Does Stress Increase Pain for You?

[cinderr]

If I have stress, I can feel it in my hips immediately! It hurts so incredibly bad when I am stressed out! With a teenager in the house, there is stress! If he only didn't feel he knew everything!:twisted:
What I try to do NOW is let him muddle through and figure things out for himself. In the past, I hovered. I pulled him through all his trials and of course supported him. I let him know I am here but to get through it...or don't. (school) Now I'm scared stiff he'll mess up his future without my egging him forward!
He is a nice boy but has zero ambition and no work ethic! Additionally he is sort of whiney for 17!

 

[cinderr]

So this sweet (sometimes) boy recently told me i am sort of a control freak. Guess what? I think he's right. I may insist upon a modicum of control in my environment because I've never had any. If not now, when? I bristled when he told me but now I don't actually mind.
I think of myself as a facilitator--nothing gets done if not for me. Our cable would be out, my husband would have no pain meds or doctor appointments, our car insurance would be higher, you name it. The kid would probably have been kicked out of school...so I get things done, mek things happen and I offer no apologies.
But the stress today is from what? I honestly don't know; there is much to choose from. I have been suffering for three days but unsure what has triggered it. Going right to bed with it. Probably this dang kid; he has a prob, won't let me help.

 

[Trellum]

Uhm, stress can do a lot things, cinderr I think it has something to do with cortisol, I try not to be stressed out right now, but it's more easy to say than to do it! So I really understand what you mean. I'm actually glad I'm not the mom of a teenager yet! The onyl thing you can do for your boy is to try to guide him the best you can, when I was his age I had no ambition and no work ethic, lol. It's more common than you think! As long as he doesn't drop out from school everything is ok. Sometimes you need to have some serious conversations with this kind of teens

 

[mariposa]

If I have stress, I can feel it in my hips immediately! It hurts so incredibly bad when I am stressed out!

I think that stress can cause all kinds of problems and flares in many illnesses. Definitely fibro because I've heard my friends say it too many times to be coincidence.

I know it also sets IBS off pretty severely sometimes... and migraines. And... lots of things. Stress and anxiety totally stink. :-(

 

[MercyL]

If I have stress, I can feel it in my hips immediately! It hurts so incredibly bad when I am stressed out! With a teenager in the house, there is stress! If he only didn't feel he knew everything!:twisted:
What I try to do NOW is let him muddle through and figure things out for himself. In the past, I hovered. I pulled him through all his trials and of course supported him. I let him know I am here but to get through it...or don't. (school) Now I'm scared stiff he'll mess up his future without my egging him forward!
He is a nice boy but has zero ambition and no work ethic! Additionally he is sort of whiney for 17!

Yes, stress will increase the pain.

What has happened to make you feel so afraid of your son's life?

I have a theory about teens. They have to "know it all". Nature builds this in so they can approach adulthood secure with what they know, whether we see that knowledge as true, worthwhile, or a potential mistake. Notice, this is regardless of what their parents know.

If young adults did not have their "know-it-all" circuit, they could never move away, get jobs, live in difficult circumstances, or feed themselves. They would be too insecure and too afraid to step out into the world on their own. Doing so would be overwhelming.

Often, know it all teens are right, within the segment of society they spend the bulk of their time.

Young adults must deal with the world they see, not the world their parents see. There may be times the two are in sync but parents miss those times, focusing on what they believe are discrepancies, instead.

Pushing people to achieve often pushes them past their own limits. That might be satisfying for those doing pushing, but a miserable adult is usually the result - they cannot sustain the level of "achievement" on their own and no adult can live with that kind of pressure and disappointment, with themselves, in their lives and remain healthy.

While this might be scary for you, and I have no clue why it's so scary, he'll still have a life, as long as he isn't made to feel that his life is or will be worthless. Pushing often makes the person being pushed feel worthless, and drains them of hope.

They need those qualities left intact to be functioning adults.

Remember, your son is not an extension of you. Wanting things "for" him will not work and he'll still have a life, even if it is not the life you had envisioned before he was a real person.

I suggest turning your energy toward those things you can accomplish for yourself, and allow your son to plot out his own future. At 17, he needs to hear his own voice and his own thoughts guiding him. No matter what, things will get better when you let go of the fear that increases your pain.

 

[Chrispy93]

HELL YES! Stress is the bain of my existance. Stress is in every facet of my life. There is only negativity in everything. I mean everything. I am aware, and/but out of control. Stress has taken over.

 

[rollinloud]

I feel like it makes pain worse in general. I can say that my pain worsens when I am stressed out. I try to remind myself that mind over matter is the way to go but it is easier said than done. I've been trying to reduce my daily activities in terms of work, household chores and family responsibilities in order to cut down on stress. I've been moderately successful and I have noticed a noticeable reduction in my pain.

 

[mariquita]

HELL YES! Stress is the bain of my existance. Stress is in every facet of my life. There is only negativity in everything. I mean everything. I am aware, and/but out of control. Stress has taken over.

Has it ever. All I can think of is the chaos that my life is (even though, on the outside of me, it's really not that bad). The laundry that never gets put away. The bedsheets to wash. The bathroom to clean. The groceries. The car. The vacuuming. My beadwork. Organising. Paperwork. Bills. Work. To-do lists.... It never ends.

Then the guilt comes from not doing everything, or from being in a bad mood from the stress and being short with my family.

Then the pain and chest palpitations, which incur more stress.

What a vicious cycle.

 

[rollinloud]

Has it ever. All I can think of is the chaos that my life is (even though, on the outside of me, it's really not that bad). The laundry that never gets put away. The bedsheets to wash. The bathroom to clean. The groceries. The car. The vacuuming. My beadwork. Organising. Paperwork. Bills. Work. To-do lists.... It never ends.

Then the guilt comes from not doing everything, or from being in a bad mood from the stress and being short with my family.

Then the pain and chest palpitations, which incur more stress.

What a vicious cycle.

That is an excellent post that I can totally relate to. I am responsible for the vast majority of the household chores as my family doesn't really pitch in like they should. So the stress adds up quickly and overwhelms me. Then the pain sets in full force. The two are definitely interrelated. I also end up being "short with my family" as you say above.

 

[RomanAnthonysMama]

Stress definitely does increase my pain level a great deal. I think we often forget how detrimental stress can be to our health. I know a lot of people who are showing signs of depression, also show signs of aches and pains. I bet that is sort of a similar issue. What we feel emotionally and mentally can take a toll on us physically. The power of our minds has so much more impact than we think on how we perceive and react to pain.

 

[fibrogal]

Absolutely "yes!" There is a direct correlation with the amount of stress in our lives and our pain levels. Also IBS symptoms!

I also want to add that I thought Mercy gave you some awesome advice about teens! Much wisdom there, Mercy!