Examining The Connection Between Pain And Mental Health
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Note: This article is not a replacement for medical advice from a doctor. If you haven’t visited a doctor about your physical pain, consider consulting your primary care physician for advice before seeking alternative treatments.
Often, treating mental health can improve physical health and vice versa. If you’re experiencing physical pain, learning about the connections between pain and mental health and what you can do to reduce this pain may be helpful.
The connection between physical pain, and mental health
The bond between physical pain, emotional pain, and overall mental health has been studied and confirmed by a significant body of research. While researchers strive to consistently make new developments, below are a few conclusions they’ve arrived at.
Physical health conditions can increase the chance of mental illness
The correlation between physical health conditions and mental illness is a central focus of research. People with physical health conditions that cause pain, including but not limited to fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and irritable bowel disease (IBD), are statistically more likely to develop mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.
Living with any physical health condition can affect all aspects of life, including social relationships and one’s ability to accomplish daily tasks. Concomitantly, mental health conditions can worsen pain and other symptoms of physical health conditions, which may cause a cycle of pain and distress.
Mental health conditions and the nervous system
Physical symptoms, including body aches, headaches, gastrointestinal distress, and muscle tension, accompany various mental health conditions. Anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and depressive disorders are linked to these symptoms.
Researchers have also found a significant link between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma, and chronic pain. While symptoms like GI pain or distress, body aches, and tension can be a symptom of a mental health condition, this is not always the case. Seek medical attention if the pain is persistent, severe, or impacts your functioning.
Regardless of the cause, physical pain can strain your overall life and functioning, which can be challenging to cope with emotionally. However, there are ways to improve your quality of life and move forward when experiencing pain.
How to cope when everything hurts
There are several ways you can address physical and mental health simultaneously. However, what works for one person may not work for another. There may be a trial-and-error stage before you find the solution that reduces your pain and improves your mental health. Consider the following options to get started.
Seek medical advice from a professional
Before trying self-care strategies, seek medical treatment for your physical pain—especially if it is ongoing, severe, or without a predetermined cause. Only a medical professional can rule out an illness, and some illnesses can be serious. A provider who offers or refers you for medical testing may also be able to refer you to a specialist or another professional if needed, which may be the case for those who live with a mental illness.
Explore your treatment options
Pain treatment may vary depending on the cause of your pain and other factors. Acupuncture and massage therapy are some treatments that can be used for pain. Medication may sometimes be used for physical pain, mental health purposes, or both. Some antidepressants are prescribed for physical pain due to their action in treating neuropathic pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia.
Consult your doctor before starting, stopping, or changing medications. Some people benefit from a combination of different treatments, so try not to lose hope if the first option you try does not work.
Get enough sleep
Not getting enough sleep can increase physical pain and other physical health symptoms. However, when living with pain, it may affect your sleep patterns. Those with chronic pain are significantly more likely to live with insomnia. Though how much sleep you get may not always be within your control, practicing recommendations for sleep hygiene can help. Sleep hygiene may involve the following steps:
- Turning off electronics before bed
- Limiting caffeine intake
- Avoiding substance use
- Exercising
- Going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day
- Getting out of bed momentarily and returning instead of laying in bed for hours
- Keeping your bedroom cool
- Keeping your bed clean and free of clutter
- Not working or spending your day in your bed
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You may also be able to use relaxation techniques to reduce distress and calm yourself before bedtime. For example, progressive muscle relaxation, visualizations, and breathing exercises are often used due to their direct action on the nervous system.
With progressive muscle relaxation, you tense one muscle group in your body at a time and consciously relax them. Other relaxation techniques can be researched online or discussed with your mental health or healthcare provider. If you live with a sleep disorder, such as insomnia, a range of treatments may be available by meeting with a sleep specialist.
Practice self-care and compassion
Self-care can involve practicing ways to preserve and improve your health, well-being, and happiness. Both self-care and compassion can be essential during moments of stress and pain. When you take steps to maintain your well-being, you are proactively limiting the possibility of negativity in your life while building resilience against stressors. A supportive daily routine, respecting your need for rest, and positive self-talk can also be helpful.
Self-esteem and mental health are connected, so try to speak to yourself kindly and challenge maladaptive thoughts when they arise. Like pain management and symptom management in mental health conditions, self-care looks different for everyone and can change over time.
Stress may increase physical pain and mental health symptoms. Stress management can become crucial in your self-care routine, especially if you face ongoing concerns related to pain. Stress management practices can include but are not limited to:
- Breathing exercises
- Cognitive reframing
- Physical activity
- Spending time outdoors
- Decreasing the stressors in your life
- Seeking support from a mental health professional
Meet others who are navigating chronic pain
Research shows that peer support methods like support groups offer several benefits, including feeling less alone and increased motivation. Peer support can also be a part of stress and symptom management. There are support groups for various physical and mental health conditions.
As physical and mental health conditions may accompany social stigmas, meeting other people going through similar challenges may be cathartic. In addition, individuals can often find groups both online and in-person. If you have a loved one with a mental or physical health condition, there are peer support groups for partners, friends, or family members of these individuals.
