Do you sometimes wake up with a tension headache? A random pain in your jaw? Or just feeling as if you’ve been run over by a train? These aches and pains may be the physical manifestations of stress.
The body usually responds to stress by releasing adrenaline and cortisol, the hormones that trigger your fight-or-flight response. Over a prolonged period, this state of heightened stress can manifest as sore muscles and pain in various areas, such as the neck and back. It can also affect gut health and quality of sleep.
How to manage stress-related aches and pains
Here are some tips, but you’ll need to work out what works best for you.
- Get moving. Because the body releases stress naturally through exercise, and the associated release of endorphins makes you feel better, try walking outside, lifting weights, swimming, biking, running, dancing or stretching.
- Limit your intake of sugar, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
- Ensure sufficient quality rest at night by sticking to a good routine, sleeping in a cool, dark room, staying away from screens an hour before bed and not drinking caffeine after 4pm.
- Practise deep breathing, mindfulness and meditation, to relax the body and mind.
- Treat yourself to a good massage.
- Speak to someone you trust about what you’re experiencing. Putting it out there will help, and another perspective could be valuable.
Bottom line
Stress will affect us all at some point. By adopting healthier practices, we can become more resilient to its effects on the body and mind.
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