While anxiety and stress can play into neuropathy, they can't actually damage your nerves. This means that stress isn't a root cause of neuropathy. Even if you're incredibly stressed every day for months, that by itself won't cause damage to your nerves.

What causes a neuropathy flare up?

It's usually caused by chronic, progressive nerve disease, and it can also occur as the result of injury or infection. If you have chronic neuropathic pain, it can flare up at any time without an obvious pain-inducing event or factor. Acute neuropathic pain, while uncommon, can occur as well.

Can anxiety cause tingling?

Anxiety and panic can both result in numbness and tingling. When a person feels anxious about their health, these symptoms may worsen their anxiety. When a psychological issue underlies physical problems, doctors call the symptoms psychogenic.