Broke and Broken: How Money Stress Destroys Your Health
Cheetahs roaming the wild savannah do not suffer from cardiovascular disease. Nearly 50% of humans do.
Cheetahs spend the majority of their days worrying about:
Killing food
Staying alive
Humans on the other hand spend their days worrying about:
Finances
Health
Job security
Relationships
Opinions of others
The future
Past regrets
Performance anxiety
Getting old
Weather events
The news
Crime levels
How well their pants fit
How they look naked
Low energy
Sleeping issues
Drug addiction
Sugar addiction
Social media addiction
Business failures
Your kids loving you
Your spouse cheating on you
The Stock market
Their iPhone battery at 3%
World War 3
The next pandemic
The Amazon being cut down
Why their dog Kobe is dragging his a*s on the rug
If their breath stinks
Why their auto insurance is so high
Stuttering while public speaking
Having body odor
Slipping and falling
Dying alone
Farting in public
Hoping they are not pregnant after a fun night out
What do I want to do with my life
The list goes on and on. Our bodies are wired to survive hence why we have built in stress receptors that regulate bodily functions to keep us alive. The difference between modern day humans and all the rest of the animal species is modern day humans worry about everything and as a result we are sick. Our bodies do not know the difference between a sabretooth tiger chasing them or being upset at spilling your coffee. Stress is stress. According to many surveys financial stress is the number one stress in people's lives and according to recent research, this stress is making us unhealthy.
Since I do not want to bore you with the science, I will sum it up in a few sentences. When we are stressed the hormone cortisol is released. When cortisol is released our body stores fat for energy, disrupts digestion, keeps us awake, decreases energy, increases sugar cravings, decreases sexual drive, stops healing and repairing, increases inflammation, decreases muscle mass and overall makes your life suck.
Rarely do you see the topic of financial stress and health discussed. We are all told to exercise more, eat broccoli, and take this pill but in our age of consumerism, more = better, and we are literally dying due to debt and poor financial decisions.
The good news is, now you know. The better news is since you are a loyal reader of Betternance, you are becoming financially sharper each week.
Stay the course.