Mental health and physical health play equal roles in terms of our overall health. The relationship between the two is significant and cannot be ignored. Your mental health can play a huge role in your general well-being. Take stress for example – stress can affect our body in a variety of ways including headaches, irritability, changes in mood, weight fluctuations, and changes in our eating habits. And an often-overlooked side effect of stress is the impact is has on our musculoskeletal system. Over time, repetitive bouts of stress can cause musculoskeletal issues, most commonly in our back.

What many of us don’t realize is the impact that our day-to-day stress levels can have on our experience of pain. You may have heard of the fight or flight stress response. This served us well evolutionarily by releasing the hormone cortisol when we were in a threatening situation (like being chased by a predator). In our modern society the things that elevate our stress levels are typically not moments of imminent danger, and they occur frequently throughout our day. Examples being stressed about traffic, stress about picking our kid up, deadlines at work, taking care of our aging parents etc. Studies have found that when our cortisol levels spike due to modern stress, they will stay elevated for a longer amount of time. Constantly high levels of cortisol in our body are problematic and can contribute to increased muscle tension, loss of muscle mass, and a more intense experience of pain. So, there you have it, a direct link between how stress can significantly impact your pain.

If this sounds like what you are experiencing, try to take a few small actions daily to address it:

  1. Make time for physical activity: this can release endorphins (happy hormones) and improve overall health, which can help reduce stress. Even if it means standing up from your chair 10 times every hour, try to find something small that you can do to bring more movement into your day, or schedule in a specific time for exercise.
  2. Examine your diet: there are many links between diet, improving mood, and reducing chronic pain. Are you getting a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet? Are there processed foods or high sugar items that you can remove?
  3. Relax and enjoy: find times to relax throughout the week, spend time with friends and family, unwind with a meditation, go for a walk, listen to a podcast or read a book, participate in a hobby that brings you joy, and notice the impact this has on your overall health.

MSK-0083 RevA