Being free from psychological distress or mental and emotional stress in one’s life is nearly impossible. There will be life events and responsibilities related to family, work, relationships, health, finances, among others, that will trigger negative emotions at least a few times in our lifetime. It is just inevitable. However, if we allow ourselves to dwell in a state of chronic stress and dwell on negative emotions for a prolonged period of time, then we are setting up the perfect environment for cancer development, heart failure, and other diseases that may arise.

While our diet, physical activities, sleep, and rest largely impact our overall health, our emotions must not be taken out of the equation. Our psychological state, which includes mental health and emotional health, affects the body in tangible ways that can even be measured. For instance, when the heart rate or blood pressure increases. In other words, the impact of our psychological state manifests physically. Simply because they are strongly connected.

Anxiety, anger, sadness, frustration, grief, hatred, envy, self-pity, jealousy, bitterness, and resentment are just some of the human emotions that have been classified by psychologists as negative emotions.

We cannot control how we initially feel. However, we can control how we respond. We get angry when we are wronged. We hate injustice. We feel sad when something unfortunate happens. That is a normal human reaction to unfavorable circumstances and stressful situations. Unfortunately, many of us, if not all of us, can get overwhelmed and allow ourselves to dwell in hatred for so long. To wallow in self-pity. To be paralyzed by fear and so on.

If we respond by resorting to maladaptive coping mechanisms, then we are not helping ourselves. Rather, we are putting ourselves in a vulnerable state that will make us sick. Did you know that being under constant negativity and frequently feeling intense negative emotions will damage your heart and blood vessels? The body releases brain chemicals known as epinephrine and norepinephrine that increase heart rate and blood pressure. The body also releases the stress hormone cortisol, which likewise increases these markers, including blood glucose or sugar. It can stimulate the body to accumulate visceral or abdominal fat. It can depress one’s immune system.

Cancer development occurs when the immune system is compromised because it can no longer fight infection and cancer cells. Diseases do not develop overnight. Your heart and arteries don’t just get blocked overnight. These conditions develop through a period of time, and frequently being hateful or dwelling on negative emotions mediates disease progression as inflammatory responses in the body are present.

According to Professor Asya Rolls of Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, “The relationship between a person’s emotional state and cancer has been demonstrated in the past, but mainly in relation to negative feelings such as stress and depression and without a physiological map of the action mechanism within the brain.”

Furthermore, negative emotions leading to chronic stress can cause hormonal imbalances that affect the production of sex hormones, cause hormone-related cancers, and dysregulate thyroid hormones. Studies have shown that 70 percent of thyroid medical conditions are linked to prior emotional stress. The thyroid gland is responsible for so many processes in the body, including metabolism for weight management.

A compromised immune system can lead to autoimmune diseases. A condition where the body’s immune system begins to attack healthy cells in the body. The body is technically destroying itself. Autoimmune diseases include skin problems like psoriasis, eczema, and urticaria, and they can also target other organs in the body, like the thyroid, kidneys, and pancreas, which produce insulin to regulate blood glucose levels and more.

In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 129,621 patients with breast cancer in 2022, Cong Xu and colleagues concluded that negative emotions have adverse effects and prognostic tools for the incidence of breast cancer. The result of their study directly supports the requirement for early and periodical detection, as well as timely treatment of mental disorders in patients.

Unfortunately, a lot of individuals undergoing psychological distress do not seek professional help. They turn to maladaptive behaviors to cope. Substance abuse, emotional eating, activities that promote escapism, such as doom scrolling on social media and the internet, and so on. These maladaptive behaviors add more damage to the already compromised immune system and increase inflammation in the body.

According to Liu Yi Lin and colleagues, who surveyed 1,787 adults about social media use and depression and published their study in 2016, “It will be important to assess the overall emotional valence of social media interactions. Some individuals may primarily spend time 'liking' others’ posts, wishing friends happy birthday, and making positive comments. Others, however, may be prone to posting negative status updates or engaging in contentious interactions, which may be detrimental to relationship-building and lead to depression.”

How are you coping with negative emotions? Instead of exposing yourself to toxic people and content, spewing hateful words on social media or suppressing anger and isolating yourself, help yourself by seeking spiritual counseling to work on faith and have hope in life; consulting a psychologist to learn healthy coping mechanisms and relaxation techniques; or consult a psychiatrist for proper assessment, diagnosis and medication if there are any imbalances in brain chemicals that need to be corrected. Consult a functional nutritionist dietitian to help you nourish your brain and body in order to prevent mood swings and deal with emotional eating.

We don’t deny negative emotions brought about by circumstances, but let us try to help ourselves deal with them in more positive and productive ways that will not make us seriously ill.