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Nicole Shelton, a speech-language pathologist from Atlanta, loves traveling, discovering new foods, and making memories with the people closest to her. These experiences bring her joy and help her feel connected to the life she wants to live.
That sense of joy became especially meaningful as she learned to manage chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), also known as chronic hives. After her diagnosis, Nicole became more aware of how stress and everyday pressures affected her symptoms.
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“There are times when there is a life overload,” Nicole said. “It’s not just inflammation. It’s the stress at work. It’s the stress at home. It’s the finances. It’s all of these things that circle around you.”
My Everyday: How I Monitor My CSU Symptoms
Nicole shares a gentle morning routine and stress-management tips that help her manage chronic hives holistically.
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00:00:00:00 - 00:00:29:19
Nicole Shelton
I don't rush my body in the beginning of the day. I like to feel my body and see if there's anywhere, if I have any hives, or any inflammation, and just have easy movement. So, my morning routine includes waking up, stretching, doing some lymphatic movements, stepping outside to get some natural vitamin D. The way that I check in with my body in the morning is I like to sit on the edge of the bed and have deep breaths.
00:00:29:20 - 00:00:55:10
Nicole Shelton
Box breathing is really good to start in the morning, or even some meditation, and journaling. I also incorporate proteins in the morning and trying to get my water intake ready for the day. I will do like watermelon, some cherries, things that I know are anti-inflammatory. Your histamine bucket, we can compare it to a sand bucket. Okay. We're going to scoop and scoop and scoop
00:00:55:10 - 00:01:22:22
Nicole Shelton
more histamines, or more sand into the bucket. And once the bucket is full, it will overflow similar to your histamine levels. Things in your body will have a reaction and create histamines along the way. So I always want to make sure that I'm within my bucket. If I'm over my bucket, I know I've done too much, and I now need to make different choices, or more anti-inflammatory choices to kind of slow down the histamine response within my body.
00:01:23:01 - 00:01:44:05
Nicole Shelton
When I'm stressed, when I'm overworked, when I don't have any sleep, when I'm pushing myself too much, my body gets to a point, and I believe it then triggers my hives to kind of become activated. So, identifying what are the stresses in your life. Did you take a breath this morning, or practice some type of self-care meditation to check in with your hives?
00:01:44:06 - 00:02:10:18
Nicole Shelton
I seek laughter, I seek companionship with friendship, I seek experiences that make me feel alive, all to help counter my stress. When I'm carrying stress, I don't look well, I don't feel well, and my hives have a chance to thrive. A holistic approach to treating chronic urticaria is the best approach to treating chronic urticaria. Learn more and connect at MyChronicHivesTeam.com.
Nicole’s morning routine gives her time for self-care and to notice what her body needs before the day becomes busy. She stretches, practices gentle lymphatic movements (slow movements intended to support lymph flow), steps outside, and makes space for breathing, meditation, or journaling.
“I check in with my body in the morning,” she said. “I like to sit on the edge of the bed and have deep breaths. Box breathing is really good to start in the morning or even some meditation and journaling.”
Box breathing is a simple deep-breathing technique that involves inhaling, holding your breath, exhaling, and holding again for equal counts (often four seconds each).
Rather than moving quickly, Nicole tries to begin the day with care.
“I like to feel my body and see if I have any hives or any inflammation and just have easy movements,” she said. “I don’t rush my body at the beginning of the day.”
Her breakfast routine often includes protein, water, and foods such as watermelon or cherries. These choices are part of her personal routine she developed while paying attention to how her body responded.
CSU symptoms such as itching, hives, and swelling are linked to histamine and other chemicals that certain skin cells release into the body. Nicole described her histamine levels by comparing them to a bucket being filled with sand.
“We’re going to scoop and scoop more histamines or more sand into the bucket. And once the bucket is full, it will overflow, similar to your histamine levels,” she explained.
For Nicole, the image helped her think about when she might be taking on too much.
“If I’m over my bucket, I know I’ve done too much, and I now need to make different choices or more anti-inflammatory choices to slow down the histamine response within my body,” she said.
Nicole also noticed that certain factors may trigger her hives.
“When I’m stressed, when I’m overworked, when I don’t have any sleep, when I’m pushing myself too much, my body gets to a point. I believe it triggers my hives to become activated,” she said.
As a result, she seeks experiences that help her feel restored.
“I seek laughter. I seek companionship with friendship. I seek experiences that make me feel alive all to help counter my stress,” Nicole said. “When I’m carrying stress, I don’t look well, I don’t feel well, and my hives have a chance to thrive.”
For Nicole, caring for herself meant looking at the whole picture. “A holistic approach to treating chronic urticaria is the best approach to treating chronic urticaria,” she said.
On MyChronicHivesTeam, people share their experiences with chronic hives, get advice, and find support from others who understand.
How do you check in with your body during stressful times? Let others know in the comments below.
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Iv read that leaky gut from so much stress can cause this
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