And all this time I bet ya thought expressing yourself in a confrontational manner, holding on to your anger, resentment and/or unforgivness towards others, as well as choosing to dislike or negatively judge others was somehow beneficial to you? Many of use are socialized to create a hard shell for ourselves because we're taught that we have to do so in order to avoid being anyone's doormat. In creating a hard shell we usually hold on to a lot of negativity along the way. Few are taught that if you must "let a person know," you can do so from a non-defensive, non-negative stance. By interacting/reacting in this manner there is a higher likelihood of making a communicative impact on others, verses being just another defensive asshole. In addition, defensive dysfunctional emotions and coping styles can take a brutal toll on your physical health.
As Western medicine continues to adopt more and more to the philosophies of the Eastern World, it is becoming increasingly apparent how the negative emotions that we cling to, about ourselves and others, affects our overall physical health. From the Chinese medicine/holistic lens, some of these toxic emotions are: Anger (resentment, irritability, rage, bitterness, frustration), Sadness, Worry/Pensiveness, and Fear. These emotions become toxic/disease provoking when they are a predominate interactive pattern of existing, intensely and repeatedly felt, or remain repressed/unacknowledged.
Many physicians and therapists believe that there are distinct emotional and mental patterns associated with every illness, including terminal illnesses:
"The way you choose to use your mind and the way you respond to your outer world have more to do with disease than your diet and your environment."
"We have heard in recent years how stress can kill you. Well, it is really not the stress in and of itself that will kill you, it is the way you choose to process the stress that could hurt you or make you very sick. The body in essence is a mirror of our inner thoughts, emotions and beliefs. Every single cell in your body has its own intelligence and is able to listen to what you are thinking and feel what you are expressing emotionally."
"In reality, your cells and your body respond to every thought you think, every emotion you have and every word you speak. Repetitive modes of thinking and suppressing negative emotions such as anger, resentment, bitterness, and hatred can and will eventually manifest as dis-ease in the body. Literally, your suppressed emotions become like ticking bombs waiting for the perfect conditions to detonate and manifest as dis-ease" … find the rest of this article here: http://iridologynow.sandycarter.com/alternative/3557.php
Here is another link re the toll negative emotions take on your physical health re Emotional Healing in Cancer Patients, by Dr. Michael D. Winer: http://www.sungazing.com/673.html?*session*id*key*=*session*id*val*
Here's a link for all you scientific types from the American Academy of Neurology re how negative emotions can trigger a stroke: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/12/041220024019.htm
And lastly a link by Dr. Chang entitled, Study Ties Combination of 4 Negative Traits to Men's Heart Disease Risk: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=77637
*Please note that it is more common for people to identify with levels of anger before they can identify with deeper emotions of pain, esp fear. Many shrinks & psychological theories shed light in great detail re how sadness and particularly anger are used to cover up fear. In other words, because we cannot bring ourselves to express that which makes us fearful, we are more comfortable with expressing deeper levels of pain through forms of anger.
