Rheumatoid Arthritis Stress Management Tip: Vent

Stress can worsen rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as you can read about in our article on how stress affects RA. Therefore, many people with rheumatoid arthritis seek ways to manage stress as part of addressing the daily pain and inflammation that comes from rheumatoid arthritis. You can control your reaction to stress by many stress management techniques.

Stress is an inevitable part of life. It is an emotional response to a new situation usually driven by conflicting internal and external expectations. It can serve as a positive influence in your life by causing personal growth and change, but it can also produce feelings of frustration, anger, and depression.

You can read another one of our articles for stress management tips, but in this article, we will discuss one specific stress reliever tip: venting.

Venting is more than getting something frustrating off your chest by telling a friend about stressful life events, although that is a good example of it.

Venting is about releasing negative emotions that can build up and start to take a physical toll. Working through such emotions as frustration, anger, disappointment, and fear can decrease your stress level as you prevent internalization of these emotions.

Although the consequences of stress are variable, it may lead to fatigue, trouble sleeping, headaches, stomachaches, high blood pressure, and anxiety—you know, all those little signs that may be a tip-off that something is wrong, something deeper than a bad day or a difficult conversation.

As you handle a chronic condition like rheumatoid arthritis, it's helpful to