Chronic pain is more common than you imagine, as millions of people struggle with it. The worst part is that you may not even know the reason for your suffering because it may sometimes not be associated with an underlying condition. While health issues like arthritis, cancer, ruptured disc, and injuries can trigger chronic pain, psychological stressors may also lead to it. Whatever the reason, the agony you face day in and day out can affect your overall quality of life in more than one way. Here are some ways it can make you a different person.
Depression and mood swings
Beyond affecting your body, constant aches can take a toll on your mental well-being. It can cause negative emotions such as frustration, anger, and anxiety. Frequent bouts of such emotions can cause severe mental health issues like depression. You may end up hurting your relationships while coping with anxiety and depression. Mood swings can also harm your productivity at work. You can rely on stress-reduction techniques to cope with this aspect of chronic pain.
Low self-esteem
Once you let pain control your life, it may cause immense harm. For example, it lowers your motivation to exercise, diminishes job performance, and keeps you from completing daily tasks. You may eventually find yourself losing your self-esteem as you perceive your condition as a personal defect or a sign of weakness. You must seek help sooner than later because low self-esteem is perhaps the most challenging situation to handle.
Persistent fatigue
Chronic pain is physically exhausting as a sore back, bad knee, or achy hip can cause sleep deprivation and drain your daily motivation levels. The fatigue can be hard to address once it becomes persistent because you enter a vicious cycle that takes over your life. The sooner you explore viable treatments for pain management, the easier to save yourself from entering the negative cycle. A conscious effort to maintain good sleep hygiene can also make a difference.
Mobility issues
Mobility issues are a grave concern for people living with pain. Years of suffering can affect your ability to exercise, and you may end up struggling to move around. Conditions like achy knees, back, and shoulders can affect your range of motion. You may even lose your independence down the line. Experts recommended addressing the condition sooner than later to prevent it from hindering your mobility.
Dependence on painkillers
Another dire implication of chronic pain is dependence on painkillers, which can have a far-reaching influence on the quality of life. Although painkillers offer a quick fix, they do more harm than good. You may suffer from side effects such as nausea, drowsiness, depression, sweating, and insomnia due to prolonged use of these medications. The worst part is that you become mentally dependent on them, even to a stage of addiction.
Chronic pain can cause immense physical, mental, and emotional suffering. But you can do your bit to keep it from affecting your quality of life. Seek help at the earliest to continue being the person you are.