Tension Headaches

[solaine]

Anyone has a tip on how to manage anxiety-induced tension headaches? Painkillers do nothing, which is how I usually know they're anxiety related because if I have a usual headache not caused by anxiety, pills do work.

I've had daily headaches three years ago when I was at a stressful job, accompanied by nausea and they were so debilitating that I hardly functioned. Now I'm having stress at work again because we're moving to a new building and the headaches started again. They're not that bad yet, but I still have no way of taming them and fear having my life on pause again because I won't be able to function.

 

[Kelculator]

If your headaches were accompanied by nausea, may I suggest they might be migraines? If your headaches are throbbing, severe, and one-sided, it is likely migraines. In that case, normal painkillers might not work, I have migraine medication from my physician.
Does your job give you anxiety and hence cause the headaches? Maybe the root of the problem is stress. Try to see if that is the case, and find ways to due with work stress or related aspects of life that can cause anxiety.

 

[solaine]

If your headaches were accompanied by nausea, may I suggest they might be migraines? If your headaches are throbbing, severe, and one-sided, it is likely migraines. In that case, normal painkillers might not work, I have migraine medication from my physician.
Does your job give you anxiety and hence cause the headaches? Maybe the root of the problem is stress. Try to see if that is the case, and find ways to due with work stress or related aspects of life that can cause anxiety.

I've been reading about it a lot and I think it's tension headaches, although with nausea. It feels more like a tight band around my head. Sometimes it throbs when I move but more often it's like a pressure and it's either behind the eyes/forehead or the back of my head but never one-sided.

Our whole department is currently moving and lots of us won't have a set space till January and will be forced on home office, so that's what's causing me a lot of stress rn On top of that I'm going for a beach holiday next week when the moving is happening, which isn't ideal either.

But thanks for your tips!

 

[He Man]

Solaine, hi.. my conscious anxiety experience started about 3 years ago. It was chronic dizziness & tense forehead and neck. The cause was anxiety (which I didn't realize/understand yet), but I started treating the symptoms. Stretching my neck & upper back helped, also received trigger point injections in my neck (also helped). But the root anxiety can bring all the head tension back. Another way I treat the symptoms, putting an ice pack on my forehead for a while.. it numbs the pressure for me.
For me it's around the bride of my nose, forehead, etc. Feels like there is sudden pressure behind eyes & side neck muscles. Not much pain, but long-lasting, demoralizing discomfort.
Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[solaine]

Solaine, hi.. my conscious anxiety experience started about 3 years ago. It was chronic dizziness & tense forehead and neck. The cause was anxiety (which I didn't realize/understand yet), but I started treating the symptoms. Stretching my neck & upper back helped, also received trigger point injections in my neck (also helped). But the root anxiety can bring all the head tension back. Another way I treat the symptoms, putting an ice pack on my forehead for a while.. it numbs the pressure for me.
For me it's around the bride of my nose, forehead, etc. Feels like there is sudden pressure behind eyes & side neck muscles. Not much pain, but long-lasting, demoralizing discomfort.
Good luck, keep us posted.

Thank you for your tips! Stretching and massages help me too, although just for a while and then the headache comes back. But I haven't tried a professional mssage yet, so maybe that'd do more good. I also feel the headache as a pressure behind eyes, it's really uncomfortable.