Anxiety and Back Pain

Anxiety is NOT an illness so it can't be cured, but you CAN control it. Understanding our anxiety, reducing physical symptoms, altering our thoughts related to anxiety and changing our behaviour related to anxiety will all help you to control it. Write down if your anxiety is related to certain situations, places or people. Is it worse at particular times of day, are there realistic worries you have that would make you anxious. Keep an anxiety diary for a period of two weeks, keep a daily diary of your anxiety and activity level. What you can do and rate it 0-10 and note down anything that seems important. Were you at work, at home, who were you with, what were you doing or what were you thinking when the anxiety came on. If you are finding certain situations make you more anxious then make a note of that as well. Try to define your problem i.e. 'I never manage to get out and have some fun'. Now list how you can get out and have some fun, i.e. what you need and who can help you. List as many possible solutions that you can think of to help you achieve something you think is impossible to do. Some tips to help you de-stress can be as simple as taking up a relaxing hobby, making sure you get enough sleep, eating a well balanced diet, taking regular walks around your flat/house or if you can manage it, outside. Learn to relax with some yoga, enjoy watching your favourite programme, read, knit, listen to the radio. The list is endless. Once you can find something that takes the anxiety away try to do it the minute you start getting anxious about something. Of course if you are out and feel you are getting anxious about a situation you are in then its not possible to do the above but distraction can work for you. Take your mind off your symptoms by studying what's around you. Study things in detail like registration numbers, if your in the car, or what shoes people are wearing, what conversations you can hear etc.