The average person has 6,000 thoughts a day; some of these thoughts can be negative and lead to negative emotions for many people. Positive and negative thoughts and feelings can have effects on our health. New research reveals new ways that negative thoughts and emotions can affect us.
How Are Emotions and Disease Connected?
Negative emotions, attitudes, and thoughts can cause chronic stress. Chronic stress can take years off the human lifespan. Studies have shown that chronic stress shortens the length of our telomeres.
What are telomeres? Telomeres are the caps at the end of our DNA strands. As we age, these caps get shorter, and the body becomes closer to dying. In short, Chronic stress can shorten your life span.
Repressed emotions, repressed anger, and poorly managed emotions have been linked to numerous health conditions. These conditions include:
- Hypertension
- Cardiovascular disease Digestive disorders
- Infections
- Many others
Why Do Emotions and Stress Affect Our Health?
Your body naturally responds to how you think, feel, and act. For example, if you’re stressed or anxious, your body will react to let you know that there is an issue.
This can manifest in high blood pressure after a traumatic event like the unexpected death of a spouse.
Unmanaged stress can wreak havoc on your health. Much like negative thoughts and emotions, unmanaged stress can lead to:
- high blood pressure,
- damaged arteries,
- irregular heart rhythms,
- weaker immune system.
Many of the same causes of stress can also cause depression. Traumatic events that cause stress can also lead to depression. One may feel depressed because of feeling uncertain in life, battling a mental illness, or seasonal depression.
How to Manage Your Stress
- Say “No” to People
A lot of stress can come from being in situations that we don’t want to be in. How often have you said yes to something you didn’t have to do? It’s okay to establish boundaries for yourself.
- Relax
In modern society, we are often encouraged always be on the move. However, we can be more productive and less stressed if we take some time for ourselves.
- Get Regular Exercise
Exercise has been shown to lower stress levels. Aerobic exercise, for instance, causes your body to release endorphins. Endorphins are a chemical that helps you feel good and positive.
- Therapy
Talking about your feelings can act as a stress reliever. Therapy allows you to identify the causes of what is stressing you. Identifying the causes of stress can help to eliminate stress.
How to Manage Negative Thoughts and Emotions
At some point, we all experience some form of negative emotions in some form or another. Even the most resilient people experience fear, doubt, and anxiety.
The key is to overcome these thoughts and emotions by using specific tools. Many people experience negative thoughts and emotions every day. These negative emotions can stem from everyday situations such as heavy traffic on the way to work or arguments with a spouse.
It is easy to develop a negativity bias (tendency to dwell on negative events) and continue to ruminate on the negative things that happen to us.
What tools can help overcome negative thoughts and emotions?
Gratitude
It can be easy to forget the small things in life that make us happy. Instead, try to focus on the positive things from your day rather than the negative. Studies have shown that people who count their blessings feel more joyful and sleep better than those who focus on negative aspects of their life.
Accept how you feel in the moment.
Accept your negative thoughts at the moment. Humans have around 6,000 thoughts in a day. Some of them are bound to be negative. It is important to note that thoughts are just thoughts.
Looking For Treatment?
MyCHN offers therapy, counseling, Virtual psychiatry, and group therapy services in Houston, Texas. We Accept Major Insurance, CHIP, Medicaid, and Medicare. Please visit our website or call (281) 824 – 1480 to learn more.
Bottom Line
Our thoughts and emotions play a vital role in our mental and physical health. Negative thoughts and emotions can cause chronic stress. Chronic stress can shorten your lifespan. This is because your body will naturally respond to you being stressed. The responses often manifest as diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
Resources:
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-do-thoughts-and-emotions-affect-health
What Is the Mind-Body Connection? | Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing (umn.edu)
The mind-body connection: not just a theory anymore – PubMed (nih.gov)
Mind/Body Connection: How Emotions Affect Health (familydoctor.org)
