Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is effective in assisting people with stress related problems because it has recognised the effect of emotions on physical health for a long time. Part of the TCM paradigm is the idea that it is normal and healthy to feel all of the emotions in more or less even measures and to be calm in between.
In TCM even joy should have it’s limits, it is great to feel happy but it doesn’t teach humility and acceptance like grief does, nor teach us courage like fear does and it doesn’t make us question ourselves like anger does.
The not-so-pleasant emotions can be energising when they are consciously channeled, fear, anger and anxiety are a part of life, it is up to us what we do with these feelings.
Anger and aggression can be positively channelled into sport and exercise, making us physically fitter in the process. Anger can be defined as the fear of not having control and it can be a fuel for us to take back control of our own lives, it can also impel us to fight for the rights of others who cannot fight for themselves. A person who is habitually angry certainly does not need more of it but a person who is timid or lacking in confidence could benefit greatly by channeling aggression into assertiveness.
The healthy expression of anger need not be confined to physical exercise, it can be positively expressed in dance, music, writing or visual arts through colour, words and sounds, it does not need to be “good” art, just an honest expression of yourself. Sometimes having a good shout with your windows up driving around the block can help too.
Fear can be energising, getting a sense of your own mortality can be a real wake up call, it is hard for anybody to appreciate what they have without the fear at some stage that he may lose it all. A close call to disaster whether it is real or imagined can give us the necessary impetus to get a healthier life style and pay closer attention to the relationships that matter most to us. Surviving a scary situation can certainly break the monotony of a dull existance and make us more interesting people with compelling stories to tell.
Perhaps more than any emotion, grief can make us recognise how deep we can love another person, knowing grief makes us more compassionate and appreciate just how precious life is. Like the other emotions grief should be expressed and given some purpose, some truly moving writing, music and art have been inspired by it- experiencing such inspired art can help you to do your own overdue grieving. There is something cleansing about grief, sharing grief with another can help us forget our petty differences with them and help us focus on what we have in common with them.
Having a rich mixture of emotional experiences makes us adaptable and keeps life interesting, all the things that make us better people are never easy when they are happening.
TCM has some very interesting perspectives on not only how emotions can effect us but also on how we can use and change them.