It’s no secret that emotions play a role in the health and vitality of humans. We once thought that emotions were separate from our physical body. That how we felt did not affect the way that we feel. Now we know this to be untrue. How we feel, our emotional state directly influences our health on many levels. Emotions are expressions of feelings. The word ’emotion’ can be broken down to ‘e-motion’ to remember that it is ‘energy in motion’ and when that energy is not in motion, that’s a problem.
Emotions are meant to move through us, not get stuck in us and create stagnancy. What’s interesting is that negative emotions are the emotions that are held. Positive emotions are the emotions that are released. Have you ever thought about that? What if you went your whole life holding onto negative emotions for years. We’re talking anger, bitterness, envy, jealousy, sadness, grief. The list goes on and on. If these were held in an ongoing manner yet emotions like joy, happiness, love and others were released.. what would happen to our physical health?
We Need To Release All Emotions: The Good & “Bad”
Emotions are once again energy in motion. Think e-motion (energy in motion) and when we release them we allow that feeling to move through us instead of get caught in our being in a stagnant way. Emotions (good and bad, high and low) are meant to move through us. To move through and out of us. If we release them we can be clear and not be emotionally blinded or manipulated by what life throws our way.
The Research Around Anger And Immunity
Harvard scientists researched how anger affects health and immunity and found that people who expressed just 5 minutes of anger had a dip in their body’s ability to produce a dip in the levels of an antibody known as immunoglobulin A.
Causing their immune system to suffer and not be as functional for up to 6 hours after the incident. This is the cells first line of immune defense against infections. Not only that but it was found that anger puts your heart at risk and increases your chance of stroke.
Emotions Are Held In Different Parts Of The Body
The body holds different emotions (non-physical energy) in different physical parts of the body. Grief, for example, is stored in the lungs. Anger is stored in the liver. Fear is stored in the Kidneys. When their are recurring negative emotions in life, as there are and always will be. These get stored in specific parts of the body. If you live your life based in fear for example, the kidneys will become weakened over time. If you carry grief and do not let that grief go, the lungs will be negatively impacted. Here are some examples of where harmful emotions are stored physically in the body from our instagram page @healthywildfree.
Emotions Light Up The Body in Different Ways
One of the most interesting things I have seen in regards to how emotions affect the physical body is a chart of how cold or warm the body gets when specific emotions are felt. The body quite literally circulates blood less or more and to different parts of the body based on the emotions that are felt. This gives more credence to the idea that specific emotions are stored in specific organs of the body. Fear in the kidneys, anger in the liver etc. Take a look at how the body circulates blood (and therefore heat) with or without specific emotions in the chart below.
As you can see, each emotion creates a different response by the body. Depression and sadness are the coldest emotions that we can experience as far as circulation of blood throughout the body is concerned. Remember, blood transports oxygen (through hemoglobin) as well as key nutrients, immune cells and more. You need your blood moving in order to transport these nutrients throughout the body.
Emotions Are Here To Serve You, Not Harm You
Keep in mind that your emotions are here to serve you and not harm you. Look at the chart above. Look at love, look at how much the body RADIATES warmth when resonating in LOVE. That emotion and experience of love would not be possible if it were not for the contrast of anger or shame. Look at happiness. Look at happiness and love, imagine them together! Your emotions are here to serve you in life. To give you a richer experience. Just remember that emotions are meant to flow and move through you, not get stuck in you.
When emotions get stuck in you and stagnancy occurs, these are negative emotions that are trapped. Positive emotions are released shortly after expression. This is a double standard! Your emotions deserve to be treated in the same light, think about it. If you’re going to hold onto negativity and bitterness, you better hold onto the positive too. But it’s challenging because the negative emotions require a little something called forgiveness in order to heal. Without forgiveness, these emotions may be trapped forever.
Further Books Worth Reading To Consider:
The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson
Feelings buried alive never die by Karol Truman
