Stress can manifest in many ways, and the causes are widely varied. Life itself is filled with a myriad of stressors (money, relationships, jobs, children), compound that with chronic pain, and you have a volatile mix for stress, anxiety, and depression. Never think that you are alone in how you feel and react to these powerful internal and external forces. Your response, like millions of others, is typical and reasonable; after all, we can only take so much.

The relationship between stress and chronic pain can be a damaging cycle.  When an individual experiences stressful events, commonly referred to as stressors, the human body releases a hormone called Cortisol. Cortisol is required to perform vital functions such as regulating blood pressure, but heightened levels can cause inflammation. Inflammation can exacerbate chronic pain and psychological illnesses.

It is important to recognize what can be controlled and what requires guidance and support. Everything is easier when the right people are by your side.