We may not all owe debts but with the American government owing trillions of dollars, we may see it as an encouragement to those in debt. However, the American government is not human so it may not affect them health-wise but what about you, dear human?
Studies have revealed that those with huge debts hanging on their necks are more likely to fall ill due to very glaring reasons. Think about this; you owe a mortgage of about $40,000 and yes, you work three jobs but you have other needs besides paying off a mortgage. You have a family, household bills, and most importantly, yourself to take care of.
If you've never owed that much, you may not be able to fully capture the feeling but you should have an idea nonetheless. Now, without considering any studies or research, do you think you'd be as healthy as someone who is living debt-free? Of course not!
Having given this simple illustration, let's further analyze the effects of debt on a person's health.
1. Debtors drink more of anxie-tea than any other thing.
No matter your level of confidence and self-esteem, it is almost impossible to shrug off the feelings of anxiety that come with being in debt. Thoughts of "what if" and "what next" would begin to flood your mind and if care is not taken, they would drown you. When they begin to creep in, the usual response is to work harder and if possible, take on two or three other jobs just to stay afloat.
2. Debts stress the hell out of anybody.
Alongside anxiety comes stress; emotional and physical stress that can not be properly expressed in words. The debtor juggles different jobs without getting enough rest and at the end of the day, she sits to calculate what would be left if she deducted the amount to be paid back. Just $20? So how would she pay for the electricity bill? Buy groceries? Pay the doctor? What about the student loan? Oh, damn. And off she goes, back to working her head off.
3. The higher the debts, the higher the blood pressure.
Maybe not literally but one of the aftermaths of stress is high blood pressure and we all know its alias, "the silent killer". So, in addition to being stressed and worn out, a debtor risks shooting up her blood pressure without even knowing because hypertension is not loud. It comes quietly to take whatever it wishes to, not caring if you invited it in or not.
4. Debts lower almost everything including your immunity.
Even if having hypertension doesn't directly damage the debtor's life, chances are she'd end up having another illness that would take so much more. Why? Because high blood pressure lowers the body's resistance to diseases and so does stress and anxiety and depression. And guess what? All of that stems from one thing: debts.
With all that we've looked at, it is quite clear that the effects of being in debt are like waffles and berries or chicken and chips (no disrespect to the vegans in here). They are closely related and most times, lead to one another and a host of other health-related issues we haven't discussed yet.
The sad part is that getting in a sea of debts is easy but getting out can almost cost an arm and two legs (not just one) so if you're not already in that sea, it would be wise to stay out.
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