When we think of health we normally think in terms of physical health, forgetting that a human being is much more than the physical body. The human being is a soul living in a several bodies, i.e. the visible physical body and the invisible emotional body, mental body, spiritual body, etheric body, memory body, etc. All these bodies are interconnected and what happens to one affects the others. Just think (action of the mental body) of a painful incident in the past and tears come out (response of the emotional body)!
The emotional body oversees our emotions. It is influenced by our thoughts, physical body, relationships, work, play, finances, etc. Our feelings are so powerful that they form the great driving force of action. If thoughts are the fire then feelings are the fuel. Feelings are more powerful than the intellect. Watch them. Experts have discovered this truth in their research work as shown in the following quote.
‘More and more research studies show the link between the heart, the emotions, stress and the fact that the heart also functions as a brain. The abyss between the emotions and physiology narrowed in 2005 as researchers discovered that emotional stress can indeed produce symptoms of a heart attack… nicknamed the “broken heart syndrome”.’ ~ Dr. Arien van der Merwe (1).
Our feelings are particularly influenced by our thoughts. It is not so much what is happening in the work, home or economic environment that affects us. It is the mindset that we adopt because of what is happening that affects us.
A negative person will see only doom and gloom around and will feel angry, hopeless, hurt, hateful, neglected, victimized, lack, etc. Continued negative thoughts lead to continued negative feelings, which lead to disease in the physical body. Scientists have proven this more and more, e.g. continued disappointment in a marriage may lead to breast cancer in a woman, which mostly happens on the left side where the heart is.
Despite changes in circumstances, a positive person will continue to think, feel and act positive. Scientist Barbara Fredrickson has shown that positive feelings have two important effects. First, they broaden a person’s perspective of the world (thus inspiring more creativity, wonder, and options). Secondly, they build up over time, creating lasting emotional resilience and flourishing.
Work on controlling your thoughts and the resulting feelings if you aim to achieve optimum health.
Do you know how much your belief system affects your emotions? Your belief system is imprinted by earlier traumatic experiences, upbringing, the school system, religion, culture, race, the media, stereotypes, and other influences. They are with you always, affecting your views and interpretation of events. They condition you, limit you and they are very difficult to escape. Because of beliefs you are not free to be yourself, to know your true self and your purpose in life. So, if you find yourself with low self esteem, believing that you are not good for anything or that you were born to suffer or born to be poor, relook at that belief system. And change that belief system.
Major Emotions that Affect Your Life Negatively
Resentment and past hurts: Resentment is caused by past hurts. Past hurts are tricky because you might not be aware of them, and they act like a trigger. Any situation that reminds of the past triggers an automatic self-defeating emotional reaction and might result in hurtful behavior. Remembered insults, slights and hurts are linked to your current frustration, disease, disorder and confusion (2). If you want to gain control over yourself, examine your thoughts and feelings objectively. Then forgive the people who hurt you and forgive yourself for hanging onto the past hurts. You should be acting in the present not reacting to the past. If you cannot do this by yourself, seek professional help.
Grief: It is natural to grieve but prolonged grieving affects you terribly, to the point of causing sickness and early aging (3). Resistance to the facts of life keeps you in a cycle of grief. It is fact that we all must die and enter the spiritual world, away from pain, turmoil, discord and suffering. It is important to accept well-deserved rest for the loved one and to move on to greater things. To recover after loss, accept that:
- The loss is a solid fact although you don’t have all the answers.
- You are meant to move on.
- You must rise higher because of this loss.
Acceptance brings surrender (no more resistance), then grace, then adjustment. Then you start to get involved in life again. You redefine how you want to live, you find new interests, you develop new and old friendships, and you start new ventures. Finally, you triumph!
Guilt: Guilt is the feeling of self-reproach for believing you have done a wrong or for doing wrong. It is related to shame, making it difficult to escape it. The longer you leave the guilt, or the more you lie to cover up your tracks, the worse you feel. And you live in fear of discovery. You may become depressed and fail to move forward with your life. Guilt is a major cause of psychological problems and might lead to substance abuse to cope (4). If you have wronged another person, genuinely apologize. You will increase self-respect and the other person will respect you. Also forgive yourself for the error, learn lessons from it and move on! You will have peace of mind.
Anger: Anger causes trouble because it destroys reasoning and moves you into a state of fear. It leads to wrong action, even serious crime. Do not deny, suppress or avoid anger. Express it in a positive way that does not harm yourself, others and your relationships, preferably in a way that enhances your situation. When anger is not acknowledged and expressed properly, and when the situation does not change, its negative energy stays locked up inside, leading to stress, depression and disease (5). Never allow anger to grow. If you cannot manage it by yourself, join an anger management program.
Envy: Envy is a totally destructive and negative feeling that comes from fear of another’s success. It produces vices such as hypocrisy, backbiting, slander, abuse, taunting, and torturing. It makes the heart narrow and gloomy, causes physical diseases, attracts problems at work or in business, destroys relationships and causes unhappiness. Never envy anybody. Emulate them using the tremendous potential within you. Act from love, acquire the habit of positive thought, and you will attain similar heights and achievements in your own special way.
Greed: Greed is based on fear. It leads to the accumulation of things because of the fear of public opinion, hunger for approval, or low self-esteem. It leads to debt, then stress and later to chronic diseases. Free yourself from group thinking. If things do not come easily to you, do without the glitter. Then steadily work towards creating real lasting wealth.
Hatred: Hatred is a negative feeling based on fear. If you hate anyone right now, acknowledge it, feel it and let it go. Holding on to hatred causes physical and mental problems. Experts say that hatred is a major cause of cancer. Save yourself. Forgive the hated person if they hurt you in the past. If your hate is due to your belief system, free yourself from those beliefs because you are harming yourself more than anyone else.
Worry: Worry is caused by negative thinking and fear, when you tend to imagine the worst. It affects everything that you do and colors your character. It limits you and causes distress. You worry because you can project what might happen in the future. So, why don’t you use that ability to imagine positive outcomes of any situation? You can basically create positive feelings like joy, peace, love and hope.
As you can see negative emotions affect your health in a powerful way. So how can you transform your emotions from negative to positives like love, compassion, loving-kindness, joy, peace, etc.? Analyze the state of yourself to see which deadly emotions rule your life and start changing yourself. The most important thing is forgiveness. If you can forgive those who hurt you in the past, you will get rid of a lot of your negative emotions. Forgive! Forgiveness is inner work which frees you from a long jail term. It has nothing to do with the other person but it heals you. Also analyze the way you think and feel and react to situations. You will find that you act and react based on learned behavior and belief systems. Let go of society’s influences and start a new life free from their influence. If you cannot change by yourself, seek the help of a professional who can help you to transform your emotional health.
References
- van der Merwe, A. Article, Opening Your Heart, The South African Journal of Natural Medicine, Issue 32, Dreamcatcher Publications, October/November 2007.
- Cohen E., Blaming Others Can Ruin Your Health, http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/17/bitter.resentful.ep/
- How Grief Can Make You Sick, http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/how-grief-can-make-you-sick/
- Berglas, S., 6 Signs You Are Suffering From Guilt and Probably Don’t Know It, https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevenberglas/2012/06/07/6-signs-you-are-suffering-from-guilt-and-probably-dont-know-it/2/
- The Deadly Effects of Anger of Your Health and Mind, http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/effects-of-anger-dangerous-to-health-and-mind/
