Wrist pains from stress

>>3132314
See a doctor. Asking here is pointless. The symptoms you're describing can be a lot of things.

>>3132317
I'm confident that it's just stress related, and that a doctor would just tell me to take better care of myself. And I'm going to do just that.

I just want to know if anyone has had something similar. And if there's anything I can do to cope with it so that I don't have to refrain from drawing. Also what's good to practice to keep wrists healthy in the long run.

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>>3132314
Here's some wrist exercises you can try. I'm not sure how much it'll help, but it's worth a shot.

>>3132320
It's your body. /shrug

Me, I see a doctor, when I feel pain - because I'm not a doctor. You want to be autistic and get medical advice off 4chan, where it's 50/50 someone is trolling you? Be my guest.

>>3132338
eyy man my Doctor just tells me to drink fruit juice whenever I see him. This is a board specific to drawing. I just figured that it wouldn't hurt to ask, and that general knowledge on how to take care of your wrists would be helpful to anyone

And again, I'm very confident that it's just stress related. I don't feel pain when I'm doing anything else. It's only when I start drawing something I struggle with. You don't have to worry about me, or degrade me, or whatever it is you're trying to do

>>3132314
its possible you just grasp the pen harder the more you focus.

try to increase your awareness of your grip

It's psychosomatic.

Pain is real but it's caused by existential stress.

>>3132314
Hi OP. I personally don't draw, but I play bass and guitar, so I sometimes get pain in my left hand/arm. Last time it was really bad was 2 years ago, when i was writing my first paper for university. I wore a brace for some time and took ibuprofen. Now I am writing my bachelor's thesis and it came back. The pain is a little different this time, but I feel like it's especially strong when I'm stressed or worried. I believe the original cause is in a bad technique while playing, but the intensity with which I perceive it is directly related to the stress or worry under which I am.
My psychotherapist told me that inflammations are very unlikely to be psychosomatic.
See a doctor, start therapy, take up meditation or something that works for you.

> If I'm just mindlessly painting something I can go several hours and my wrists don't hurt at all. But when I study something I'm not good at my wrists just die on me.

concentration =/= tension
just cuz your brain's working hard doesn't mean your body should be tense

If it's really that bad, try putting your pencil down after every line, think about your next line, then pick it up and draw the next. It's kind if an extreme solution but it might just teach you to calm the fuck down

>>3132320
I'm confident that the symptoms you're describing might be exacerbated by stress but are not caused by stress.

You need to see a doctor if you value your wrists, which you should if you plan on continuing this art thing.

That aside: for weight gain, get 2% milk, protein powder, and peanut butter, drink 75 grams of additional protein via the powder mixed with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in a full glass of milk a day and begin lifting weights with a barbell. Use a 5x5 routine you can find on /fit/ sticky.

No joke, I had very similar issues with being perpetually underweight and lifting weights while consuming those additional calories and protein allowed me to put on and keep on healthy amounts of weight.

As far as stress goes, exercise goes a long way but you should look into Dzogchen meditation. Changed my fucking life. Now I'm virtually anxiety and stress free, even in the face of situations that would be considered fairly stressful for anyone.

>>3132314
Make sure you are primarily drawing with your shoulder and elbow. Even for smaller strokes - it'll help both your body and your art improve.
Next, check how firmly you are grasping your pencil. If you're really squeezing that sucker it could be a major factor into that painful tension you are experiencing. I'd also suggest falling asleep with open hands instead of fists, as that appears to have helped me.
Get a 5 lb weight and prop your forearm on top of a surface that allows your wrist to hang freely, like a desk or stool. Do 8 mini-curls using purely your wrists facing towards you, and 8 mini-curls with your wrists facing away from you. Do this every day if you want to strengthen your wrists and reduce this scare from excelling further.

I have been doing these things collectively for a month now and it's really helped my wrist pains. Mine got to the point where they were burning regardless of whether or not I held a pencil or used a mouse. I set aside 2 days of recovery time in which I did noting, and the burning eventually calmed down after about a week. As soon as it was nearly gone, I started lifting weights and I think that's the biggest factor to helping combat my wrist pains. I'm also a string bean so just trust me when I say picking up a weight and doing this is one of the smartest things you could do to strengthen your wrists and prevent future problems. And it only takes like a minute while you listen to music or space it on YouTube during a break. It was hard at first but now I'm used to it, just start as soon as you don't feel crippling pain.

Tbh I stretched a ton before doing all this and I think I may have overextended a flexor or something - don't overdue anything, anon. Be modest and listen to your body.

Also this channel gives great advice for anyone sitting in a chair all day. Really nice to have free tips from a physical therapist for any suspicious pains you may encounter while seated for many hours.

https://youtu.be/nWsoIgHzsEM

>>3132314
>>3132521
Just to note, form is important to the curls. You need to make sure your wrist is isolated so it is doing all the work of lifting the 5 lbs. Give that puppy some love, maybe even do some bicep curls after, may as well.

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I also had wrist pains. This is how I stopped them.
>Get a power ball. Pretty much every pro I know owns one. It's great for recovery and improving wrist strength.
>Vertical mouse. They give you a more natural arm position and will help with wrist pain too.
>Abuse Precision Mode (Wacom). It's hard to get used to going in and out of Precision Mode but it'll make you use your whole arm instead of drawing with your wrist.
>Use a thick foam grip. They sell special ones for the Wacom pen or you can just cover any pen with soft foam. This will make you aware of how hard you're really clamping your pen.
>Arm rests. They are the most important part of ergonomic posture. If your elbows are not resting on something all the stress will fall into your wrists.

I had wrist pains along with bad back pain. I assumed it was cause I was tensing up or had bad posture.

>Turns out I have osteoarthritis :)
>
>
>... I'm 20 years old

get your shit checked my man

>>3132314
I get the wrist pain, but I can actually live with that. Far worse is the constant neck and upper back pain. I used to be able to fix it by simply working out, but that doesn't seem to cut it anymore. I lift weights 4 times a week and do a decent amount of cardio and hiking, but it literally has no effect.
Over the past few months, I've essentially stopped drawing because of the pain. I actually think some of my reluctance to draw over the past few years is a result of associating drawing with physical pain.
It's not an injury either. It's just related to stress and staring at the fucking monitor all day.

>>3132314
Don't use ur wrist faggot use ur arms

>>3132419
>>3132575
Ahh I was being dumb earlier. I've never had good experiences with doctors so I was biased and deluding myself to not have to see one. I still think that it really is a stress thing, and that I just tense up badly. But I'll listen to you and go see a doctor later today.

>>3132586
I do though orz

>>3132521
>>3132562
>>3132321
Thank you so much. I'll start putting these into practice

Thank you for all the replies so far.