u/hellosexynerds4

My muscles are constantly tight and I have lost my career and relationships due to it.  The tension keeps me awake at night.  If I do manage to fall asleep I wake up in the middle of the night with my muscles so tense that they are in pain.  I pull muscles from reaching for something, bending over, sneezing, etc. 

I have tried massage.  The person giving the massage often comments that I am so tense and need to learn to relax.

I have tried medication.  Muscle relaxers and benzos don’t relax my muscles but at least knock me out so I can sleep.

I tried mediation.  It worked sometimes for a bit but no longer does. I would feel slightly more relaxed but the tight muscles were still there.

I tried stretching, foam rolling, and core strengthening.  It might help a tiny bit one day and then the next make it much worse.  Even doing this every day for a month showed little to no improvement and again often worsening symptoms. I was doing planks and tables daily until I got shooting nerve pain down by back and legs that only went away after stopping weeks.

I’ve mentioned to a few GPs and they all just kinda shrug and say it is probably anxiety.  None of the standard blood tests point to anything.  I know other people with anxiety and none of them seem to have this issue to this extent.  I am 46 M, more active and healthy than my parents but have less energy and ability to exercise.  I feel a hundred years old. I've always had this problem but it is continuing to get worse.

Is this really anxiety and I have to learn to live with it or am I missing something?  I’ve had therapists tell me to quiet stressful jobs and have done that, only to still be stressed while unemployed, then still stressed again at the next job.  Unless I win the lotto I don’t see how I can reduce stress much more.

My muscles are constantly tight and I have lost my career and relationships due to it.  The tension keeps me awake at night.  If I do manage to fall asleep I wake up in the middle of the night with my muscles so tense that they are in pain.  I pull muscles from reaching for something, bending over, sneezing, etc. 

I have tried massage.  The person giving the massage often comments that I am so tense and need to learn to relax.

I have tried medication.  Muscle relaxers and benzos don’t relax my muscles but at least knock me out so I can sleep.

I tried mediation.  It worked sometimes for a bit but no longer does. I would feel slightly more relaxed but the tight muscles were still there.

I tried stretching, foam rolling, and core strengthening.  It might help a tiny bit one day and then the next make it much worse.  Even doing this every day for a month showed little to no improvement and again often worsening symptoms. I was doing planks and tables daily until I got shooting nerve pain down by back and legs that only went away after stopping weeks.

I’ve mentioned to a few GPs and they all just kinda shrug and say it is probably anxiety.  None of the standard blood tests point to anything.  I know other people with anxiety and none of them seem to have this issue to this extent.  I am 46 M, more active and healthy than my parents but have less energy and ability to exercise.  I feel a hundred years old. I've always had this problem but it is continuing to get worse.

Is this really anxiety and I have to learn to live with it or am I missing something?  I’ve had therapists tell me to quiet stressful jobs and have done that, only to still be stressed while unemployed, then still stressed again at the next job.  Unless I win the lotto I don’t see how I can reduce stress much more.