Stress and Emotion Management 1 - Preface

People all over the world want to have a healthy and joyful life.

Unfortunately, this world is full of stress, and everyone is more or less under some stress, weather it's from work, finances, family (spouse and children), social interpersonal aspects of life, etc. For example,

1. A traffic jam on the way to work and, as a result, starting to worry about being late and scolded by your boss.  That’s stressful.

2. Your boss suddenly asking you to work overtime when you've already made plans for dinner with your girlfriend. You start to worry about your girlfriend misunderstanding.  That’s stressful.

3. Having to pay taxes at the beginning of the month but having no clue where to get the fund. That’s stressful.

4. Your wife suddenly having something come out and asking you to take your daughter to class, but you've already made an appointment with a client.  That’s stressful.

5. Your physical examination report saying that the blood sugar was too high.  The doctor says that you should beware of diabetes and take medicine to control it.  Immediately, you'd feel stressful.

6. Not passing the exam for which you've bee preparing for months. In addition to feeling stressed, you might also feel depressed.

Alongside stress, there are negative emotional reactions, such as anger, fear, sadness, and jealousy, or a mixture of these negative emotions such as anger and fear or anger and jealousy. These negative emotion makes us worried, upset, and unable to be healthy, joyful and happy.

Modern medical professionals have confirmed that stress and negative emotion are key factors causing physical and mental illness. Physically, it directly affects the immune system and the autonomic nervous system, forming various diseases, chronic diseases, and even cancers.  Psychological problems stemming from stress include depression, bipolar disorder, violence, and neuropathy.

The emotional response can be weak or strong, sometimes so strong that it can cause mental breakdowns, anger, violence, and even suicide.  Emotions can accumulate over time, intensifying from weak to strong and intensify. For example, a husband and wife originally marry because of love, but after a certain period of time, they begin to turn against each other, hurt each other, even taking it to court. It is inevitable that a husband and wife run into disagreements and rough patches. If not managed appropriately, the negative emotions will be accumulated over time and create serious problems.

We need to begin practicing emotion management when our emotions are still under control. When emotions are well managed, stress can be a driving force towards a healthy and joyful life. By ignoring these negative emotions, stress can push you to the abyss of pain.

I am not a doctor nor an expert in psychology. Instead a victim of stress. I have experienced the problems caused by stress, such as insomnia, autonomic nervous disorders, and diabetes.  A mid-life crisis occurred in my 40s. so I began to explore stress and emotions.  After more than ten years of continuous learning and practice, I am able to live healthily and joyfully today.  I want to share my experiences with you in hopes that you can pick up the knowledge and method to manage stress and negative emotions in order to live a healthy and joyful life.

This is not just a theoretical school, but a practical school combining theory and practice. (to be continued)