Surely, many of you have heard the phrase: “All diseases are from nerves.” And probably, most people agree with it. However, as soon as we fall ill, we immediately forget this assertion.
We seek to receive the most tangible physical help from a doctor as soon as possible. Once a person recovers, they are again willing to discuss the idea that all diseases stem from nerves.
But is this statement correct? And if so, why do people take it so lightly? Statistics show that at least 70% of diseases are provoked by stress, emotional experiences, and excessive emotions. So, yes, they do come “from nerves.”
What is Psychosomatics?
In medicine and psychology, there is a field called psychosomatics. It studies the influence of psychological factors on the onset and course of somatic, or bodily, diseases. The word psychosomatics comes from the Ancient Greek words ψυχή (psyche) – soul, and σῶμα (soma) – body.
The idea that psychological factors affect a person’s health is very ancient. Thoughts on this topic can be found in the works of Hippocrates and Aristotle.
Plato, in one of his dialogues, wrote:
“Just as one should not attempt to cure the eyes without the head, or the head without the body, so neither should one treat the body without the soul. This is why Greek doctors fail to cure many diseases. For the part can never be well unless the whole is well. Everything good and bad in the body and in the whole person comes from the soul, and it is from the soul that all proceeds.”
It is well known that strong emotions are always accompanied by the release of certain hormones, which directly affect our heart, blood vessels, endocrine system, respiration, and so on.
This involves not only negative emotions, such as envy, irritation, anger, resentment, hatred, fear, and guilt but also positive ones.
However, we will focus only on negative emotions because they are the ones that lead to the development of mental and physical diseases.
It should be noted here that psychosomatics is not a matter of belief. That is, whether you believe in it or not, it exists and affects us quite tangibly.
The fact is, our emotions are essentially hormones. And they, as is known, affect everyone in the same way, with slight adjustments for individual characteristics.
Why Do We Get Upset?
Have you ever asked yourself why we get upset? For example, in the animal world, it allows the organism to quickly prepare for two most natural reactions: fight or flight.
What happens at this moment:
- The adrenal glands release an increased dose of stress hormones into the body;
- Blood sugar levels rise, providing the body with more energy;
- Blood pressure increases to ensure maximum blood flow to the muscles;
- Hormones significantly enhance the heart’s performance, making heartbeats more frequent;
- Blood thickens and blood vessels narrow to stop bleeding as quickly as possible in case of injury.
Here we come to the most important point. The fact is, on a hormonal level, our body cannot distinguish between stress caused by a wild animal’s attack and stress caused by a conflict with a neighbor, an angry boss, or a domestic argument.
So, the body, metaphorically speaking, prepares for a fight or flight exactly as it would in the event of an attack by a wild animal: our blood pressure rises, blood sugar levels increase, and so on.
Now, let’s look at this from a slightly different angle.
How Our Emotions Affect Our Health
There are natural emotions that help the body survive in the wild, and there are unnatural ones. These unnatural emotions not only fail to help the body survive but actively hinder it. They are the most common cause of psychosomatic illnesses and subtly inflict significant damage on our mental and physical health.
Natural emotions include anxiety, fear, and worry (these help us hide from threatening dangers). Irritation, anger, and rage allow us to repel an opponent. Of course, even these emotions can make us sick if experienced too long or too often. Regardless, all emotions need an outlet, so to speak – an imitation of fighting or fleeing (like sports or any other physical activities).
With unnatural emotions, the situation is entirely different. They cannot be easily discharged because there is no built-in mechanism for their release. That is why they are unnatural and significantly reduce our ability to survive.
What Are These Emotions?
The most common ones are resentment, envy, hatred, and guilt.
Some researchers claim that resentment has killed far more people than all other negative emotions combined. And this is not an unfounded assertion.
Resentment
Resentment is the most unnatural emotion. For example, when an antelope runs away from a lion, it doesn’t resent the lion for chasing it. It simply doesn’t have the time – otherwise, it would quickly end up in the lion’s paws.
