Why Your Chronic Pain Gets Worse with Stress and Anxiety
Chronic pain can be inconsistent. Some days are manageable, while others are testing every ounce of patience in you. Frequently, people report their pain is worse when stressed and less when enjoying themselves. Is there anything to this?
If you’d like an overview before delving into this specific topic, you can read more about how this idea fits into a broader approach to chronic pain in Austin.
The Connection Between Chronic Pain and Anxiety
The answer is yes, your stress level and the presence or intensity of your pain are related. Your brain and body are constantly communicating with one another. The brain can influence what’s happening in the body and vice versa. When your brain senses stress or danger, your nervous system becomes more alert. This involves increased muscle tension, heightened sensitivity, and, often, more pain.
I was once talking to a guy who used to deliver pizzas. He said it was not uncommon to ring the doorbell and hear everyone in the house scream, usually if they were watching a scary movie. Everything was heightened, so the doorbell was perceived as a threat, despite the fact that they were expecting the pizza guy and did not fear him.
Why Your Pain Feels Worse During Stressful Times
Think about what happens in your body when you’re stressed. Your muscles tighten. Your breathing becomes shallower. You are overall more vigilant. All of this sends a message to your brain: Something isn’t safe. And when your brain thinks you’re not safe, it can increase pain as a form of protection. Your brain can’t communicate to you in words, so pain is one means of getting your attention in a language your brain can speak.
I explain why pain doesn’t always mean damage here: Why Chronic Pain Doesn’t Always Mean Something Is Physically Wrong.
This Doesn’t Mean Your Pain Isn’t Real
When I talk about stress and anxiety affecting pain, it does not mean your pain is imagined, that you’re causing it, or that you should just “relax,” and it will go away. Your pain is real. All pain is real.
What this does mean is that your nervous system is playing a bigger role than you may have been told. If you’ve ever been told nothing is wrong but you still hurt, you’re not alone. I talk more about that experience here: My Doctor Says Nothing Is Wrong… So Why Do I Still Hurt?
How the Brain Learns Pain Over Time
Your brain can learn over time to associate certain situations, movements, or even thoughts with danger. This can become a self-perpetuating loop. When stress is increasing, your brain becomes more alert. When your brain is more alert, your pain intensifies. Increased pain leads to more fear and focus on the pain. Which then stresses you out more. And so on. And so on.
The more attention you give your pain, the worse it gets. This is not something you are consciously choosing. It’s something your brain has learned and has now become a habit. The encouraging part is that habits are always malleable.
How Pain Reprocessing Therapy Helps Break the Cycle
Pain Reprocessing Therapy works by helping your brain and nervous system update how they respond to these signals. Instead of automatically going into a stress-pain loop, your brain can begin to recognize that you are safe. You get there by recognizing the connection between stress and pain, reducing fear of the physical sensations, and building an overall sense of safety in your body. Learn more about how I use Pain Reprocessing Therapy for chronic pain.
You Don’t Have to Eliminate Stress for Pain to Improve
You might think I am telling you to eliminate stress for your pain to go away. I don’t know how to do that. If I may be so blunt, the only way to have no stress is to be dead. That’s not the goal. What matters is how your nervous system responds to it. When your brain learns that stress does not equal danger, it doesn’t need to produce the same level of pain.
There is a difference between danger and discomfort, and we often conflate the two. Most of the time, when we think we are in danger, we are actually in discomfort that is not dangerous. And the way to deal with discomfort is to wait for it to pass. If you are truly in danger, by all means, act! But what works for danger (fight/flight/freeze) is the opposite of what works for discomfort and could even make it worse!
A Different Way to Understand Chronic Pain in Austin
If you’re in Austin and noticing that stress and anxiety affect your pain, this may be a sign that your nervous system is playing a bigger role than you realized. You can read more about this approach to chronic pain in Austin and how recovery works here.
Could This Be What’s Happening for You?
This approach may resonate if:
your pain flares during stress
your symptoms are inconsistent
you feel stuck in a cycle of pain and anxiety
You don’t need to be certain. Just being curious is enough to start exploring something new.
Start with a Conversation
If you want to understand more about how this works in real life, you can learn more about my approach to chronic pain therapy in Austin.
Or, if you’re ready to take the next step, you can schedule a free 15-minute consultation to talk through what you’ve been experiencing.