The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. – Helen Keller
Through emotions besides other positive things, the nervous system regains its capacity for self-regulation. Our positive emotions begin to lift us up rather than bring us down. They propel us into the exhilarating ability to soar and fly, giving us a more complete view of our place in nature. Our perceptions broaden to encompass receptivity and acceptance of what is, without judgment. We are able to learn from our life experiences. We often obtain a surer sense of self while becoming more resilient and spontaneous. This new self-assuredness allows us to relax, enjoy, and live life more fully. We become more in tune with the passionate and ecstatic dimensions of life.
The Emotional Freedom Technique ( EFT) helps to create positive emotions. It is the psychological acupressure technique and is most highly recommend for optimizing your emotional health. Emotions a subjective, conscious experience that is characterized by psycho-physiological expressions, biological reactions and mental states, plays a big part in the functioning of body systems and the healing processes.
Several experiments explored the bodily aspects of such emotions as sadness and depression. Depression was characterized, in the subject’s consciousness, as a chronically interrupted drive. States of depression were frequently associated with a sense of tiredness, heaviness, dizziness, headache and an inability to think clearly. The researchers observed a weakened impulse to cry, along with a collapsed posture, conveying defeat, apparent lethargy and loss of hope.
There is a fundamental difference between negative and positive emotions. When researcher, Bull studied the patterns of elation, triumph and joy, she observed that these positive affects in contrast to the negative ones of depression, anger and disgust did not have an inhibitory component; they were experienced as pure action. Subjects feeling joy reported an expanded sensation in their chests, which they experienced as buoyant, and which was associated with free deep breathing. The observation of postural changes included a lifting of the head and an extension of the spine. These closely meshed behaviors and sensations facilitated an easier breathing. Most subjects feeling joy reported feeling ready for action. This readiness was accompanied with energy and the abundant sense of purpose and optimism that they would be able to achieve their goals.
Although it is still often overlooked, emotional health is absolutely essential to your physical health and healing. No matter how devoted you are to the proper diet and lifestyle, you will not achieve your body’s ideal healing and preventative powers if emotional barriers stand in your way. The combination of tapping the energy meridians with EFT, and voicing positive affirmation works to clear the short-circuit; the emotional block from your body’s bio-energy system, thus restoring your mind and body’s balance, which is essential for optimal health and the healing of physical disease. Emotions get converted into health or disease. For example, appreciation stimulates flow of feel-good hormones, increases a man’s confidence and results in improved work. Having a vision, clears the mind, and thus brings good health. Faith gives hope, and releases feel-good hormones. Courage or self-belief helps one overcome fight or flight response. Patience & Tolerance brings about opposite of fight or flight response, and gives rise to clarity of thinking. Love and Acceptance has an uplifting effect which again releases feel-good hormones in abundance.
Like when sad, you are happy, hormones are released in the body. Some of these hormones that make you happy and healthy are Serotonin, which regulates the mood, prevents depression and makes you feel happy. Endorphins, which makes you feel good, reduces anxiety and sensitivity to pain. Dopamine, keeps you mentally alert, prevents lack of concentration and bad mood. Phenyl ethylamine helps in arousing the happy feelings we get in the early stages of a relationship and causes heightened focus and attention. Ghrelin, improves appetite, helps to reduce stress and stay more relaxed.
The hormones that make you sad and diseased are the stress hormones that arise in a fight or flight response. They are Cortisol and Adrenaline or Epinephrine. These act by mobilizing energy from storage to muscles, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate and shutting down metabolic processes such as digestion, reproduction, growth and immunity. This in turn, impairs your regenerative capacity, diminishes your process of evolution, and causes quick depletion of energy.
Several research studies about emotional stress conducted at the Mayo Clinic showed that emotional stress was more predictive of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease than smoking. People who were unable to effectively manage their stress had a 40% higher death rate than relaxed individuals. Our attitudes, thoughts, beliefs and emotions contribute to our experience of good or bad health.
The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.
– William James