Hardly any human being can avoid being angry, sad, worried or afraid sometimes. It is important to
realize that one should not fully identify one’s mental and spiritual life with that of the emotional life,
as the latter can be so transient. It is also worth mentioning that it is perfectly possible to be alive and
lively without being overburdened by excessive emotions

GRIEF

is the emotion of the lungs and the large intestine, organs associated with the metal element. Loss of
any kind will often trigger a feeling of being energetically drained and of having difficult bowel
function. Grief can stay with us for a while, and can go unresolved until we decide to release it. When
grief is unresolved and becomes chronic, depression and an inability to ‘let go’ of things can arise from
this lung energy deficiency. This could eventually interfere with lung function and oxygen circulation.
Since our lungs control the flow of energy in our bodies, it’s important that we give ourselves space to
deal with painful events rather than stifling them.

FEAR

is the emotion of the kidneys and the bladder, organs associated with the water element. It is a normal adaptive emotion, but can become chronic when ignored. Kidney issues often arise when we are dealing with fear, such as a change in life direction or unstable living conditions. When we experience extreme fright, our kidneys struggle to hold the energy and we can quite literally pee our pants.

WORRY

is the emotion of the spleen/stomach/pancreas network, organs associated with the earth element. Too
much pensiveness, worrying and insecurity can weaken our ability to digest – simply knot the energy.
When we are worried to a state of anxiety, we find it hard to digest and accept a situation or life event.
Lack of trust and ease towards the experiences and the foods we take into our lives will make it
impossible for us to digest them.

ANGER

is the emotion of the liver and the gallbladder, organs associated with the wood element. Emotions like
rage, fury or aggravation can indicate that this energy is in excess, and when we experience these
emotions consistently, our liver can get damaged. At this point, headaches or dizziness can be common.
An imbalanced liver and gallbladder can be caused by long standing feelings of repressed anger, such as
resentment, frustration, and irritability. Also, as the same with other organs, imbalance can be caused
by a poor diet, body pollutants such as chemicals, drugs and moulds etc.

JOY

is the emotion of the heart and the small intestine, organs associated with the fire element. When we experience true joy and happiness, we are nourishing our heart and small intestine energy. We feel mentally clear and able to process experiences. When we are lacking joy in our lives, the heart suffers and we can feel stuck, mentally chaotic, and have difficulty sleeping. Mania or obsessive joy can indicate an excess of scattered heart energy, and can be the cause of severe mental emotional disorders. Over stimulated heart energy could also cause agitation, insomnia and palpitations. In other words, even the pleasurable emotions can be out of balance.

There are 4 origins of anxiety according to TCM: (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

1- If related to the lungs and large intestine, energy blockage can provoke shallow and irregular
breathing or even holding of breath. The large intestine can be detrimentally affected by anxiety,
making one more prone to issues like ulcerative colitis and IBS.

2- Kidney and bladder issues could also be at the root of this emotion. Our adrenals regulate our stress
response and when adrenal problems become chronic, they can cause anxiety. TCM recognizes the
adrenal glands in the same way as the kidneys as they are within the kidney yang aspect. Anxiety can
also be caused by disharmony between the kidneys and a blazing heart fire, in this case rapid heart
palpitations are experienced.

3- Anxiety can stem from liver imbalance too, when longstanding anger and irritation goes unresolved.
In this case anxiety manifests as nervous tension, irritability, and insomnia.

4- Anxiety from excess worry and pensiveness stems from spleen and stomach imbalance. This can
cause stomach swelling and bloating after eating.