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Anybody have intense physical pain/pressure with depression?

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whiteraven

MyPTSD Pro
Today was a really bad day. I have felt very depressed all day and was having frequent suicidal thoughts earlier. It's different, though, than my "normal" depression, in that I feel a physical heaviness, along with a kind of "stimulating" pain and pressure all over, just beneath the skin. That's not really an adequate description, but I don't know what other work to use.

I've had this before and it is so uncomfortable.
 
I know when I am depressed And not expressing my feelings my body pain is much worse.
I have arthritis and a bulging disc in my back. I can do all the exvercises in the world, but talking things out helps more than anything.
Hope your depression lifts and you get to share about what is going on.
Gentle hugs if you accept.
 
I have an overall general discomfort and stiffness. It's because my body is locked up in stress as I am anticipating the worst possible outcome at work. Thats why I live for my hot baths as often as i can. Even better if I can get to a sauna.
 
I have a chicken & egg thing with pain & depression.

My pain kicks my depression up. My depression kicks my pain up.

Sorting out which is which? Can be helpful. Can also be a pain in the ass.
 
I know when I am depressed And not expressing my feelings my body pain is much worse.
I have arthritis an...

Thank you, @ladee. This is so helpful! I guess I'm so not connected to me (or anything/one) right now that I'm having trouble seeing the relationship. I also have arthritis and lots of back issues and they seem to be much worse when I'm depressed. Guess I need to be a little more mindful of the body-mind connection!

I have an overall general discomfort and stiffness. It's because my body is locked up in stress as...

Good point, @FragileGlass! I was at work yesterday and the discomfort was just intense. Work is my biggest external stressor and I noticed when I got home, into the safety of my house, I felt a lot better. :-)

I have a chicken & egg thing with pain & depression.

My pain kicks my depression up. My depression kic...

Yes! @Friday. A *pain* in the ass. Quite literally, I might add. :p
 
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I never realized how incredibly tense my physical being was until I was able to finally sit still with my mental being, if that makes sense. Stress of any kind, even the good stuff, would take me down in a heartbeat between the intense pain and the nausea.

Once I could sit still long enough to do some deep breathing exercises and meditation practices, I realized I stayed SUPER tense from head to toe.

I had to work hard for quite a while in trying to consciously retrain my brain to remember not to tense up at every sound, smell, thought, perception, task, etc., and still have to remind myself often to loosen up and relax my body.

No wonder everything hurt so bad more often than not, along with what I learned I was doing to my body from the inside out via my lifelong heavily conditioned consumption habits. Scary shit right there! Weak foundations ensure many problems down the road, regardless of how nice the structure may appear on the outside.

Breath work, hot epsom salt baths, monthly massage therapy, daily stretching and moving, healthy hydration each morning, a regular sleep schedule, lots of time with nature, and a whole food plant-based vegan consumption lifestyle with supplementation as necessary have eased more pains than I thought would ever be possible, especially based on what most of the professionals told me I had and would have to get used to.

I remain in awe and grateful beyond words in discovering genuinely helpful things in which I'm still able to feel and see the results of, especially free stuff like breathing. Who knew? I also remain pissed off that the most basic of helpful things aren't being taught in the schools who train the professionals we seek for help. Grrrrrrr........
 
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I never realized how incredibly tense my physical being was until I was able to finally sit still with my mental being, if that makes sense. Stress of any kind, even the good stuff, would take me down in a heartbeat between the intense pain and the nausea.
Once I could sit still long enough to do some deep breathing exercises and meditation practices, I realized I stayed SUPER tense from head to toe.
I had to work hard for quite a while in trying to consciously retrain my brain to remember not to tense up at every sound, smell, thought, perception, task, etc., and still have to remind myself often to loosen up and relax my body.

I do mindfulness meditation, but I've always really struggled with any type of specific body focus. There is a body scan, where the meditative focus is tension in the body and I just can't do it. Probably an area I need to work on. I do tend to tense up, as evidenced in the knots I have in my neck that lend themselves to frequent headaches :-(.

I remain in awe and grateful beyond words in discovering genuinely helpful things in which I'm still able to feel and see the results of, especially free stuff like breathing. Who knew? I also remain pissed off that the most basic of helpful things aren't being taught in the schools who train the professionals we seek for help. Grrrrrrr........

Agreed. They are beginning to teach mindfulness and yoga in some schools, which I think is brilliant. Of course, it is also getting push-back from some parents who see it as a way to indoctrinate their Christian children into the heathen ways of Buddhists and Hindus, but...
 
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