It’s beyond frustrating how people are fixated on caring about their physical health when the brain is the control center. Instead of resolving to lose weight or exercise more, resolve to improve your mental health. People tend to spend more time worrying about their physical health when they should focus their attention on what is going on in their minds.

Stress can make you sick! Stress can cause a multitude of issues. Stress is often brushed off as a mental or emotional experience—something we “just have to deal with.” But stress doesn’t stay in your head. When it becomes chronic, it can quietly affect nearly every system in your body, sometimes in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. Understanding how stress shows up physically is an essential step toward protecting your long-term health.

When you experience stress, your body activates its fight-or-flight response. Hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released to help you respond to a perceived threat. In short bursts, this response is adaptive—it sharpens focus and boosts energy. The problem arises when stress is constant. Your body remains in a heightened state of alert, and systems that are meant to recover never get the chance to reset.

One of the first areas stress affects is the cardiovascular system. Chronic stress can elevate heart rate and blood pressure, which places additional strain on the heart and blood vessels. Over time,........

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