Anger, Stiffness, and Other Negative Emotions Can Make You Sick

“Yes there were times, I’m sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate eat up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall, and did it my way.” Paul Anka (1941-), Canadian singer, songwriter, actor

Wow! Very well said! But I’m sorry to Frank Sinatra fans, because I believe that the above verse to the song is true only when you’re smart and wise in every situation that you’re into. In these day and age of computers, we can’t afford to be stiff and stubborn. We cannot insist on everything our minds dictate to let us say a “native” in the digital world – the millennial – because we are just “immigrants” in the age and era that they were born into. Said in another way: We have to respect each other’s space.

Importance of not being stubborn or stiff

Being stubborn (and in the same manner denial) is a bad apple in a basket. It is a negative reaction based on an underlying emotional issue that you reject or deny to accept. It is a reaction that emanates from egotism, power and submission, and a never-ending grudge. These, I believe, are self-explanatory. Non-acceptance or denial of these issues lead to stiffness and stubbornness, that may, in the long run, make you sick.

Solution: Always be flexible. Respect other’s thinking and opinion. Respecting other’s thoughts does not mean changing your own convictions.

In the gospel reading in the third Sunday of Lent, we saw an angry Christ, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace! (John 2:13-25) The anger of Jesus sends to us a message that indeed He is both God and man. Surely, there are situations when we become angry. But if we really aim to be Christ-like, we should also remember that Christ exhibited the highest form of being human and being fully alive in the Crucifixion.

Anger and your health

WebMD stresses that researchers found that healthy people who are often angry or hostile are 19% more likely than calmer people to get heart disease. Among people with heart disease, those who usually feel angry or hostile fared worse than others. Remember: “Being angry is not the same as showing that you care.” Always exhibit compassion and understanding. Your anger will not matter five years from now (or maybe even just five minutes from now). So take care of yourself.

Here are just some symptoms that can be brought about by negative emotions, such as anger and stubbornness: back pain, chest pain, diarrhea, change in appetite, extreme tiredness, insomnia, high blood pressure, mouth ulcers, and shortness of breath. Negative emotions are also linked to the development of cancers and tumors.

Let us observe the Holy Week and rejoice in the resurrection of Christ.