Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
Your emotional state is just as vital to fitness as the amount of weight you can lift. And being overly insecure about specific situations can easily affect your overall health. That’s because your mental state governs your entire body.
I was debating on writing this article for CrossingColorado.com. I wasn’t sure if it fit the niche or the premise of why I built this site. But given how anxiety and stress can cause all kinds of health issues, it’s probably worth a once-over.
The stress you feel could ultimately be damaging, especially to your heart.
How is Being Insecure Bad for Your Health?
First, let’s take a look at insecurity in general. It’s a feeling of being inadequate or not being good enough regarding a situation.
For example, I often suffer from impostor syndrome when it comes to my writing. This insecurity often leads me to believe I’m not good enough to become a published author. Though, I am working through that facet of my life as I write this.
Being insecure goes deeper than your career path, though. You can have misgivings about yourself in virtually any aspect of your life. From meeting certain goals to meeting the woman of your dreams, having a poor self-image will influence failure.
Your actions, or even inactions, could cause you to lose the very thing you want most. And all of this because you didn’t feel good enough.
Dealing with Anxiety and Stress
An insecure frame of mind will ramp up the anxiety and stress you feel in any given situation. The more of these you feel, the more likely you put yourself at risk. That’s because stress has been known to contribute to heart disease and strokes.
And if you have a pre-existing condition, the intensity can be easily amplified, which then makes matters far worse for yourself.
Before you know it, you’re having shortness of breath and chest pains while being stuck in an endless loop as your body continuously pumps adrenaline on top of the sheer amount of caffeine you had that day.
It’s not fun.
What is Causing You to Feel Insecure?
So, how do you address feelings of insecurity? That really depends on the individual and past experiences that caused you to feel this way in the first place.
Take my current situation, for example. I met this woman who I think is amazing. She checks off all the right boxes for me, makes me smile, and thinks the world of me. But, her situation is identical to something horrible I experienced 25 years ago.
This started triggering a slew of negative thoughts. Instead of dwelling on the good things she’s brought thus far, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Friends of mine say I have PTSD because of what happened all those years ago. So, I am feeling insecure because I’ve done this dance before and it was very traumatic for me.
The result was putting myself through an anxiety attack for two weeks and stressing about not being good enough. This has resulted in my heart feeling like it was fluttering, and not in a good, romantic way.
In reality, I was debating on actually going to the hospital a few days ago because I was in some seriously sad shape.
To make a long story short, this woman has never done or said anything to make me panic. On the contrary, it’s pretty obvious that she’s definitely interested in me.
So, why the feeling of inadequacy?
Past Events Shape How You Handle Current Situations
Not everyone handles stressful moments the same. For instance, when I am on-site representing my company at WordCamp surrounded by hundreds of people, the professional comes out and I handle it like a champ.
A woman starts to show interest in me and I go into panic mode. That’s because of how I experienced similar past situations.
What’s going to wind up happening is that I’m going to lose all chance I have with this woman because I don’t feel good enough. Essentially, I’m sabotaging the potential relationship before it even starts.
Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, I know a lot of people who have similar forms of Shell Shock. And I’ve seen people who had a ton of potential give up on some amazing opportunities.
I know I have.
For many of them, it’s all based on how past situations have shaped his or her mindset.
How Am I Adapting to Being Insecure?
Today, I have a spring in my step and my heart hasn’t caused me to collapse, which is a good thing. How did I make this miraculous recovery?
By changing what I choose to focus on.
Instead of jumping immediately to the negatives, I’ve decided to start focusing on the positives. In the case of this woman, it’s all about dwelling on the things she’s said, the pictures she’s shared, and the “Good Morning” and “Good Night” texts every day.
I’ve reminded myself that even though the situation is eerily similar, she is not the same person from my past.
I mean, it’s crazy just how much of this situation is the same.
My point is that you can’t let being insecure ruin your chances at life. Not only could you lose out on something that could be life-changing for the better, but you can also cause a lot of damage to your body through stress.
I know how difficult it can be. I’m constantly reminding myself throughout the day to stop obsessing. But if you don’t change your mindset, you’ll just be spinning your wheels while never getting anywhere.
It’s Not an Overnight Fix
Depending on the extent of how insecure you are, it could take a great deal of time to slay that demon. Don’t expect to have an instant epiphany that cures all your doubts and misgivings.
For many of us, it can take years. But if you don’t try to make things better for yourself now, you will lose out on what could have been the most prominent moments of your life.
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