Emotional pain is pain or injury that has non-physical origins. Sometimes this emotional distress is caused by someone else. Other times, they are sometimes caused by regret, sadness, or loss. In other cases, it may be caused by an underlying mental health condition like depression or anxiety.
Emotional pain can be different for everyone. But no matter what symptoms you experience, long-term stress can affect your daily life, from disrupting your sleep to causing other health problems over time.
While it is often considered less serious than physical pain, it is important that emotional pain is taken seriously. There are a number of common feelings associated with emotional pain that can have an impact on your physical and mental health.
Generally speaking, emotional pain occurs when you experience unpleasant emotions at an extreme level. For example, you might describe the uncomfortable or unwanted emotions that arise when you experience challenges or hardships as “emotional distress.” Many people also use this term to refer to unwanted mood experiences, including mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety and emotions such as anger and sadness.
Emotional pain can have a major impact on various areas of your life.
Ongoing emotional pain may result in:
- affects your mood
- preventing you from getting enough quality sleep
- play a role in relationship conflicts
- causes changes in your typical eating habits
- causes decreased achievement at school or work
- makes it more difficult to focus and complete daily tasks
Moreover, each of these outcomes can have a ripple effect that creates additional consequences.
If you lie awake night after night, thinking about the source of your distress, you may be missing the 7 or 8 hours of sleep you need.
Sleep deprivation, in turn, can affect your concentration and memory, and make you irritable. You may more easily lose patience with your partner and children, forget important commitments with family and friends, or make some mistakes at work.
Psychological distress can also lead to health problems over time. A 2018 British study that included data from 16,485 adults explored the relationship between anxiety and depression symptoms, which the study called “psychological distress” and health problems.
Results show that low or moderate levels of emotional pain can increase your chances of developing: chronic lung disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease.
Physical Manifestations of Emotional Pain such as chronic stress can lead to headaches, muscle tension, and stomach problems. Sleep disorders, such as insomnia, are common in those experiencing intense emotional pain, as are changes in appetite leading to weight loss or gain.
Chronic pain can develop into frustration, anger, depression and anxiety. Prolonged body pain drains you emotionally and mentally, thereby causing mental problems. Pain management specialist; provide therapy and treatment to control your pain and prevent mental health problems thereby improving your quality of life.
