Impacts of Mental Health

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Yes I said it, mental health does impact amplified pain syndrome!

It sounds crazy that physical pain can be effected by your mental health, but I have learned that my anxiety does play a role in my APS. Anxiety affects 40 million adults 18 and older in the U.S.. (Source:National Institute of Mental Health)

I have always had a worrisome mind, but I wasn't officially diagnosed with anxiety until the summer before my junior year.

I knew I needed to get help when I spent hours worrying about all of the homework I had from missing school. Some people that don't have APS might think "Well go to school and do the work so you don't have homework." But it wasn't that easy.

I struggled to get out of bed most days because I was in so much pain. So when I finally got my homework for the week I stressed out. I had no clue how to do my geometry homework or any of it to be honest. I can distinctively remember many nights I would be sitting at the table in tears from frustration, and I had no clue how I was going to do all of my homework.

Another thing I struggled with, I am the complete opposite of a procrastinator. So, I always wanted to get ALL of the week's homework done in one night and that was impossible of course.

Being in pain all the time amplified my anxiety too, since my APS has taken a turn for the worst, I have had several panic attacks. All of my fears have been amplified to the max and it became unbearable. So I went to therapy and was started on medication.

Not everyone needs medication but I wasn't able to manage my anxiety without it. But on the bright side, you don't have to be on anxiety medication your whole life! It's great to know that once you've learned how your mind works you can learn techniques to calm yourself and not have as many, if not any, panic attacks.

Essentially, mental health does impact APS and it is a necessity to manage it if you want to feel better all around.