Connect with a professional when experiencing anxiety and depression
Physical treatment may not be the only relief method for pain. Meeting with a therapist has also been proven effective for pain management. A therapist can guide you through self-care techniques, improving self-esteem, and identifying practical coping skills to use in your daily life. It can be essential to have a place to discuss what you’re experiencing so that you won’t face judgment or stigmatization. Your therapist may also help you validate your pain and find coping methods, such as mindfulness and muscle relaxation.
Benefits of online therapy for understanding the connection between pain and mental health
You can find a therapist to work with by visiting a face-to-face clinic, getting a doctor referral, contacting your insurance company, looking through a provider directory, or signing up for an online platform like BetterHelp. Online therapy may be preferable to some people experiencing pain, as they can receive treatment from home without leaving the home. Leaving for an appointment might be impossible for those with chronic pain.
Effectiveness of online therapy in treating anxiety and depression
Remote therapy conducted via online therapy platforms is a convenient and effective way to get care from a qualified mental health professional in the comfort of your home (or anywhere you have a stable and reliable internet connection). Research has shown that online therapy is equally as effective in helping treat mental health as in-person therapy. For example, a study published in the peer-reviewed research Journal of Clinical Psychology revealed that, in over 100 different online counseling trials, overall attitudes between both counselors and participants were as positive as with in-person counseling.
Takeaway
I think I am experiencing chronic pain—what to do if everything hurts?
If you’re feeling sudden, intense, and unexplained pain, from chest pain to the experience of body aches, muscle aches, joint pain, muscle pain, or other types of aches and pains that are unusual and concerning, it may be worth speaking with your doctor. Otherwise, you may be able to ease some of your pain by trying a few particular techniques.
For example, you could engage in some deep breathing exercises, take a walk, take a nap, meditate, take a hot bath or shower, use a heating pad, or do something to distract yourself. It’s also worth noting that, in some cases, it can feel like everything hurts simply because you’re exhausted, so aiming to get a good rest could also be helpful. Seeking physical therapy is another possible avenue to try for some people with certain types of ongoing pain.
What is the condition that makes everything hurt?
There are a variety of conditions that can cause chronic pain, from Lyme disease and chronic fatigue syndrome to different types of autoimmune disease and even certain bacterial infections. One that’s commonly referred to as making everything hurt or making it so that one’s entire body feels exhausted, for some people, is fibromyalgia. This condition isn’t fully understood by researchers yet, but it generally manifests as pain and sensitivity throughout the whole body.
Note that more common symptoms related to pain—such as joint aches, body aches, sore throat, and headache—could also signify an infection or illness like the flu or COVID-19. Since these conditions can be very serious for those with a compromised immune system, it’s worth paying close attention to symptoms and seeking medical advice and evaluation when necessary or if concerned.
How does pain affect your daily life?
Experiencing chronic body pain can affect many aspects of daily life. It can make it difficult to leave the house, work, or care for oneself or others. It can also affect a person’s mental health. This is because the pain may be difficult to ever put out of one’s mind, and it may also cause a person distress to not be able to engage in all of the activities they want or need to as a result. It’s not uncommon for people with chronic pain to also experience conditions like anxiety or depression. Those who have noticed such symptoms in themselves might consider seeking support from a licensed therapist.
How is it possible to hurt so much when nothing is wrong?
Some researchers point to the existence of psychogenic pain, which is a type of physical pain that may have no identifiable physical cause and/or that may be caused by mental or behavioral sources. The particulars of psychogenic pain—including why and how it happens and how to help individuals who experience it—are not yet well understood.
How does pain affect your ability to think and concentrate?
The experience of physical pain anywhere in the entire body can affect cognition in various ways. Studies suggest an association “between pain and cognitive impairment,” including with memory, concentration, and other elements of mental functioning. The repeated or constant experience of pain could interrupt a person’s focus on a task, and there appear to be more complex, neurological elements at play in this connection as well.
How does pain affect people differently?
People may experience pain very differently. Since pain is both a physical and a mental experience, there are many different factors involved in the process of feeling and processing that pain—all of which can vary widely. Genetics may play a role in pain tolerance or experience, for example, as may psychosocial processes.
How does pain affect communication?
Pain can affect cognition, including communication and language skills. The experience of pain can also affect mood, which could in turn affect the way a person communicates with another person.
How can we best understand and control pain?
As the American Psychological Association points out, all aspects of pain—including the physical, the emotional, and the psychological—must be attended to in order to understand and help control an individual’s pain.
How does pain affect social life?
Chronic pain can deeply affect a person’s social life and relationships. First, some pain-related conditions can make it difficult to leave the house for long periods or at all, or may result in access needs that are not always supported in public spaces where social events occur. Next, the experience of ongoing pain can significantly affect cognition, including focus and communication, which can impact social time. Finally, pain can also be intertwined with mental health conditions like depression or anxiety, which can result in a lack of interest in socializing, self-isolation, and other symptoms that can affect one’s social life.
Why is it important for humans to feel pain?
The function of pain in general is to allow our brains to become aware of when we may be experiencing injury or illness that could represent a threat to our overall well-being or safety. For example, the sting of an open cut draws our brain’s attention to the injury so we can care for it and ensure it doesn’t become infected in a way that could result in more serious health consequences for the body.
How is pain related to the nervous system?
Pain is related to the nervous system because it is the nervous system that allows people to experience pain in the body. When the pain receptors in the body detect a harmful stimulus, they send electrical signals through the nervous system to the brain, which then interprets these signals as pain.
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