How worry ruins your body?

Being in fight-or-flight mode, having elevated cortisol and adrenaline for a long period, isn’t healthy.

Chronic stress has been known to negatively affect the body in many ways, including:

• Shrinking your grey matter

• Shrinking your thymus gland

• Creating muscle atrophy

• Decreasing testosterone

• Running the body on sugar (even when you’re not eating sugar)

• Disrupting healthy digestion

• Reducing quality sleep

Chronic worry and stress can also lead to ulcers, inflammation, and disease. An interesting study measured 39 people’s cortisol levels before and after a 45-minute art therapy session. This study found a significant reduction of cortisol in participants. I have found that hobbies are a fantastic way to stop the fixation on stress and move your attention to something more positive.