Does anyone else experience widespread muscle aches and head pressure because of anxiety? Any suggestions on what helps this? How do you remain focused when you are so uncomfortable?
I am currently dealing with this and have had a few occurrences in the past. I am usually anxiety free but it seems out of nowhere I started having muscle tension again and it is causing me to have terrible insomnia as well. Overall I feel terrible the last 3 weeks and when this happens I always feel that it will not get better. In the past I have had this happen and after 2 or 3 months I start to feel better again.
I’ve experienced somatic discomfort in the past which I’ve linked to my anxiety. I’ve found that the tension & aches worsen when I’m not acknowledging my anxiety. I’m sure it’s different depending on the person, though.
It’s good that you recognize that it has passed when you’ve experienced in the past even when you feel like it’s endless.Maybe there are some new techniques you can integrate to help you physically relax and your anxiety will be helped by proxy?
I would highly recommend yoga. I had back problems as a teen and in my 20s and was able to solve it for the most part with yoga. I’m very skeptical of anything new age or psuedo scientific, but what yoga allowed me to do was to discover/create connections to muscles I wasn’t feeling before. It’s kindof like as a kid learning to blink one eye - you can’t explain how to do it, but eventually after rooting around in your brain and trying playing around with your muscles, you develop access to muscles that were on autopilot before.
Anyway, I learned that I was holding my lower back and glute muscles flexed almost all the time. I’ve always been a very anxious person and for me, that’s where I hold my tension. After getting a better connection (for lack of a better word) to those muscles I learned how to relax them more often and stretch them better. After a time, my back problems were almost gone.
I would also recommend “progressive relaxation” exercises. There’s probably hundreds of youtube guided sessions out there. They involve progressively flexing muscles and letting them go. It helps you get better connection to your muscles and relaxes them.
Finally, I’d recommend ‘body scan’ meditations. They’re not too difficult meditations, they’re 20 minute or so walkthroughs of your body. Very helpful.
I feel so alone because I have never found anyone with as many physical symptoms as I have. None of the meds are helping my insomnia and I have constant pain and wierd numbness feelings. I have an anti depressant but I am afraid to try it. I just don’t see how it can make all these pains go away. I just am scared that this will always be with me. I have had this in the past but have no idea how I got over it before.
i have heard of yoga as a relief but never tried it out… do you honestly think that it is as helpful? dealing with anxiety discomfort can be a really hard task, i know from experience…
I feel so alone because I have never found anyone with as many physical symptoms as I have.
I’ve have head pressure and anierty issues since I was a teenager and have insonia issues, lack of appetite since last october. Plus I recently had new issues with disoassication and depersonalization which is fun. So you aren’t alone!
This feeling of isolation is terrible. I have issue trusting ppl also. I’m never honest about my feelings. I’ve started to be more open and honest with my parents which has helped a bunch.
None of the meds are helping my insomnia and I have constant pain and wierd numbness feelings. I have an anti depressant but I am afraid to try it.
Tell your doctor or therapist this. I’ve had a lot of success with cannabis for physical symptoms of depression and anxiety. But its not a sliver bullet. When I stop smoking it comes back so I want to be proactive about working on my breathing skills and other things that help with my anxiety.
I’m afraid of taking meds too and haven’t taken them yet. I read that they might be OK but I’m not sure.
I’ve had success from CBT techniques in the book Feeling good for my emotional regulation.
Oh also my therapist said for insomnia is too wake up at the same time everyday. So you nature clock won’t get pushed back. So I wake up and 9:00 or 10:00 everyday even if I can only sleep by 3:00 or 4:00. She said I want to get a minimum of 4 hrs and not to take a long nap during the day. (she said that its a behavior technique for insomnia. google for more info)
Blockquote I just don’t see how it can make all these pains go away. I just am scared that this will always be with me. I have had this in the past but have no idea how I got over it before.
Its hard for me to be hopeful also when times are tough. Some of my issues have been getting much worse since the beginning of this year and I feel like I just have to accept it and move forward. I don’t know what to say to give you assurance however I hope you can find something that will give you some peace. One thing that keeps me going is the idea that I could one day help someone going through the same issues as me so they won’t make the same mistakes I did.
I also feel you are being a bit hard on yourself. This is hard work, its not a sprint, it takes time (atleast for me). I think people don’t realize that.
Hope you feel better soon.
Some books that have helped me:
Feeling Good by David Burns link
Mindfulness for Health link
Depressed and Anxious: The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Workbook link
For anxiety, there has some good supplement as far as I know. Kratom is much more helpful. This also helps to recover Chronic pain as well. 100% natural, 3rd party tested. Fit to the body easily and comfortably.