You’ve noticed a pain along the back of your leg. It wakes you up at night and ignites your body into a fire of pain. Your entire body reacts, as the pain is surprising and you are unsure how long it is going to last or what the cause is. Your blood pressure begins to rise as your mind races through all of the possibilities of what this pain could mean. You rush to the computer and quickly search the web, looking to self-diagnose your pain. Words appear across the screen and burn into your mind: possible cancer, tumor, and long-term effects. Your anxiety continues to grow. If this has been you, then you now understand that the anxiety of the moment just intensifies your pain. Why does this happen and what can you do in the moment to ease your anxiety?
The pain that occurs when you have a sciatic flare-up or episode can be blinding. It can be such an intense pain that it induces a panic or anxiety attack. During an anxiety attack, the nerves that are already weakened by sciatica are put under even more intense pressure and many falter. Your muscles also physically tighten, causing significant pain to muscles that are already stretched past their normal capabilities.
As you begin to treat your sciatica symptoms, you should also focus on relieving anxiety. Anxiety blocks the body’s attempts to respond to natural cures that will aid in the relief of sciatica. If you are free of anxiety, you can better implement the changes needed to improve your overall health. Some ways you can start decreasing your anxiety levels are explained below:
– Get plenty of rest. This will help with both easing your sciatica pains and also will allow you to spend time recuperating from the sudden attacks of anxiety. Taking a break from the stress of the every day and focusing on improving your body and becoming well again will calm your exhausted nerves and allow you time to focus on the problems at hand.
– Talk to someone. Be informed! Don’t resort to just searching the Internet and reading horror stories. Talk to your doctor or other health care professional. Talk to someone who struggles with anxiety, sciatica, or both. Talking through your worries and fears are ideal for confronting them and allowing them to be acknowledged and released. If you cannot find anyone to talk to, make a detailed list of all the things you would like to say the next time you see your doctor. These could be concerns about your pain levels, about life after your symptoms disappear, or about the underlying causes and issues of your sciatica.
– Eat right. A balanced diet will help with your anxiety levels and may also help your sciatica, as many people experience sciatica as a result of recent significant weight gain. Also, exercise will help relieve your mind of added pressures and go a long way to aiding some of your sciatica symptoms.
