4. Muscle tension

Your muscles tense up to protect themselves from any injury that may occur when you’re stressed. They tend to relax again once the source of stress is gone, but if you’re constantly stressed or anxious, your muscles may not get the chance to release.

Frequent distress and anxiety signals from your amygdala to your central nervous system to prepare your body for a stress response can cause your muscles to tighten very often. When your muscles are under constant tension, they can become stiff, sore, or cramped, as well as cause pain and aches that can spread throughout the body.

Over time, these things anxiety does to your body may result in chronic pain conditions such as arthritis or joint pain.