Stress can cause many health problems. One of the most debilitating is mild to severe stress-related pain in certain areas of the body or all over the body. It can range from headaches to joint and muscle pain, chest pain, and more.
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You may know when you have stress-related pain, like when you begin to feel the pain creep into your shoulders and neck. Sometimes you may be working at a desk on a particularly stressful project, or trying to meet a deadline that’s looming on your mind.
While there’s no way of getting rid of all the stress in your life, learning how to control it is essential to protecting your future health and well-being. You should be able to recognize the symptoms of stress so you can better understand and control it.
You may think you can recognize stress symptoms, but many of us reach the meltdown point before we’re actually aware of the intensity. A stressful situation doesn’t have to be read. It may be perceived by you, and that is the same, and causes the same stress in your body.
The fight-or-flight response to stress is the body’s way to prevent harm. During this type of stress response, your heart rate and breathing quickens, your body tenses its muscles, and your blood pressure soars. You’re ready for any action needed to protect yourself.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is especially harmful to your body and mind. While your body can usually handle periodic and small amounts of stress, long-term stress can make you physically and mentally ill and cause pain in all parts of the body.
Some ways chronic stress can affect you physically include heart attack, stroke, and fatigue. Chronic stress may cause depression, lack of productivity, thinking acuity, and more.
Effects of Stress-related Pain
No portion of your body is exempt from the symptoms of stress. It can affect every area of your life – physical, emotional, behavioral, and mental. You may not even recognize that you’re under a lot of stress until you break down or are confronted with a physical or mental illness.
Pay attention to signals from your body, including physical pain, moodiness, fatigue, inability to focus, increased drug or alcohol use, and depression. Talk to your healthcare provider about these and any other symptoms you may be suffering from that are caused by stress in your life.
Although stress is a natural part of life, it can cause long-term problems if not controlled. Knowing your stress symptoms is the first step in determining a solution to the condition.
Stress may be helped by seeing a counselor or therapist who can teach you some ways to deal with stressful situations in your life and get rid of the accompanying pain.
Resources
I have found the following products to help with my stress-related pain. When researching resources for you, I try to find items that I have personally used or that I would use. I also try to be conscious of price and reviews. Many of the choices below are on the Amazon’s Choice list which means they are highly recommended and priced well.
I received this percussion massager for Christmas last year. It really helps to relieve the tension in my shoulders.
Diffusing essential oils has helped with my stress and anxiety levels. We currently have 3 diffusers in our house. Two are smaller for bedrooms, and then we have a larger one for the family room.
As I was looking up the diffuser, I saw a kit that comes with essential oils. It’s a smaller diffuser (150 mL), but this size still worked well until we upgraded to the larger one. The included essential oils are: frankincense, orange, lemongrass, tea tree, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, and lavender. Many of these can be combined for stress-related pain or stress in general.
Some essential oils that are known to help with stress include ylang-ylang, bergamot, chamomile, lavender, as well as combinations like a stress-relief blend, a stress-relief blend set, or even a gift set with cheer, happy citrus, stress-free, rest & relax, pirates of the sea, and breathe easy.
I sometimes find it helpful to get my mind off of things. One way to do this is coloring. Here is a Color Away Stress & Anxiety book.
Prismacolor colored pencils are my favorites. They cost a little more, but they seem to keep their edge and sharpen better than other brands.
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Other stress-related posts
7 Healthy Methods of Coping With Chronic Stress
11 Unhealthy Methods of Coping with Chronic Stress
7 Rules to Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep
5 Ways to Reduce Stress in Your Life
Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Medical advice should always be obtained from a qualified medical professional for any health conditions or symptoms associated with them. Every possible effort has been made in preparing and researching this material. We make no warranties concerning the accuracy, applicability of its contents, or any omissions.
