Recently I have been listening to Neale Donald Walsch’s audiobooks. He talks about the FIVE Natural Emotions with their negative and positive sides.
1) GRIEF
Grief is the pain of losing.
Negative side: When grief is supressed, it can lead to depression, mental illness, insomnia, substance abuse, nightmares and flashbacks, self-pity.
Positive side: It is a natural coping mechanism. Grief can make a person to realise how short life really is. This can give more focus and a renewed vitality in achieving one’s goals. It can strengthen relationships. It can act as a reminder to practice gratitude, bring maturity into one’s life and improves emotional strengths.
2) ANGER
Anger is a natural response when threatened or provoked
Negative side: When uncontrolled, it can lead to rage, that may drive a person to become violent. It affects one’s communication. It increases risks of heart attack and stroke; it weakens the immune system; increases levels of anxiety; shortens one’s lifespan. It can cause health problems like headache, insomnia, high blood pressure and stroke.
Positive side: It is a natural reaction when to feel oppressed and it is a way of conveying justice. It establishes boundaries. It indicates the importance to pause.It can assist in conflict and improve on negotiations. It can lead to self-examination of a person’s own faults and can motivate change. It can be used to overcome obstacles and empowering.
3) ENVY
Envy is a resentful emotion that creep around within a person who wants something other people have.
Negative side: Envy can cause a person to hide their emotions, devalue people and wish misfortune on others. It destroys relationships due to manipulation and miscommunication.
Positive side: Envy can inspire a person to become the best version of themselves. Envy can act as motivation to be more productive; it can be a driving force behind political concepts such as social justice, equality, and democracy.
4) FEAR
Fear is a survival mechanism when there is a threat of pain or danger.
Negative side: Blood flow is redirected from the heart to the arms and legs to attack. Fear raises blood pressure and heart rate increases. The brain becomes foggy, and it becomes hard to ‘think straight’ and it is hard to make decisions. Fear can weaken the immune system and cause cardiovascular damage; it can increase anxiety, depression, fatigue, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), gastrointestinal problems including ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome and decrease fertility. It can affect memory functioning such as the formation of long-term memory. Fear is only harmful when it paralyses a person and causes inaction. Instead of getting paralyzed, conquer your fears and use them to push you beyond your limits.
Positive side: Fear can increase one’s awareness and awaken a person’s untapped innate resources. It can increase one’s focus and concentration. It can provoke preparation and planning. It can help to remove barriers and breaking routines. It can be a motivator to gain new skills. A person can use their experience to help others to overcome their fears.
5) LOVE
Love arises from the strong affection or bond. Love is the evolution of all the 5 emotions.
Negative side: Love can cause violence and a person can hurt others. It can lead to mental and physical health issues including depression, stress, suicide.
Positive side: Love is the most powerful of all human emotions. It has lots of health benefits including reduces depression, anxiety, stress, heart attacks, and increases life expectancy, self-esteem, happier life increase personal ties and relationships.
Conclusion
It is important to be aware of the 5 Natural Emotions, develop healthy ways to deal with them rather than being in denial or refusing to deal with them. When they are not controlled, they lead to physical and mental problems with oneself and others.
Fear is an expression of Love. The key is not to stop feeling expressions. Rather, it is to start feeling these expressions of fear.
Nelly Kwasinwi
Clarify Thy Uniqueness ltd
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