Stress and anxiety

Stress and anxiety

The relationship between pain and stress  

Stress is caused by an imbalance between the demands placed on us and our perceived ability to cope with these demands.  

The right amount of stress can motivate us; too little and we are bored, too much and we ‘burn out’. Living with persistent pain can be stressful. 

Managing the physical symptoms of a long-term pain condition is stressful on top of which coping with the social and psychological consequences can be a challenge. Unfortunately, increased stress can also make pain worse, so it can be easy to become caught in a vicious circle. It is important to recognise what triggers stress in you personally and how it manifests itself.   

We know that pain can trigger our stress response as it is our bodies way of telling us something is wrong, and we might be in danger. However, with chronic pain our nervous system has become so overactive that pain does not necessarily mean danger anymore, but our stress response is still activated. As a result of chronic pain our bodies are more sensitive to threat which means our threat system is more likely to be activated compared to people who don’t experience chronic pain. We therefore need to find ways to calm and relax our bodies in order to manage our stress levels. 

Seven stress busting strategies

1. Noticing tension – Check in with your body regularly during the day to make sure that you haven’t tensed up. Some people find it helpful to practise relaxation exercises.  
2. Correct your breathing – Correcting your breathing can help lower your adrenaline levels and help you stay calm and in control. The problem is we soon start breathing the wrong way again. Check frequently during the day and correct yourself each time you are chest breathing and not belly breathing.  
3. Take regular activity to burn off adrenaline – Use goal setting to make sure you have periods of enjoyable activity each day.  
4. Use distraction – Using distraction can help to keep stressful thoughts out of your head for a while. It has to be something that needs concentration, playing a musical instrument, sudoku, crafts, crosswords, sewing, cooking a new dish or a computer game.  
5. Have something to look forward to each day – People who are stressed or in pain often avoid pleasure, they feel they don’t have the time or have other things to prioritise like chores. To start with you may have to set goals which are fun!  
6. Tackle avoidance – If you have been avoiding people or things it will help to set some goals around these areas. Start with the easiest and work up to the most challenging over time. Using the goal sheets can help. Pace it up, start with an amount that seems ‘just right’ and build up as it gets less challenging.  
7. Get out of the house and regularly meet people. If you prefer your own company that is fine, but still find somewhere you can visit regularly to get out of the house.  

The good news is these stress busters can help with:

• experiencing less pain.
• sleep problems.
• reducing irritability, anger and frustration.
• reducing tension headaches, muscle spasm, numbness.
• improving relationships with other people.

Useful links:

• https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/how-to-be-happier/ 
• https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/tips-to-reduce-stress/ 
• https://www.somersetpain.co.uk/SiteUploads/18/Uploads/blast_booklet.pdf