There is no doubt that life is stressful.  Living with persistent pain just adds to those stresses.  Living with pain and disability has certainly caused me financial concerns, partly caused by the loss of my teaching career because of my condition.  In addition I have experienced all of life’s other little stresses, including work difficulties, the stresses related to being self-employed and the illness of a close family member. 

It took me a long time to understand that being under significant stress would have an impact on my pain condition, but it does!  I have learnt over the years to actively avoid as much stress as I reasonably can in order to optimise my pain condition.   If I haven’t been able to avoid stress, for example when a family member has been ill, then I have taken the time to learn to deal with it better.

I can’t eliminate stress from my life, but recognising the impact it has on my experience of pain has helped me manage and cope with my situation better than I might otherwise have done. 

I hope these resources will help you understand the impact stress can have on your wellbeing, and pain, and maybe support you better dealing with it.