Anxiety related neck and shoulder tension

[Zoostar84]

Just wondering if anyone else gets anxiety related tension in back of the neck and shoulder.

I live by myself so getting a massage at home is not an option. I also do not wish to pay for a massage.

I would like you to offer some suggestions as to how to ease the tension whilst I'm at work. Something i may consider doing is to take a 5 minute break and practice a yoga pose called child pose which does seem to help when I'm at home.

[Lost_Girl]

Hi Zoostar,

I have chronic headaches that have caused anxiety and depression and I have tightening of the neck and shoulder area.

I have been given a number of exercises from my physiotherapist. I did a quick search for you and if you google "leading edge physical therapy headache" the first site that comes up has a few of the stretches recommended to me and a few more that look ok.

I was also assessed by a company dealing with workplace ergonomics as I work at a desk all day. They advised getting up from your desk once an hour and having a short walk around. My physio recommended doing the chin tuck exercise at the same frequency.

For use at home, if you can afford to, buy a neck heat pack from a pharmacy. Using these at night helps me in lieu of a massage and is a lot cheaper. The larger flat one for neck back and shoulders is best (as opposed to a smaller rectangular neck specific one). Anti-inflammatory medication may assist when it is really bad, discuss this with your local pharmacist.

If you do work at a desk, ensuring it is set up correctly is also important. Google "ergonomic workplace set up". The second search result will talk through how to adjust your environment.

Finally, with the weather starting to cool in the evenings where I am, I have been advised to wear something around my neck to keep it warm. This helps prevent further likelihood of muscle spasms that I get. I am not sure if that applies to you.

I hope some of this helps.

Cheers,

Carol

[Zoostar84]

Hi Carol

Thankyou for your resposne. At first I thought your reply was not really relevant to my workplace environment as I work in healthcare and I'm on my feet majority of the day. But today I was thinking that I may be getting this tensiosn due to bad posture. On occassions I do computer work for the whole day. I will make sure I do the exercises when I'm at the desk all day.

We only have a small table in the tea room and is not big enough for all morning staff to eat their lunches. Today I had lunch in the managers office until I finished eating and then returned to join the other staff in the tea room. I do not have dinner at my dining table. I sit on my couch hunched over my dinner plate. It's a bad habit I must break.

I bought a neck and shoulder heat pack today and used it. The best part being that I can continue walking around my unit with it on.

I do have some Anti-inflammatory medication already as I stated to my GP I was feeling a pinch like sensation in one of my shoulders. They are there if I need them.

I don't see any harm in trying to keep my neck warm.

Thankyou for your suggestions Carol.

Much appreciated!

[blondguy]

Hello Zoostar84

I have had anxiety for many years and also get the tight shoulders/neck tension as well. I had it looked at and it was general posture.

When I get the tension now I use it as a indicator that I have too much on my plate or am in a stressful situation. I have learned to gently move my shoulders and neck around to loosen the muscle tissue before it gets too chronic.

I hope you feel a bit better soon 🙂

Kind Thoughts

Paul

[Lost_Girl]

Hey Zoostar,

It's great that some of the suggestions were helpful. I hope that your pain is easing a little.

Kind thoughts,

Carol

[Pixie15]

Hi Zoostar,

I also get shoulder and neck stiffness. I saw an exercise physio and have some exercises that I do every morning which really helps. If I miss them a couple of days I can really feel the difference.

The other thing I thought of is that you can think of using a fitness watch to remind you to get up and move around a bit more often at work. Also make sure your chair is appropriate for the amount of time your sitting and adjusted to your own needs. You could also learn some self massage.

I have some social anxiety and I find it helps to try and keep my body relaxed.

Hope you find some ways to relax.