A Body Trapped in Tomorrow

A Body Trapped in Tomorrow

Jul 11 , 2026. By Eden Sahle ( Eden Sahle is founder and CEO of Yoda Technology Plc. She has studied law with a focus on international economic law. She can be reached at edensah2000@gmail.com. )

Modern life keeps the body's survival system activated long after immediate danger has passed. Stress hormones alter heart rate, blood pressure and cellular activity even when the threat exists only in anticipation. Research indicates stressed human cells require 60pc more energy to function normally. Scientists believe this constant demand may contribute to burnout and chronic fatigue. The challenge is learning how to protect the body from living in tomorrow.

A medical doctor friend recently shared an area of research that had captured her attention.

"Our bodies can't always tell the difference," she said, "between something that's happening now and something we're simply worried might happen."

We had been talking about the pressures people carry every day without giving them much thought. Family. Work. Money. Health. The future.

"People think stress is all in the mind," she continued. "It isn't. Every anxious thought triggers real physical changes throughout the body."

That conversation stayed with me. It opened the door to a growing body of research suggesting that the worries keeping us awake at night may affect far more than our peace of mind.

Worry has become part of modern life. Most of us have replayed conversations that never happened, imagined worst-case scenarios, or lain awake thinking about problems we cannot solve before morning. We know these thoughts are only possibilities. Yet our bodies often respond as though the danger has already arrived.

Scientists have found that many of the same biological systems activate whether we face immediate danger or uncertainty about the future. The brain recognises a potential threat and signals the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Heart rate rises, blood pressure increases and glucose enters the bloodstream as the body prepares to act.

It is a remarkable survival mechanism. Our ancestors depended on it when escaping predators or responding to immediate threats. The response provided energy to fight or flee before allowing the body to return to balance.

The dangers we face today are different.

Few people spend their days escaping physical threats. Instead, we worry about rising living costs, job security, our children's future, family responsibilities or medical concerns. These situations rarely require physical action, yet the body often responds in much the same way.

My friend explained that this helps explain why someone can spend an entire day sitting at home and still feel exhausted by evening. Physical activity is not the only thing that consumes energy. The body may have spent hours responding to signals that something is wrong. Researchers are finding that these changes reach deep into our cells.

The modern world rarely asks us to run. It asks us to keep worrying. Financial pressures, health concerns and uncertainty can continue for weeks, months or even years. The body was never designed for that.

My friend introduced me to the work of Martin Picard (MD), Professor of Behavioural Medicine at Columbia University. His research has reshaped how scientists understand stress by examining mitochondria, the tiny structures inside cells responsible for producing the energy needed by every organ.

Most people learn that mitochondria are the "powerhouses of the cell." The description is accurate, but incomplete.

These structures do more than create energy. They communicate with the brain, hormones and immune system, adjusting energy production based on what the body believes is happening.

One of Picard's studies found that human cells exposed to stress hormones required about 60pc more energy simply to continue functioning normally. This does not mean stressed people suddenly burn 60pc more calories. It shows that stress forces cells to work harder to maintain normal activity.

Every anxious thought creates a chain reaction. Hormones are released. Cells adjust their behaviour. Energy is redirected towards maintaining a state of alertness.

This may also explain why sleep does not always leave people feeling refreshed. Sleep remains essential for health, but when the body's stress response stays active day after day, recovery becomes more difficult. Instead of repairing tissues, strengthening immunity and restoring balance, the body continues preparing for threats that may never appear.

Scientists now know mitochondria also help regulate inflammation, influence metabolism and communicate with the immune system. Their role has made them a focus of research into burnout, depression, chronic fatigue and several neurodegenerative diseases.

These conditions are complex, and stress is only one contributing factor. Still, researchers increasingly believe that the body's ability to produce and manage energy may be an important part of understanding them.

The findings challenge the idea that thoughts exist only in the mind. They trigger measurable biological changes throughout the body. That does not mean people should feel guilty every time they worry.

Stress is part of being human. It helps us respond quickly, solve problems and react to genuine danger. The problem comes when the response designed for short-term survival remains active for too long.

Our bodies were built for moments of pressure followed by recovery. They were never meant to stay on high alert for weeks, months or years.

Managing stress, therefore, is about more than feeling calmer. It is about protecting the body's energy from being consumed by threats that exist mainly in anticipation rather than reality.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Nobody can simply decide to stop worrying about their family or ignore financial pressures. Many concerns are real and justified.

Still, understanding what happens inside the body may help us respond differently.

Praying, taking a walk, exercising, spending time outdoors, speaking with someone we trust, or allowing ourselves genuine rest are not acts of indulgence. They help the body move away from a stress response that was never meant to remain permanently active.

The future exists only in our imagination until it arrives. Yet every day spent worrying about what might happen, the body prepares as though it already has.

Life's uncertainties will not disappear. There will always be bills to pay, difficult decisions to make and events beyond our control.

Perhaps the most important lesson from this research is that looking after our health involves more than eating well, exercising regularly and sleeping enough. It also requires recognising that our thoughts have physical consequences. Our bodies respond to them every day.

We cannot control tomorrow. We can stop asking our bodies to fight battles that have not yet begun.

PUBLISHED ON Jul 11,2026 [ VOL 27 , NO 1367]