Is living with pain getting you down?
Living with persistent pain can really start to get you down, as it may affect every aspect of your life. Some people find that pain affects their daily routine. For others, the pain is so severe they are unable to work, or to carry out day-to-day tasks. If pain affects you in this way, it could leave you feeling anxious about carrying out certain tasks. You may feel that there is little point trying to do the things you once did. Some people find themselves doing less and less, and becoming low in mood, upset or angry all the time.
Continuing to remain active is an important part of managing persistant pain (for more advice on this speak to your GP or Physiotherapist) but many people find that physical activity can cause pain.This can prevent people from undertaking certain tasks or avoiding physical activity.
As you do less, your muscles become weaker and you may find that you put weight on, causing a vicious cycle that looks a bit like the diagram opposite.
If pain has started to make you feel anxious or get you down, this too can begin to make you feel physically worse. When you’re stressed, your body can release hormones which make you more sensitive to pain. These hormones can also reduce the strength in your muscles and bones, making you feel weaker and less able to carry out day-to-day tasks. For this reason, it’s really important to find ways of managing stress, anxiety and mood because your mood directly affects the pain you feel.
If you would like to read more on Living with Pain and your emotional wellbeing and how our Healthy Minds service can help you, then download the leaflet from the 'Downloads' section.