Smooth Emotions BETTER Health!

"Above all else, calmness is the most important thing."        - Master Feeman Ong

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) there are 2 things to look at when we speak of living a healthy life. External influences and internal ones. The TCM view is that sickness is brought about by an imbalance in either of these two categories, usually both.

Traditionally external is looked at first and internal second. External is the category of things that affect us from the outside in, lifestyle, diet, exercise, etc. Internal is the opposite, so the things that affect us from the inside out, i.e. our mindset, thoughts and emotional state.

Both of these things can bring about drastic changes in our health and wellness. Today we'll be covering internal influences. Particularly how our unbalanced/subconscious emotional reactions affect our health. I'll be following up this post with another on how we can deter these problems and/or come to move past them. My preferred method to do this is a simple approach to meditation attitude and journaling.  Let's dive into internal influences.

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"Most sickness comes from the mind"
-Master Lee

In TCM emotions are thought to be directly linked to organ function in the body. Current science loosely supports this idea with the knowledge of how our emotions affect the release of different hormones  through the endocrine system and cycling between 2 nervous system states. In ancient China their science wasn't as sophisticated as we have today. Therefore I'll do my best to succinctly outline possible correlations, however, this obviously isn't a direct scientific study... I want to focus on outlining TCM concepts instead of becoming hyper focused on the possible scientific correlations. Let's start by outlining a general TCM concept and then look at Master Ong's take on emotions and how that emotional state may affect bodily function and overall health.

• In TCM schools there are 2 primary schools of thought.
  • One view is that the kidneys are the root of all internal problems because it is where our jing/essence is housed. If our essence is agitated and we are out of center/imbalanced this affects everything down the line. I can see an easy correlation between this outlook and our adrenal function in stress response and how that effects the switch between our 2 autonomic nervous system states, (Parasympathetic- rest and digest, Sympathetic- fight or flight).
  • The second school of thought is that the spleen and stomach is the root of all internal problems because it is where all our sustenance is derived, because that organ pair is linked to the function of digestion and overall thought processes. In turn the view is that in order to digest our foods properly we must first have a calm balanced outlook and this together has a profound effect on our hormonal system and our overall mood.
• That being said Master Ong primarily saw things in the first direction, I subscribe to both... without going down that rabbit hole, here's 3 main emotions and the organs they are associated with in TCM.
• Worry:
  • Worry/ hyper-pensiveness/ anxiety is the first emotion to look out for. According to Master Ong it has the potential to interrupt your sleep, negatively influence your eating habits and muddles your thinking... primarily affects Spleen and Stomach.
• Anger:
  • Anger causes similar symptoms as worry but also projects your problems outward onto others and causes more pain, inflammation, tension and similar problems in the body, in TCM it is said anger causes the Chi to rise and act chaotically... primarily affects Liver and Gallbladder
• Sadness:
  • Sadness is held to be the worst of the three because while sad and depressed the mind constantly tortures itself, so in the end all good thoughts are undermined by a sad demeanor. Sadness is said to cause the Chi to malfunction in its duties... primarily affects Heart, Small Intestines, Pericardium, Sanjiao, and the Shen or 'spirit'

Out smarting your emotions!

Life will always have ups and downs, it's our outlook and attitude that makes the difference. Difficulty cannot be avoided, circumstance, hardships, death and failure cannot be erased. In short we will always be faced with hardships and the emotions that go along with them. Feeling and acknowledging your emotional state is very important and indeed the first step toward living an upright and great life. There is an old Chinese proverb that says...

"Sit under a bitter tasting tree, play the guitar to be happy."

Basically it means find and do what makes you happy in times of hardship. That being said it is important to distinguish destructive desires from healthy habits or disciplines. It didn't say "sit under bitter tasting tree and drink a bottle of wine." Another thing implied by the saying is bring value to others, playing the guitar brings music and joy to others. In finding our personal happiness we are able to then share and expand that joy to others.

Having this attitude of seeking happiness is the first step and it will allow you to overcome problems quicker. Remembering the good times and facing reality by doing what makes you happy will help you reach calmness sooner.

Finding happiness is important! I urge everyone to take the time to keep a journal and really explore the depths of your mind to outline the difficulties you face and dig into your motivations that help you uncover your true happiness. That being said it is important to use happy things as tools to reach calmness, not the root of your calmness. This leads to our next segment... To weather the storm of life the mind must be studied and trained. This is the importance of journaling, attitude, and meditation.

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Master Feeman Ong's 4 Pillars to Training the Mind

1. Kindness: establish a mindset to live without harming anyone or anything
2. Conservative​: not in the political sense but be conservative in food, money, sleep... Don't eat, spend, or sleep too much... Replenish and relax, make your life happy not miserable! 
   "Caution is the best self protection in life... When things are going well for you, you should remember that it will not last forever" -Master Lau Pui Chung
3. Peace of/in Mind: The better your relationships are the more relaxed the mind is. Hold peace in your mind and act in a way that conditions you to hold peace of mind in the midst of stress.
4. Quiet: Every day take time to relax your body and mind, meditate.

Followup post on Meditation