicing mindfulness helps lupus patients

NOTE: Johns Hopkins University Press, publisher of The Lupus Encyclopedia, is a nonprofit publisher. If you purchase JHUP books, like The Lupus Encyclopedia, you support projects like Project MUSE.

A 2025 study of 170 SLE patients using The Benson Technique showed that the group that practiced mindfulness had significantly a better quality of life (mentally and physically) after 2 months of use. Simplified, it involves breathing exercises while silently repeating a simple word over and over (like “one”), relaxing in a comfortable position in a quite room.

Got no time for this? Yes you do! Do this when you lie down to go to sleep. Many people have trouble falling asleep due to their mind racing. This can take the place of a racing mind and put the body into a healthier state and let you fall asleep faster

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NOTE: Johns Hopkins University Press (JHUP), publisher of The Lupus Encyclopedia, is a nonprofit publisher. If you purchase JHUP books, like The Lupus Encyclopedia, you support projects like Project MUSE.

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The video below goes over lupus and stress management, while also discussing how stress affects the immune system adversely.The Lupus Foundation of America filed this video of me during their Living and Learning series December 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 epidemic and during the holiday season. Stress can increase lupus onset and lupus flares. Learnhow to lower stress can possibly help decrease the effects of lupus.

– The 1st part of the video goes over some of the science behind how stress abnormally affects the immune system. stress worsens cancer, autoimmune diseases, and cause increased death. Why is it that optimistic people who deal with stress well tend to live longer than pessimistic people who are easily stressed? Stress does have bad effects on our immune systems.

– Then I go over how people who are genetically predisposed to having lupus have a greater chance of developing lupus if they have had major stressors in their life (child abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.)

– Then I go over how stress can cause lupus flares.

– Interestingly, easily stressed people can learn to deal with stress better. Some habits are easy and incredibly healthy in many other ways. Examples include exercising regularly, and practicing mindfulness daily.

​- I end the video with practical pointers on how to decrease stress.

– Download my free stress management handout from my Lupus Secrets