How worry affects your body?

The dictionary definition of worry is “to torment oneself or suffer from disturbing thoughts” or “torment oneself with cares, anxieties.” This simple definition explains a lot about the profound, negative impact of worry on one’s health. For most of us, stress and worry are a normal part of everyday life and arise due to changes or anticipating changes in your environment that put you on alert and influence your physical, psychological, and emotional response. However, it is important to note that the brain and body have a very similar reaction to a real threat as they would an imagined threat.  Chronic or excessive worry can cause anxiety, panic attacks, and initiate the stress response.  Stress can be considered good or bad stress depending upon how you cope with it and whether or not you are able to experience relief or relaxation after a challenge. Worry is often a negative response to stress, which often activates the primitive biological response known as fight/flight/freeze (FFF) response.

This FFF response is activated in a response to a perceived or imagined threat and releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline, cortisol, and also impacts estrogen and testosterone. The impact of the release of these hormones are that it increases blood pressure and blood sugar while suppressing the immune system. In preparation to meet a perceived threat, the heart speeds up, breathing becomes fast and shallow, digestion slows down or stops, blood vessels constrict in many parts of the body while the blood vessels in the muscles dilate, the bladder may relax, hearing might become impaired, and vision becomes restricted. WebMD notes that the following physical reactions might result from excessive worry: difficulty swallowing, dizziness, dry mouth, fast heartbeat, fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension or aches, nausea, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling, or twitching. On an emotional level, when FFF is activated, one becomes more anxious, irritated, or aggressive. This has an impact on the prefrontal cortex, which is impaired and prevents higher-level reasoning and thinking making it difficult to think clearly or make good decisions.

Excessive or constant worry can set off a chain reaction keeping us stuck in the FFF response without the ability to relax, regulate the body, and rest. This period of rest and relaxation is crucial to allow the body to return to normal levels of functioning. In the modern world with a variety of different stressors and 24/7 access to the internet, email, or text messaging, it may become more difficult to allow for longer periods of rest. The long-term impact of chronic worry could lead to the suppression of the immune system, digestive disorders, short-term memory loss, hormonal imbalances, premature coronary artery disease, and heart attacks, according to WebMD. Seeking professional support, lifestyle changes, exercise, and relaxation techniques can help alleviate the impact of worrying.