Emotions and Health, A Crucial Connection

November 3, 2014

   There are five emotions that are shared by all cultures: love, hate, joy, sorrow, and fear. 

   These emotions are natural and over the course of our lifetimes we experience them countless times. Our emotions involve how we experience and react to things, how we think and act. Can our emotions help us to be healthier, stronger and more fit? 

Emotions and Motivation

   When faced with a new challenge like changing dietary habits, taking a new class or training to run a half marathon, anxiety will be involved especially if you're unsure about how well you will do or how hard it will be. Sometimes this anxiety can be your motivating factor to do better or try harder to improve your chances for success. Even elite athletes who've played in numerous championships will say they have butterflies in their stomach just before the game starts. It's a bit like stage fright. In these cases, the solution is not to quit – that will just complicate the emotions. The solution is get the game on. I realize this can sound a bit trite, but I like to think of these kinds of anxieties as a sign that I'm on the right path. Try to think positive and be optimistic that you will do well in your new class or run stronger today or keep those edible temptations away. Every day is a different day and every opportunity a new one. 

Emotions and Decision Making

   Our emotions have a major influence on the decisions we make, from what we decide to have for breakfast to which candidates we choose to vote for in political elections. Even in situations where we believe our decisions are guided purely by logic and rationality, emotions play a key role. 

   In the 1980s, psychologist Susan Jeffers wrote a runaway bestseller about how one emotion, fear, can dictate our decision making. It was entitled Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. One key insight she gave us is that fear is natural in a growing healthy person. The only way to never feel fear is to never grow, never try something new, never leave the house... just become paralyzed. A healthy growing person always feels some kind of fear but they don't let it get in the way of their decisions.

   Our emotions have the capacity to limit our sense of control but we have the strength to change our behaviors – to do what we know needs doing anyway. We can dramatically change our lives for the better and accomplish more than we believe possible for ourselves. With persistence and belief in oneself anything is truly possible.

Form Follows Function

   The idea that a building should be designed, no matter how wacky the architect imagines it, around it's function, is a good lesson in emotions. There are many great insights from wise people across every discipline and every culture on what our function is. At its core I believe our function comes down to two things that go hand in hand: to love and be loved, and to physically move our bodies. Movement and a good diet is what makes us fit and that in turn helps us feel good. It's no minor idea. If form follows function, then fitness is a core element in the design of a life.

   When function follows form – when what you think dictates your health – it can break down. As I’ve said before, constant negative thoughts can weaken your body's immune system, making you more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times. When you are feeling stressed, anxious or upset, you may not take care of your health as you should. 

   You may not feel like exercising, eating nutritious foods or taking medicine that are prescribed by your doctor. A person’s emotional state plays a significant role in his or her recovery from surgery, suggests Berton Moed, MD, chair of the department of orthopedic surgery at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. When an active person is suddenly confined to the bed or to limited activity feelings of powerlessness and depression often emerge. 

   Imbalances in the body's energy can lead to the breakdown of the physical body as well. For most people, the energized body becomes imbalanced years or even decades before the physical body begins to have problems. It’s just like a car or any other machine that requires maintenance – keep the energized body tuned up and balanced, and your physical body will be able to give you a longer, healthier, happier life.

   By participating in sports, especially ones that require complex movements like skating, you can improve brain function through the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Another benefit is the release of neurotransmitters like endorphins which elevate your mood and reinforce the desire to exercise again. Other benefits include weight loss and muscle gain. These benefits can help us to feel better and look better, improving our self perception. 

Here are a few well known facts….

Fear, anxiety and anger are linked to:

-- heart disease

--mental illness 

--panic attacks

--rheumatoid arthritis

--heart disease

--high blood pressure

--stroke

--cancer

Happiness and joy are linked to:

--increased flexibility

--stronger muscles

--weight loss

--longevity

--creativity

Ultimately, it's in our own hands what we do with our emotional energy to create the healthy person we want to be, and to choose to be fit to experience healthy emotions.