Muscle tension : Hello everyone, has anyone... - Anxiety Support

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Muscle tension

moni85 profile image
10 Replies

Hello everyone,

has anyone else experienced leg muscles tightness/aches/cramps with anxiety?

I’ve also been having bad neck tension and my anxiety has been very high lately ☹️

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moni85 profile image
moni85
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10 Replies
Agora1 profile image
Agora1

Hi moni85 I can tell you that muscle tension goes hand in hand with heightened anxiety.

It's a two fold issue in holding ourselves rigid all the time. We forgot what it's like to

feel relaxed when we sit, stand or even sleep. I use to wake up in a fetal position when

my anxiety was at it's highest. Not only was my body curled up in a ball but my hands were

tight fists turned inward towards my chest. Put that together with an over stimulated

nervous system and you can't help but feel spasms and pain.

What I found helpful was water aerobics . The buoyancy of the water made it easy

to stretch those tight muscles without pain. I also started with Relaxation Meditation

at that time using it before bed and finding that I no longer woke up curled in a ball.

There are always answers to the physical ailments that anxiety cause. We each respond

to a different method that works for us. I hope you find yours :) xx

Ladybug9 profile image
Ladybug9

Your stress is causing you to tighten muscles that you aren't even aware that you are stressing out. I bet when this is happening, if you paid attention to your shoulders, you could drop them a good few inches from your neck! We don't even realize we are tensing so hard most of the time. I wake up with my teeth stuck together from clenching so tight and I don't even realize how bad until I wake up with pain.

ciley profile image
ciley in reply toLadybug9

tooth clenching is 'normal' for me !!

Ladybug9 profile image
Ladybug9 in reply tociley

Me too and it hurts. I do it all day. I don't grind like I use to, I just clench big time. I can catch myself during the day but nightime? I'm in trouble!

1OshunDreamer profile image
1OshunDreamer

Absolutely! I tighten up so much when I'm anxious and it hurts. I'll do stretches at the end of the day to loosen everything up again.

Ladybug9 profile image
Ladybug9 in reply to1OshunDreamer

I know you already know this but make sure you aren't tight and cold in your muscles when you stretch. Even jogging in place can get the blood circulating. I would hate for you to get hurt from just stretching!

hzhang35 profile image
hzhang35

I have leg pain, more on the sight, and worse at night due to my anxiety, it comes and goes.

ciley profile image
ciley

i do get quite bad fpoot and leg cramps~i linked it to my bad back tho~i think its linked with anxiety~your frame is prob tense~there are medicines

moggie8 profile image
moggie8

Yes I'm that tight all over it's painful

munrapz profile image
munrapz

Hi, almost every symptom imaginable can go together with anxiety, the mind is a powerful machine. But, in your case those symptoms are one of the most common. The excess stress produces our muscles to be tense even in our sleep.

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