Coping: Handling Anxiety and Depression
You often feel like you can’t consistently do what you need to do, whether that’s daily tasks like cleaning and cooking, or broader items like socialize and travel. Chronic pain can be depressing. Even when your migraine pain is well managed, the depression and anxiety from the unpredictability of the pain or frustration of its limitations can be draining. Here are a few items to keep in mind.
In this article
It’s in your head, but it’s not in your head
You’re predisposed to anxiety/depression if you also have migraines
Tracking your migraine triggers will help track your anxiety and depression
Routine also helps your mental health
You’re not alone
It’s in your head, but it’s not in your head.
Anxiety and depression associated with migraines aren’t just an after effect. They can be a symptoms of migraines in themselves. This means you need to treat your mental symptoms just as seriously and efficiently as you do your physical symptoms. There are medications that treat both your anxiety/depression symptoms and your migraines. Ask your doctor about antidepressants that attack both.
You’re predisposed to anxiety/depression if you have migraines
Studies show that as many as 40% of patients with migraines also experience depression and anxiety. Often this can lead those suffering from either to not seek treatment for one or both conditions, believing they aren’t related. Make sure to inform your doctor of all of your symptoms.
Tracking your migraine triggers will help track your anxiety and depression
You’re already using this app to track your migraine triggers. You can also add anxiety or depression as a unique trigger to track within this app. You’ll then able to track your migraines alongside your mental health and see if there’s a connection. If you know on days you feel anxious you get more migraines, you may be able to up your self-care mental health routine to decrease your migraine pain.
Routine also helps your mental health
Keeping a consistent sleeping, eating, drinking and exercise routine is key to decreasing your migraines. A routine is also enormously helpful for your mental health. When your body knows what to expect, to the best of your ability, it can better regulate your mental and physical health.
You’re not alone
Chronic pain can be exhausting, draining and depressing. It’s no surprise you’ll have days where you feel overwhelmed by a depressed or anxious brain. This is normal, and you’re not alone. But you don’t need to suffer through these days without support. Make sure your doctor knows about your mental health and has a treatment plan for you. Seek support groups, whether this is one-on-one therapy or online groups targeted to migraine sufferers who also deal with anxiety and depression. There’s treatment and a community to help alleviate your suffering.
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