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Stress & Emotions

Our emotions hold the key to our health

It is only in the last decade or so that Western medical thinking has been connecting emotions and health.  It was considered a New Age belief that our mind could affect our body. 

Yet Hippocrates (500 BC), the father of Western medicine, believed that the man, not the disease, should be treated.  He examined the individual as a whole, not merely the body part in which the disorder seemed to be located.  When diagnosing, Hippocrates observed "the patient's habits, regimen, pursuits, conversation, manners, thoughts, sleep patterns, sometimes his dreams and tears".  It is unfortunate that Hippocrates' philosophy of treating the whole person has been disregarded along the way by the medical profession.

considering the whole of us

Many cultures have a history of treating the whole person, which continues to this day.  Chinese medicine has consistently treated the whole person during its  5000-year history.  They consider the mental, spiritual and physical aspects of the person before making a diagnosis, thereby treating the cause of the problem, not the symptom.  They consider disease as falling into two categories -  external and internal, external causes being extremes of weather and influences of pathogens, internal causes being the emotions. 

Seven emotions are documented as having differing effects on the body.  The Canon of Medicine (Nei Jing), the principle text of Traditional Chinese Medicine recognises that emotional and psychological factors cause illness and that excessive emotion impairs the internal organs of the body.  'Anger hurts the liver, joy hurts the heart, brooding hurts the spleen, and melancholy hurts the lungs'.  It proposes regulating the emotions by 'keeping the heart calm and cheerful and the mind free of worries.'  'Where can disease come from when the emotional state maintains inner composure?'  Scholars in the art of healthy living present many specific methods of maintaining 'calm, optimism and cheerfulness' in accordance with this principle.

In the ancient Indian healing tradition, Ayurveda, health comes from balance between body, mind and spirit.  It does not focus on healing the body or treating physical symptoms, but on removing confusion, greed, sorrow, jealousy, desire and anger from the deeper inner self so that one can see with clear eyes and a clear heart.  It considers this as the true path to everlasting health and happiness.  Ayurveda advocates looking inward to heal mind, body and spirit through introspection and meditation.  It considers many diseases to be linked to specific emotions, such as psoriasis to anger and diabetes to feeling unloved. 

Self-searching is another step to healing, through journaling, long meditative walks and self-observance. Once able to identify all areas of emotional weakness we can address them, discover why they exist within us and work on healing them through affirmation, extending ourselves to others and performing activities that increase self love, courage, selflessness and other positive emotions. Once we increase positive emotions, negative ones will reduce and we will experience balance emotionally and spiritually. This balance will cure physical illness.

It is sad that ancient knowledge has been disregarded by Western medicine throughout the ages, and is only now being 'researched' as though it is something new, even though Hippocrates was talking about the mind-body connection as far back as 500 BC. 

The role of emotions on the human immune system continues to be researched scientifically.  Researchers have identified the physical and molecular underpinnings of emotions and disease, using the latest medical technology, by looking inside the brain, at hormones and at the immune system.  They have determined the neurobiological circuitry in how various emotions, from happiness to loneliness, affect ailments such as cancer, heart disease or stroke.  The role of sleep, and social aspects were also researched, such as family life, interaction with friends, stress and other factors, with the ultimate aim of helping people to help themselves to get better, to respond better to disease and to overcoming symptoms.

Our emotions are interrelated with our endocrine glands, which are related to our cardiovascular system through the hormones they supply to the bloodstream.  Therefore, what we think, feel, and experience becomes directly related to our physiology and thus to our health, or lack of it.  Negative emotions can literally make our body sick.  They can weaken our body's immune system, making us more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times. Also, when we are feeling stressed, anxious or upset, we may not take care of our health as well as we should. We may not feel like exercising or eating nutritious foods.  We may abuse alcohol, tobacco or other drugs to try to make ourselves feel better. 

Through our mind-body connection, when experiencing continued negative emotions, our body will always tell us eventually that something is not right.  For instance, high blood pressure or a stomach ulcer might develop after a particularly stressful event, such as the death of a loved one.

Many different physical signs can notify us that our emotional health is out of balance.  The list is extensive and includes: aches and pains, bowel disorders, change in appetite, chest pain, constipation or diarrhoea, dizziness, dry mouth, headaches and migraine, heart palpitations, heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, breathlessness, stiff neck, sweating, tiredness, upset stomach, weight gain or loss.

Attitude is one of the most significant factors in the prevention and remission of any disease. We sometimes cannot help feeling stressed out, depressed and angry.  But  during our emotional struggles, if we can have the presence of mind to try to recognise our emotions, understand why we are having them, and realise what they are doing to our body, we can change our attitude and start to address them positively.  

If we can try, through various alternative and complementary self-help or guided practices or therapies, to develop love, calm, peace, and other positive feelings, the resulting emotional balance will create balance in our organs and endocrine glands, and promote efficient nerve function of our autonomic nervous system. This will create a healthy body, which in turn, will help to maintain a healthy mind and positive emotions.

 

courses in dealing with stress

Our courses provide numerous tools and techniques for relieving the effects of stress.  Each one targets different stress symptoms and provides effective ways of reducing and eliminating stress. 

The tools and techniques we teach will always be with you, whenever you need them.  Not only will they help you to deal with many different stress symptoms, such as tension, anxiety, depression, insomnia, grief, worry, lack of confidence, lack of self-esteem, but they will also improve your overall health and well-being, and give you the energy and motivation you need to tackle the problems and challenges of daily life. 

They will also keep you motivated to continue to overcome stress in a constructive manner.  In doing so, your stress will reduce and no longer hold you back.  You will feel healthier, happier, more energetic, more positive and confident, your self-esteem will improve, and you will move forward in life. 

Have a look at our courses.