When Stress Literally Hurts: The Mind-Body Connection

In this special Mental Health Awareness Month episode of the VSI Get Back to Your Life® podcast, two VSI physicians share a compelling discussion on the deep connection between emotional well-being and physical pain. Dr. Ella Akkerman, a neurologist at VSI, brings her expertise in the brain and mental health to this conversation while Dr. Yash Mehta, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, brings his understanding of the body’s functions and physical reactions to outside pressures.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• How emotional distress can speak through the body as physical pain
• Why so many people suffer in silence, and how to change the narrative
• What real, healing conversations between doctors and patients can look like
• Actionable ways to care for both your mind and body—starting today

When Pain Is Physical and Mental

If you’re living with chronic pain, you know it’s not just about your body. The stress, the anxiety, and the emotional toll is all very real. And it can trap you in a frustrating cycle of pain and emotional burnout.

Dr. Akkerman explains, “Everything starts in the brain, whether you want it or you don’t. And so our world, the way we perceive it every day, outside and in, reflects upon how our brain responds to it negatively or positively.”

“What science has found and from an osteopathic background, we really believe that that not only has a mental toll on your body, but a great physical toll as well,” Dr. Mehta adds.

The Silent Pressure to “Be Fine”

Dr. Mehta speaks about how societal and cultural expectations often prevent people from acknowledging their mental health struggles.

“Coming from a South Asian background, mental health is not something we really talk about. Luckily, my dad is kind of emotional and I’m an emotional man. So I’ve seen him cry often. But when I talk to my friends, most people haven’t seen their parents cry or males don’t cry.”

He continues, “We want them to keep those feelings inside and just stiffen up and go about their day and act like nothing’s wrong…That takes a toll internally.”

What Happens in the Brain During Stress

Dr. Akkerman breaks it down as she did on Fox5 DC, “If the amygdala is not happy, the hypothalamus sends negative chemicals like adrenaline towards the rest of our body and…on a chronic basis, a chemical called cortisol gets produced in adrenal glands… And that chemical is a stress hormone.”

Over time, this hormone storm affects sleep, blood pressure, metabolism, weight, and pain tolerance. “Our sleep is disrupted. Our pain threshold goes down.”

It becomes a feedback loop. Stress worsens pain, and pain fuels more stress. Dr. Mehta also explains that this can start to impact your work and lifestyle, and that stress and muscular pain continues to build on itself, as he has experienced with TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder) pain.

“I deal with TMJ pain on and off and I realize my TMJ flares up when I’m stressed about things.”

Tips to Prevent Stress-Related Pain

Strategies for Emotional and Physical Health

Dr. Akkerman urges self-kindness: “Being okay with it, being nice to ourselves, being kind to ourselves, nonjudgmental to ourselves.”

She says, “My happy go-to place is music. Music always has been my happy go-to place. It doesn’t matter how sad I am. I can listen to music. I can play music.”

Dr. Mehta finds his grounding in family and faith. “Something that gives me solace is my family, my friends, spending time with my kids. And another thing is I’m a practicing Hindu, and so faith is something that really gives me solace.”

He recites a verse from the Gita: “We only have control over our actions and our intent, but we can’t always control the outcome.”

Three Tips to Manage Stress and Pain

1. Prioritize Sleep

“About eight hours of sleep,” Dr. Mehta says. He also recommends avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and reducing screen time before bed.

2. Take Baby Steps

“Let me try maybe moving back my caffeine an hour earlier… make that change and see, do I notice a change in my sleep?”

He encourages small, achievable changes over time. This will keep you focused on your goals.

3. Set Clear Boundaries

“For me, when I’m done with work and if I see the last patient, I go home because that’s my time with my kids, and that’s sacred for me.”

Dr. Akkerman agrees but takes a different approach: “I need to leave work at work. And then at home, I’m free of work and stress… you need time off your brain.”

Watch the Podcast on Youtube

Support Systems for Your Mental Health

“Support system is not just people and family that’s physically there,” says Dr. Akkerman. She suggests that a support system could be any outlet that allows you to get your stress and negative energy out.

That might be journaling, music, or meditation. And yes, your doctor can be part of your support network too.

“When you do not have enough help and you recognize it… We should be okay with admitting to ourselves we are not okay… and sharing it, sharing it, sharing it,” Dr. Akkerman encourages.

Final Takeaways on Reducing Stress and Pain

“Open up to yourself mentally… Do not be judgmental towards yourself… Be okay with not being okay… and when you cannot do any of those things, but you recognize you’re not okay, be brave and seek help,” says Dr. Akkerman.

Dr. Mehta advises, “Think of this as a marathon, not a sprint… Baby steps. It’s okay to fail. And we’re all in this together… Nobody’s perfect.”