This video (transcript) explains how chronic worry, rumination, and avoidance — particularly in the context of health anxiety/OCD — drain bodily resources, impair physical and mental health, and reinforce anxious habits that lead to isolation and reduced happiness. The speaker warns that coping via avoidance trains the brain toward greater anxiety and has cascading negative effects across life domains.
The constant worry and overthinking and rumination takes a toll on the body. It uses up the body's energy that would normally be taking care of itself, creating new cells and fighting other infections. Additionally, the more you cope with worry and avoidance, the more you're training your brain to be anxious either about this topic or other topics in your life. As you start to go out less isolate yourself. You're negatively impacting your mental health, your happiness, which again is going to affect other areas of your life, including your physical health.
