Can worry make you sick?

Most people believe that worrying is a normal part of life. We worry about our loved ones if we will get the job, get sick, and so much more. The biggest issue with worrying is that it puts our focus on the future, and we don’t have a lot of control over events that have not happened yet. Like anything in excess, excessive worry can lead to sickness in our physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. 

Physical Health

Excess worrying can trigger the release of our stress hormones that put our body in fight-or-flight mode, even when there is no real present danger. In this mode, our blood sugar is elevated, as well as our breathing and heart rate. Over time, this can cause damage to our blood vessels, heart, and other systems. The release of stress hormones causes tension in the muscles causing tension headaches/migraines. The increased breathing can lead to hyperventilating, asthma, and problems with the lungs. The elevated heart rate can cause a heart attack or stroke. Worry also gives us that butterfly feeling in the stomach, which makes us nauseous, vomit, have acid reflux, or even an ulcer. Worry, even though it can seem normal, can wreak havoc on your body. 

Mental Health

Anxiety is the most common mental illness linked to worrying; however, it can break down our mental health in many other ways. Worrying can lower our self-esteem because when we become obsessed with the idea of things not going well, we tend to feel bad and lose faith in ourselves. It affects our concentration and decision-making skills. When our mind is focused on the future, it becomes harder to deal with the present. This, in turn, affects our job, family, and social interactions. Lastly, worrying can lead to other mental disorders, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychosis, substance abuse, and so much more. The mind struggles the most when we focus on the past and future; however, we control our thoughts and behaviors, we control our thoughts and behaviors, we control our thoughts and behaviors we control our thoughts and behaviors when we stay present in the here and now.

Spiritual Health

Regardless of the God we believe in, the crux of all religions and spiritual paths is faith. Faith is the complete opposite of worry. When our faith is strong, we don’t need to worry because we know our higher power has everything under control and has our best interest at heart. Worrying shows that our faith is wavering, weak, or non-existent, pulling us away from our higher power. This distance can also lead to physical and mental health sickness. For the treatment of our spiritual health, we have to walk by faith and not by worry.