Similarly, a predator chasing its prey doesn’t resent the prey for running away. It knows that to survive, it needs to catch its prey, and resentment won’t help with that. Even if the antelope is cleverer and escapes, the lion will look for another, more cooperative prey.
In other words, from the animal world’s perspective, resentment is a completely unnecessary, abnormal emotion. However, it happens often with people. What’s especially bad is that we have an exceptional memory for resentments.
Some people are literally eaten up by their resentment. Methodically, day by day, year after year, they harbor resentments. And then they wonder where various illnesses come from…
Resentment is a reaction to an unfairly caused grievance or insult. It includes experiencing anger towards the offender and self-pity. We feel resentful when we believe we have been unfairly deprived of something.
Hatred
Interestingly, scientists do not classify resentment as an innate emotion. It is usually learned between the ages of 2 and 5, adopting behavior models from other children or adults.
Suppressed, unexpressed resentments accumulate, along with dissatisfaction with life and a generally negative emotional background.
What’s worse, accumulated resentments turn into hatred. Hatred is an intense, negatively charged, destructive feeling that reflects rejection, disgust, and hostility towards the object of hatred.
Resentment and Envy
Interestingly, the great Goethe wrote:
“Hatred is an active feeling of dissatisfaction; envy is passive. Therefore, one should not be surprised if envy quickly turns into hatred.”
Yuri Olesha, in his novel “Envy,” writes from the perspective of a character who was resentful of fate and suffered from envy towards his benefactor:
“You have benefited me, Andrei Petrovich! Just think, a celebrated man has taken me under his wing! A remarkable figure has housed me in his home. I want to express my feelings to you. Essentially, the feeling is just one: hatred.”
Thus, both resentment and envy eventually turn into such a destructive and ruinous force as hatred.
How to Relieve Stress
How can we effectively release negative emotions? If your health, age, and joint condition allow, running is the best option. If running is too strenuous, then simply walking is beneficial. Not a slow, dragging walk, but active and brisk walking.
Sports Games
Active sports games are also ideal for this purpose: soccer, volleyball, badminton, and tennis (both table and lawn tennis). In many Western countries, tennis is very popular. It’s common to see an elderly couple or two retired friends jogging around with rackets, playing leisurely.
Swimming
Of course, not everyone’s health permits such activities. In that case, swimming is an excellent option. It’s great for relieving stress for both young and old alike.
Breathing Exercises
Breathing exercises should also be mentioned. It’s well-known that our breathing is closely linked to our emotions. When a person is nervous, their breathing becomes quick, shallow, and superficial. In a calm state, we breathe slowly, evenly, and rhythmically.
With a simple breathing exercise, you can not only relieve acute stress but also significantly strengthen your nervous system, especially if done regularly.
This is an extremely simple and straightforward exercise. Place your right hand on your stomach and your left hand on your chest. Start breathing “with your stomach,” ensuring that your stomach moves, not your chest. It’s easiest to learn this while lying down. Once you master this exercise, you can do it anywhere and in almost any position. Doing this for 3-5 minutes a day will greatly benefit your nervous system.
Hobbies and Interests
There are stressors and subsequent negative emotions that are very serious and cannot be easily dispelled. However, even in such cases, the center of excitement needs to be extinguished. Creating several additional centers of attention can help with this, causing your focus to shift between them, thereby weakening the main, pathological center.
It’s important to emphasize that these additional centers should be based on your interests and hobbies, giving them a positive tint. In other words, to switch from the problem, you need to engage yourself with something.
Interestingly, studies have shown that people who take a vacation each year have a noticeable advantage in terms of quality and longevity of life. This isn’t about traveling to exotic countries.
Practical experience shows that even people with modest incomes can, if they wish, afford to spend a few days in a nearby town or village once a year. This doesn’t require a lot of money, just the desire and understanding of the importance of such a shift in attention. I discussed this in more detail in the article “How to Get Smarter.”
In conclusion, there is one powerful antidote for resentment and other harmful emotions caused by other people. It will help you avoid the destructive consequences of accumulated experiences and, in general, change your life. This antidote is the practice of forgiveness. Not everyone knows how to forgive, but it is something that can always be learned. However, that is another story…