Worrying less can lengthen your life

Don't worry, be happy.  It's more than just a one hit wonder, it's a way to prolong your life.

A recently published study by Purdue University tracked 1,663 middle age and older men over 12 years.  Those who scored the 50th percentile in neuroticism, and whose neurotic tendencies worsed by 20% over the years, were 40% more likely to die during the study period than those men whose neuroticism remained stable.

Neuroticism is defined as excessive worry over minor events and setbacks, as well as a tendency to overpredict negative conseuences and underpredict one's coping ability.

Links to Illness

Researchers have linked stress, anxiety and depression to a host of maladies, compromised immune systems, ulcers, headaches and more.  Stress can even lead to behavioral changes resulting in obesity and alcoholism.

Anxiety is the #1 diagnosis in psychiatry.  There is an overlap with depression and you can have anxiety and depression, they can cohabitate but they are two separate diagnoses.

We'll always have something to cause anxiety, but when it goes from worry to nonstop worry, then you really should evaluate what's going on around you and seek to make positive changes.  Worrying about worrying can perpetuate the worry.  You can't prove that you can worry yourself to death, but worrying can lead to a state of frenzy and exhaustion and can cause primary or secondary health changes or relationship changes that can shorten your life.

How do you feel?

What you feed your mind matters.  If you feed it inspirational and affirmative material, it will help you create habitual ways of thinking that are positive and healthy.