What Came First, the Pain or the Anxiety?

How to help the pain, anxiety-depression cycle.

Approximately 20% of the U.S. population suffers from a chronic anxiety condition, about the same number of people struggle with some kind of chronic pain condition.

I have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks as long as I can remember. I remember laying on the floor in fetal position wishing my parents would just hug me while I felt this out-of-control heart racing that would make me feel so scared.

Also, for as long as I can remember I struggled with shoulder pain. I remember in my late teens getting shopping carts at stores I was only browsing at because my purse would cause my shoulder.

Over the years I have noticed a connection between my physical pain and anxiety concerns. Days when my pain is worse, I have noticed I am more anxious. When I have a higher-level pain day, I notice that anxiety seems to increase as well.

The connection between pain and anxiety

Pain and anxiety go hand in hand. Often it seems that one is not found without the other. Many people who suffer from chronic pain and chronic anxiety find that they cannot tell which one started first.