Last update: July 21, 2017
As social individuals, we attach great importance to thoughts and our rational side. We often relegate emotions and the body to the background. We hear more and more of concepts like emotional intelligence, but most people don't pay attention to their body and the signals it sends out in everyday life.
What if the body were a beacon that lights our way to emotions? Discovering the importance of the body in the construction of emotions is important to be able to increase body awareness and reduce tensions that depend on emotional factors.
How do emotions affect the body?
The body and emotions are two dimensions that go hand in hand, when one speaks, the other reacts. Numerous researches support the constant relationship between negative emotions and physical pain. In fact, Similar areas of the brain have been shown to activate when we experience physical pain and emotional pain.
For example, if we can't handle anger or stress at work, this could cause a contracture or tension in the jaw. They are repressed emotions, which remain trapped in the body waiting to come out. Since they cannot manifest, they try to express themselves in some way and do so through tension or physical discomfort.
The body is a map that helps us find out what we are feeling. Surely you have ever felt a lump in your throat when, perhaps, you were hiding something from your partner or you complained of nausea and stomach pain before taking an exam. They are signals that the body sends us to let us express our emotions.
Observe your body, it has an emotional message for you
Emotions scream loudly when we don't listen to them and turn into physical pain and suffering. What message does our body want to convey to us. Are some symptoms like headache, difficulty breathing, tired feeling, stomach knot familiar to you? Even if you try to ignore them, the physical sensations are always present, indeed, the more you try not to pay attention to them, the greater the intensity with which they will manifest themselves..
Many times we try to silence these pains or sensations with pills and medications to relieve the symptoms even temporarily. They don't solve the problem, though. I'm just a band-aid on a wound that hasn't been healed, because emotions still don't get expressed in the right way. Wouldn't it be better to listen to the emotional message the body is sending us?
Imagine a guy who works 15 hours a day, is so stressed that in the morning he wakes up with a contracted neck. He opts for a muscle relaxant and continues to work. For sure, the message his body is giving him is that he needs to stop for a moment, slow down and rest. Pay attention to physical pain to understand what your body needs; if you learn to manage your emotions, you will be much better physically too.
The key to good health is to get the body excited, and the mind to rest.
Vincent Car
Each emotion is linked to a physical sensation
Let us now delve into the physical sensations generated by the four main emotions. We also try to understand how to manage emotions so that they do not result in intense physical pain.
Fear
It is an emotion that warns us of possible dangers and that helps us anticipate and protect ourselves from a threat. On a physical level, fear expresses itself in several ways: stomach pain, body tension, rapid heartbeat, sweating, chest pressure, diarrhea, changes in appetite and insomnia, etc.
All of these conditions are not exclusive signs of fear, but when we manifest this emotion, they can be disabling.
If you feel any of these bodily sensations, it may be fear or another emotion. In order to manage fear, the best thing is to try to deal with it and not avoid it. For example, if you have to give a presentation in public, you can try to manage fear with breathing and relaxation techniques.
Anger
Anger is the emotion that helps us take action and defend our rights when we believe there is an injustice. Among the most common physical symptoms are: body tension, rapid breathing, jaw tension, rise in body temperature, headache, etc.
These physical sensations can suggest frustration, so it is necessary to learn to manage anger assertively because we often repress it. For example, if it bothers you that your partner leaves dirty clothes lying around instead of yelling at him or saying nothing, calmly explain how you feel.
Allegria
This emotion it helps us to re-establish the bonds necessary to be able to socialize and share our happiness with the others. Cheerfulness has easily recognizable physical symptoms: smile, chest expansion, laughter, body opening, etc. There are people who find it hard to feel this emotion, so they don't know how to identify it.
Giving ourselves permission to enjoy the pleasures of life is a healthy choice for our body and psychological well-being. For example, you can enjoy a day at the beach even if you're not having a good time or rejoice in seeing your favorite movie.
Sadness
It is an emotion that helps us cope with loss and pain. It invades us and makes us reflect on the past and on how things went. On a physical level, sadness manifests itself with: tears, hiccups, chest pressure, shortness of breath, lack of appetite, etc.. Sensations that everyone has experienced at some point in our life.
If sadness is not expressed, it can become an unbearable burden on the body. For example, if you haven't mourned the death of a loved one or shared your grief with anyone, sadness can manifest itself in the form of back pain or pain in other parts of the body.
The body is wise and knows what we need
If you learn to manage your emotions in a healthy way, you will be able to hear and understand the message your body is sending you. Identify the emotions associated with physical symptoms and learn to manage them so they don't become unbearable physical pain. Your body helps you to know yourself better if you learn to interpret its hidden emotional messages and give him what he needs (rest, attention, exercise, etc.).
It is enough just to look at the body to make it an important part of life. Your body is wise and knows what you need. If you take care of your body, you will also take care of your emotions. Remember that you will live your whole life with your body, so it is worth paying attention to it and giving it the right care. In this way, you will not only improve your emotional intelligence, but also your body awareness.
