The Importance Of Knowing How To Express Our Emotions So As Not To Get Sick
The act of expressing our emotions is not only positive because it makes it easier for others to give us the help we need in the moments when we are most vulnerable.
In addition, it is an excellent tool for self-knowledge and prevention of both psychological and physical disorders. Let’s see why.
First of all, let’s see what the relationship between the emotional facet of the human being and their predisposition to develop diseases consists of. Many people are surprised to know that there is this connection between the physical and the psychological, but if we think about it, The strange thing would be if emotions and physical health were separated.
And after several centuries of scientific research and philosophical development, saying that the mind and the body are not two elements independent of each other is anything but revolutionary. Mental processes (and among them, emotional ones) would not exist if they did not have as a biological basis the organism in which they take place: a nervous system, a set of hormones in circulation, stimuli captured by the senses, etc.
Now… what do we know about the way in which emotions influence the appearance or non-appearance of diseases? For example, today we know that Experiencing high levels of anxiety on a sustained basis weakens the immune system, which can trigger many health problems, such as infections. At the same time, there is evidence that one of the causes of depression consists of inflammatory processes whose influence reaches the brain, so that we even have an example of how the emotion-disease-emotion circle is closed.
Likewise, certain emotions and feelings also predispose us to adopt patterns of behavior that expose us to diseases: for example, boredom makes us more likely to not follow health recommendations and resort to violence, and poorly regulated anger increases significantly. the chances of suffering injuries.
On the other hand, emotional alterations linked to low self-esteem and/or anxiety can lead to significant injuries or even a life-threatening lifestyle. The clearest example of this is found in eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, and to a lesser extent, in disorders such as trichotillomania or onychophagia.
But even where there are no diagnosable psychological disorders, anxiety can facilitate the appearance of health problems. For example, excess stress is reflected in the rate of aging of the skin and in the predisposition to the emergence of dermatological diseases, as well as in the fact of frequently suffering from gastrointestinal problems (we must not forget that the intestines house an important neural network and hormonal receptors, very sensitive to what happens in the brain).
Why is it necessary to express emotions
Is there anything we can do to prevent health problems through better management of our emotions? Of course; For example, having psychotherapeutic support is very effective in this sense. But in addition, there are other routines and actions that we can incorporate into our daily lives to achieve this, and those that have to do with the correct expression of emotions are of special interest.
It has been shown that putting words to what we feel makes it much easier for us to maintain an adequate emotional balance. For example, writing about what worries us or causes us stress has been shown to help people who suffer from post-traumatic stress, with effects that last even several months after the last time it was done. This phenomenon is based on what is known as emotional labeling, and helps us improve our relationship with emotions through self-knowledge and habituation to those intense feelings and affects that in other situations would obsess us precisely because we do not know how to specify or understand them. . Thus, Emotional labeling is one of the most used resources in psychological therapy.
If you are interested in professional psychological support to improve your ability to manage emotions or to face problems such as trauma, mood disorders or low self-esteem, contact us.
In PSiCOBAi We work using the most effective psychotherapy techniques, serving adults, children and adolescents. You can count on us either through the online therapy modality or in face-to-face sessions at our center in Majadahonda.
