We are on a roller coaster of emotions!
Right now many of us have pretty high emotions and they seem to be falling on the negative side of the scale. We pack a ton of emotions into a small body: anger, disgust, happiness, excitement, nervousness, eagerness, sadness, worry, fear, stress, anxiousness…etc. And each one has an effect on our bodies…and minds…in a variety of ways we have never even thought about before.
In this life we are never going to be able to escape all the negative emotions and their effects, but we don’t have to be controlled by them or trapped by them for our entire lives.
What are Emotions?
If you want the technical definition… Emotions are instinctive states of mind or feelings that are derived from a person’s circumstances or relationships with others. They are stimulated by a movement of neurotransmitters in the brain in response to stimuli.
But…I think we can all agree that emotions are a bit more complicated than this definition. 😉 Though we don’t understand everything about them, we can dive in a little deeper and try to understand them a little more and how they impact our bodies, as well as our lives.
God designed us to have emotions, and I believe He wants us to use them correctly. Not be RULED by them…but do not ignore them, either.
How do they Affect our Health?
Emotions take a toll on our health, physically as well as mentally. And it can be for good or ill. Have you ever noticed a lack of appetite when you are nervous or stressed? Do you find yourself craving junk food when you are dealing with grief or stress? How about having more energy when you happy or excited?
Don’t deny the emotions you are going through. Denying them does not make them go away. They need an outlet. If you try to suppress them, instead of going away, your body absorbs them and in trying to get your attention, can cause some very unpleasant side effects. We were given emotions for a reason, and we can learn from them and they can help us in many ways. So we need to not suppress or deny our emotions, but work through them, learn from them and don’t let them take over our minds or bodies.
Now, with that being said, there is a RIGHT and a WRONG way to express negative emotions. We can make things worse or bring others down with us when we react wrongly. Here are some GOOD ways we can work through those emotions that wreak havoc on us:
- Pray and read
- Talk it out
- Exercise
- Music (Pounding The Imperial March on the piano is actually a fun way to release stress and frustration/anger ;P )
- Eat good food
- Get out in nature
- Hold your loved ones
- Love on pets and animals
- Take some deep breaths (of fresh air, whenever you can)
How Does Human Interaction Help?
Everyone feels alone from time to time. But a constant feeling of loneliness and isolation can actually take a serious toll on our health. Even the most introverted individual needs some human interaction and can benefit from social interaction.
Loneliness has been found to increase blood pressure and stress hormones…which can seriously hurt your…heart! (Go figure that one!)
Symptoms of loneliness include:
- Overwhelming feeling of social isolation, even when you aren’t alone
- Feeling disengaged and alienated
- Inability to connect with people on a deep, intimate level
- Not having any “best” or close friends
- Feeling like no one really “gets” or understands you
- Feeling worthless and emotionally drained
These feelings of loneliness can do a number on your body. It can lead to fatigue, trouble sleeping, weight gain, inflammation and a weakened immune system. If left unchecked, it is easy for it to lead to depression and a lot of other medical concerns.
While it is not always the case, loneliness can be more common among people:
- living alone
- being unmarried (single, divorced or widowed)
- not participating in social groups
- having few friends
- having strained relationships
- people struggling with substance use, depression and dementia are also at a greater risk of chronic loneliness
This does not mean that all people in these situations are guaranteed to suffer from loneliness a lot, but it does go to show just how much of a positive influence human interaction can have on each and every person. God created people for each other, for our good health. Everyone benefits, and even NEEDS, the right kind of socializing from the people they love from time to time. (Yes, this even applies to the BIGGEST introvert on the planet 😉 ).
We need to LISTEN to our emotions. They have “words to say”…but they aren’t meant to overtake healthy/wise decisions. While they are not to control us, we are by no means to ignore them or never try to focus on their health just as we do our body’s.
How can we help stay in good emotional health? While it can never be perfect, there are are ways to make it better when you are going through an emotional down:
Diet – Don’t underestimate the power of healthy foods! We all know foods can hurt or help our minds, and they can affect our emotions, too. Eat the foods that feed your mind in a healthy manner…and don’t bring harm to the rest of your body.
Exercise – Get your heart pumping and your blood moving. It can clear the mind and get those positive emotions awake.
People – Do NOT forsake the company of others: family, friends… Be around the people you love, those that care about you and bring you comfort and make you happy. Hold them close, have fun and laugh with them, make memories. It truly does make a difference.
Scriptures and Worship – I have found that focusing on God and His word helps tremendously in shrinking those negative emotions and their hold on me. You can find a Psalm for just about any emotion (David went through a lot of them…). Maybe sing a song or two. Music lifts the spirit.