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-awareness and prevention of both psychological and physical disorders. Let's see why.

• Related article: "Emotional psychology: main theories of emotion"

The relationship of emotions with diseases

First, let's see what the relationship between the emotional facet of the human being and his predisposition to develop diseases consists of. Many people are surprised to learn that there is this connection between the physical and the psychological, but if we think about it, the weird thing would be if emotions and physical health were separated.

And it is that after several centuries of scientific research and philosophical development, to say that the mind and body are not two independent elements of each other it results from everything except revolutionary. Mental processes (and among them, emotional ones) would not exist if they did not have the organism as a biological basis in the one that takes place: a nervous system, a set of circulating hormones, 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 sustained high levels of anxiety weaken the immune system, which can trigger many health problems, such as infections. In turn, there is evidence that one of the causes of depression consists of inflammatory processes whose influence reaches the brain, so we even have an example of how the circle closes emotion-illness-emotion.

In the same way, certain emotions and feelings also predispose us to adopt behavior patterns that expose us to diseases: for example, boredom makes us more inclined not to follow health recommendations and to resort to violence, and poorly regulated anger significantly increases the chances of suffering injuries.

On the other hand, emotional alterations linked to low self-esteem and / or anxiety can lead to significant injury 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 development of health problems. For example, an excess of stress is reflected in the rate of aging of the skin and in the predisposition to dermatological diseases, as well as in the fact of suffering gastrointestinal problems on a frequent basis (it should not be forgotten that the intestines harbor an important neural network and hormone receptors, very sensitive to what happens in the brain).

• You may be interested in: "Emotional labeling: what is it and what is it for in psychotherapy"

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 day to day 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 a proper emotional balance. For example, writing about what worries us or causes us stress has been shown to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, with effects lasting even several months after the last stress time. This phenomenon is based on what is known as emotional labeling, and helps us to improve our relationship with emotions through self-knowledge and from habituation to those intense feelings and affections that in other situations would haunt us precisely because we did not know how to specify them or understand them. Thus, emotional labeling is one of the most used resources in psychological therapy.

Are you looking for psychotherapy services?

If you are interested in having professional psychological support to improve your ability to manage emotions or to cope with issues such as trauma, mood disorders or low self-esteem, contact U.S.

On 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.

Bibliographic references:

• Dantzer R.; et al. (2008). From Inflammation to Sickness and Depression: When the Immune System Subjugates the Brain. Nature Reviews of Neuroscience, 9 (1): pp. 46 - 56.
• Hemenover, S.H. (2003). The good, the bad, and the healthy: impacts of emotional disclosure of trauma on resilient self-concept and psychological distress. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1236-1244.
• McRae, K.; Taitano, E.K. & Lane, R.D. (2010). The effects of verbal labeling on psychophysiology: objective but not subjective emotion labeling reduces skin-conductance responses to briefly presented pictures. Cognition and Emotion, 24: pp. 829 - 839.
• Pfattheicher, S.; et al. (2020). I enjoy hurting my classmates: On the relation of boredom and sadism in schools. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/37ru9