The human body is a system of interconnected subsystems, including the nervous and immune systems. In general, emotional stress can affect many parts of your health in both good and bad ways. Thoughts and emotions are what create our reality, which in turn has a direct impact on your physical body. Your mind, heart, and spirit are all connected in one way or another. When you focus on good thoughts for yourself, it will have an effect on your mental state. When you put negative energy into the world around you with bad vibes, it will come back to haunt you tenfold. We will explore these in detail below. How do negative emotions affect your health? A recent study published by Harvard University suggests that your mindset can impact the development of chronic illnesses such as obesity, depression, and diabetes. If you think positively about yourself and how much control you have over your life, then it is more likely for things like inflammation (which contributes to pain and other physical symptoms) to be reduced. On the contrary, if someone feels worse about themselves or their situation because they lack a sense of purpose or agency in life – known as "learned helplessness" – then there is an increased risk of chronic illness developing. In terms of emotions affecting physical health, there are many well-known examples. Read: Best Fruits for Fitness and Bodybuilding So what emotions are the worst for our health? The answer is anger, fear, sadness, disgust, rage, loneliness, melancholy, and annoyance. Let's take a closer look at each of these negative feelings. Anger and Rage Anger can cause high blood pressure, heart problems, stroke, headaches, and more. It also releases cortisol which is a stress hormone that has been linked to weight gain and diabetes. Anger can also lead to problems such as sleeplessness and gastrointestinal problems. When we are angry, it's hard to think straight and make good decisions because we are so wrapped up in the emotion itself. This can lead to fights with loved ones or destructive behavior like road rage. Rage causes elevated heart rate, which increases blood pressure, and stress hormones like cortisol are produced, leading to increased risk of cardiovascular health issues if left uncontrolled over long periods of time. Read Protecting Your Child’s Mental Health: 10 Tips for Parents Fear or Stress Fear causes the body to release adrenaline which gives us energy, but it's also very stressful on our system. Stress can keep us from sleeping well, make our heart rate spike and even lead to a heart attack. It can also lead to anxiety and depression. Sadness Sadness is the most common negative emotion, and it can cause physical symptoms like a headache, stomachache, or pain in our chest. We might not eat well when we are feeling sad, or we might overeat, which leads to weight gain. Sadness can also lead to addiction problems if we turn to alcohol or drugs to try and make ourselves feel better. Furthermore, sadness can suppress the immune system, making it difficult for the body to fight off infection or illness. It can also lead to changes in appetite that may result in weight gain or loss. Additionally, sadness often leads to stress which has its own negative effects on the body. Read World Mental Health Day: What effect does depression have on the performance of athletes? Disgust Disgust can cause a number of physical problems including, sexual dysfunctions, eating disorders, psychosis, and claustrophobia. Further, it may also lead to skin conditions such as hives or blisters due to an increase in histamine production. Lastly, disgust can result in weight loss by causing feelings of revulsion that make it difficult for some people to want to eat at all. Loneliness Loneliness causes anxiety which leads to heart diseases, high blood pressure, weak immune system, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and even death. Annoyance Annoyance is a state of agitation that may lead to physical tension headaches, jaw pain, and problems sleeping. The researchers found that adults with chronic noise annoyance had an increased risk of health problems such as cardiovascular disease and depression. Read Mental Health: Types of Mental Illness and supporting someone with a mental health problem All of these emotions are stressful on our system and can lead to physical health problems if we don't find a way to deal with them. It's important to remember that everyone feels these negative emotions from time to time. It's not abnormal. What's important is how we deal with them and whether or not they start to affect our daily life. If they do, it might be time to seek help from a professional. How do positive emotions affect your health? Positive emotions are considered to be the opposite of negative emotions. Positive emotions, such as amusement, contentment, happiness, excitement, and enthusiasm, bring us pleasure and satisfaction and create new opportunities for enjoyment and growth. They broaden our minds and help us connect better with others. Positive emotions help boost our immune system, while they also reduce stress hormones and inflammation in the body. Further, positive emotions also improve heart health and protect against heart disease. They increase oxygenation and blood flow to the brain, which can improve cognitive function, eventually improve sleep quality and overall mood. Moreover, positive emotions can help us form and maintain important social connections. They can keep our brains healthy by protecting against brain decline or Alzheimer's disease, improving communication between neurons in the brain, and helping to grow new cells in the hippocampus (which controls learning and memory). Read Digital Addiction of Children: How can parents get kids off screens? Final Words So far, we have discussed how your emotions can affect your health. There are diverse ways to work through emotional feelings, such as getting help from friends or family members, practicing stress management techniques, meditation, and yoga. All of these methods have been shown throughout time to be effective for dealing with negative thoughts and changing them into positive ones, so they do not lead to illness or other mental problems later on down the road. The best way would probably be talking with someone who specializes in counseling patients with depression at their local hospital's psychiatric ward. Further, we have to practice positivity. And positive emotions are emotive states like happiness, joy, excitement, love, and serenity. These good feelings that people experience during positive events give them the feeling of being healthy or keeping their health intact. 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