What Are the Long-Term Effects Of Anxiety On The Body?

Video Transcript

What are the long-term effects of anxiety on the body?

Based on our personal and professional experiences with anxiety disorder, ALL sensations, symptoms, and negative effects of anxiety disorder subside as problematic anxiety is successfully resolved.

Contrary to some studies that suggest there are some lingering negative effects from anxiety disorder, most people don’t have any lingering effects when they recover. However, it is important to address anxiety disorder sooner rather than later. A prolonged struggle with anxiety can complicate and prolong recovery.

However, since anxiety stresses the body,[1][2] and stress can affect the body in many ways, chronic stress can harm your physical health if left untreated for an extended period.[3][4][5][6]

For instance, prolonged, unrelieved stress can harm physical and mental health. Stress is estimated to be the main factor in the development of over 90 percent of all health conditions.

Because stress diminishes the body’s immune system’s ability to ward off infection, illness, and disease, some studies have shown that you can shave as much as fourteen years off your lifespan because of chronic stress.

Other conditions can also result from chronic stress, such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, anorexia nervosa, ulcers, substance abuse, depression, memory loss, inflammation-related diseases, autoimmune disease, and so on.

Moreover, epigenetics research shows that gene expression is greatly influenced by our environment and how we react to it. Even though genes don’t determine your destiny, they are greatly influenced by your disposition and lifestyle. As you know, genes and their expression directly affect physical health.

However, there is good news, too. Practicing regular stress reduction strategies can help minimize the adverse effects of stress. For example, routinely practicing a daily deep relaxation technique reverses the negative effects of stress and promotes healthy living. Regular stress management strategies are important to sustain normal physical and mental health.

Since you are in charge of your daily activities, you have complete control over the level of stress your body experiences. As well, adopting healthy behaviors and attitudes can dramatically change the level of stress you experience since it’s beliefs and attitudes that CAUSE most stress.

Remember that stress is not something we get. We create it by how we view the world and our interactions with it¬. Our perception of life determines whether we THINK something is stressful or not.

Applying regular stress management strategies and addressing the underlying factors at the root of problematic anxiety can significantly reduce and even eliminate unhealthy stress.

There are many reasons to be upbeat and optimistic when dealing with anxiety issues. Doing the right work will produce positive results.

It comes down to a matter of choice, and you are entirely in charge of the choices you make. Therefore, you have complete control over stress and how it affects your body and health. Again, doing the right work produces healthy results!

NOTE: Some research has found that it’s not stress itself that causes harm but how you view stress. For more information, see Kelly McGonigal’s Ted Talk presentation. https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend