“Don’t distress, de-stress!”
The effects of stress on our body can be beneficial in extreme moments; for instance our muscles tense up during stressful situations to protect themselves from injury. This is caused by the same hormone that increases our heart and breathing rates readying us for “fight or flight”, or at the very least morning traffic.
Unfortunately, when we don’t properly de-stress that muscle constant tension becomes muscle pain, expressing predominately in our back and shoulders. This may impact your ability to exercise, give you a nasty headache, and lower your overall quality of life resulting in, you guessed it, more stress!
To break this painful cycle work on some ways to de-stress:
- Practice relaxation techniques like Yoga and Meditation
- Exercise for 30 minutes or more per day to help improve your mood!
- Engage in current or find new hobbies: cooking, painting, reading, etc.
- Spend time with or have a conversation with a close friend or family member (even digitally)
- Get plenty of sleep (7 or more hours per night)
- Avoid excessive amounts of alcohol and caffeine as they can lower your sleep quality and increase stress
If your muscle pain persists, call our physical therapists to see how we can help get you out of pain and back in the game of life!