Profound effects of negative emotions

A friend confided that she blamed herself for having lung cancer because of  her negative emotions. She hates her husband for being irresponsible and unmindful of his obligation as head of the family. She feels hopeless about her husband’s outlook in life.  She bottled-up her emotions and carried the burden day-to-day.

In the book, “Our Daily Bread,” it is stated that, “It is well-known that our emotions can have a profound effect on our bodies and the condition of our bodies can affect our emotions.”

An article in the journal published by the American Heart Association points to the negative physical consequences of hopelessness. It essentially said that those who had experienced extreme feeling of despair had a 20 percent greater increase in arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) over a year period. Other studies have also connected hopelessness with heart disease, heart attacks, and death.

Our source further said that the relationship between one’s emotional well-being and physical condition, however, is not a modern discovery.  In the book of Proverbs we read that “a merry heart does good like medicine” (17:22), and that the wisdom found in God’s words “ are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh” (4:22).

A friend had this realization so she let go whatever bothered her especially people’s behavior and the challenges in life hurled at her.  As much as possible she avoids entertaining negative emotions because she feels all these negative emotions boomerang to her – she has migraine and other illness.

Negative emotions can be like a rollercoaster to our body and can drain our energy.   Here are some tips on how to deal with it as suggested by Geoffrey James of www.inc.com/geoffrey website:

If you’re feeling fear. Step back for a second and try to see the situation objectively. If you decide that the situation is truly serious, then do something physical,  like taking a walk, to clear your mind. When you return, create an action plan on how you’re going to handle the situation right now.

If you’re feeling rejected. Decide whether you actually respect the opinion of the person who “rejected” you.  If you do respect the other person’s opinion, recognize that you may be interpreting the situation incorrectly. Finally,  realize that in a very real sense “rejection” is an illusion. It almost always stems from a difference in the “rules” by which people interpret events. Probably you got “rejected” because the other person had different rules. So where’s the sting?

If you’re feeling angry. Your first task is to distance from the situation. If you can, get up and go for a walk, or do something that will distract you for a moment.  Now that you’ve calmed yourself down, pinpoint the reason that you’re angry. You will find that in every case, it’s because somebody has violated a rule or standard that is deeply important to you.

If you’re feeling stressed. The best way to  use stress is as a signal that it’s time to prioritize. Do what’s important rather than what’s urgent.