Part Fourteen: Mental Optimism and Methods of Emotional Regulation

(a) Cheerful personality

Personality is a person's stable attitude towards objective reality and their interactive behavior. Although it is directly related to a person's innate endowment, prenatal (genetic) and hereditary factors, it can be changed with different postnatal environments and changes over time.

People all go through a process of adapting their personality to nature, society, and their own health.

An outgoing personality reflects a broad-minded and magnanimous psychological state.

Studies have shown that a person's personality is closely related to their health and disease.

People with cheerful, lively, optimistic, and mentally healthy personalities are less likely to suffer from mental and emotional illnesses, serious illnesses, and chronic diseases, especially psychosomatic illnesses. Even if they do get sick, they are more likely to be cured and recover easily.

Negative personality traits can harm the body's Qi, internal organs, and especially the five internal organs in various ways, as recorded in many traditional Chinese medicine texts. Modern clinical medicine has also continuously proven that many diseases are indeed closely related to personality factors, and the negative emotions derived from different personality traits are the main cause of these diseases.

To cultivate a good character, one should take a broad view and start with specific things, shaping an outgoing personality by cultivating good behavioral habits.

First, we must recognize the harm that negative personality traits can cause to our physical and mental health. Second, we must establish a correct outlook on life, treat ourselves and others correctly, and have a broad vision, open mind, tolerance, and generosity when looking at and dealing with problems. We should not be petty or get stuck on trivial matters. Finally, we should scientifically and rationally arrange our work, study, and leisure life to enrich our lives and cultivate our character.

(ii) Optimistic mood

Emotion is a concept in modern psychology, equivalent to the concept of "qingzhi" in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the psychological activities that cause excitement or inhibition in a person's attitude towards the surrounding things when engaging in any activity.

An optimistic mood, or a happy mood, is not only a necessity for people's daily lives, but also a necessity for human physiological functions and health and longevity.

As stated in the "Suwen·Jutonglun", "When one is happy, one's qi is harmonious and one's will is fulfilled. When one's ying and wei qi are unobstructed, one's qi is relaxed." Confucius said in the Analects, "When one is so engrossed in study that one forgets to eat, so happy that one forgets one's worries, one does not know that old age is approaching."

It is evident that an optimistic mood is the best mental nourishment for maintaining physiological functions, soothing emotions, and preventing aging.

To maintain an optimistic mood, one must first cultivate a cheerful personality, because optimism and a cheerful personality are closely related; a broad mind leads to a happy spirit.

Secondly, regarding fame, fortune, and enjoyment, one should uphold the idea of ​​"contentment brings happiness" and frequently experience the meaning of "not as good as those above, but better than those below," which can bring satisfaction to life and mind.

Finally, cultivate a sense of humor, as the direct effect of humor is to produce laughter.

Modern research has proven that laughter is a unique form of exercise that can regulate psychological activity, promote physiological functions, improve the living environment, cultivate a carefree, cheerful, and optimistic personality, and fill life with youthful vitality.

Regulate emotions

Emotions, similar to feelings, are the normal emotional responses of the human body to changes in the internal and external environment caused by physiological and mental activities of the internal organs. There are seven kinds: joy, anger, worry, thought, grief, fright, and fear, hence the name "seven emotions". They can be divided into five categories: joy, anger, grief (worry), thought, and fear (fright), or represented by joy, anger, grief, thought, and fear, often referred to as the "five emotions".

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that emotions are generated from the Qi of the five internal organs, such as the heart governing joy, the liver governing anger, the lungs governing worry and grief, the spleen governing thought, and the kidneys governing fear and fright. Emotional imbalance can easily damage the Qi and blood of the internal organs, affect health, cause diseases, and even shorten lifespan.

As stated in the "Suwen·Yin Yang Ying Xiang Da Lun": "Humans have five internal organs that transform into five qi, which give rise to joy, anger, sorrow, worry, and fear." Excessive emotions will "injure the liver", "injure the heart", "injure the spleen", "injure the lungs with sorrow and grief", and "injure the kidneys with fear and fright".

The Ling Shu (Spiritual Pivot) states in the chapter "The Origin of All Diseases": "Excessive joy and anger will injure the internal organs, and when the internal organs are injured, diseases will arise from the Yin."

Tao Hongjing of the Southern Dynasties pointed out in his "Record of Nourishing Life and Prolonging Life": "The way to nourish one's nature is to avoid great worries and sorrows. This is what is meant by being able to achieve balance. Those who can achieve balance will surely live a long life."

Throughout history, health practitioners have attached great importance to the influence of emotions on health and longevity. The influence is mostly related to the degree and duration of emotional stimulation, and they advocate regulating emotions to prevent disease and prolong life.

Although there are many specific methods for regulating emotions, they can be summarized into four categories: moderation, catharsis, diversion, and emotional restraint.

I. Moderation

The method of moderation is a way of regulating emotions by harmonizing and controlling them to prevent the seven emotions from going too far, thereby achieving a balance of qi and blood in the internal organs.

The Lüshi Chunqiu states: "Desire has feelings, and feelings have limits. Sages cultivate limits to restrain desires, so they do not exceed the expression of their feelings."

(i) Avoid anger when encountering problems

Anger is an emotion that health practitioners throughout history have avoided the most. It is the culprit of emotional illness and is extremely harmful to human health.

Anger not only damages the liver, but also the heart, stomach, and brain, leading to various diseases.

Sun Simiao's "Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold" states: "For health preservation, one must know three things to avoid: great anger, great desire, and great drunkenness. If any of these three are present, one must be careful to avoid losing one's true vital energy."

Cao Tingdong of the Qing Dynasty also said in "Lao Lao Heng Yan: Jie Nu" (Old Man's Constant Words: Abstaining from Anger): "People rely on anger to fill their bodies, so they should take good care of themselves in daily life."

What I fear most is anger.

When anger erupts, the qi flows in a reversed and stagnant manner, causing stagnation and discomfort. This damages my qi, which in turn harms my body.

This illustrates the serious harm that excessive anger can cause to the body; therefore, abstaining from anger is the primary aspect of health preservation, regulating emotions, and controlling emotions.

The first way to control anger is to control it with reason, that is, to overcome emotional impulses with rationality. In daily work and life, even if you encounter something that makes you angry, think about its negative consequences and you can rationally control your excessive emotions, so that your emotional reaction "originates from emotion" and "stops with reason".

Secondly, remind yourself to control your anger. You can write down aphorisms such as "Control Anger," "Calm Down," or "Refrain from Anger" on your bedside or desk as your life motto and remind yourself at any time. This can also have a good effect.

Finally, reflect on your anger. After each outburst of anger, reflect on your actions, learn from your mistakes, reduce the frequency of anger in the future, and gradually develop the habit of not getting angry in the face of adversity.

(ii) Remain calm in the face of honor and disgrace

Life is full of vicissitudes and complexities; joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness rise and fall.

Laozi and Zhuangzi proposed the attitude of "remaining calm in the face of honor and disgrace," viewing honor and disgrace as the same thing. Later generations referred to being unmoved by gains and losses as "remaining calm in the face of honor and disgrace."

In the face of any major change, one should remain calm, maintain a stable mindset, and not exceed normal physiological limits.

Western medical research has also proven that there is a close relationship between emotional stimulation and immune function. Any excessive emotional stimulation can weaken the fighting power of white blood cells, reduce the body's immune capacity, and cause disease by weakening the body's defense system.

For the sake of health and longevity, any excessive emotional excitement is undesirable.

One should be good at regulating one's emotions in order to nourish the spirit and heal the body.

When faced with external stimuli, one should not only be aware of them, but also maintain mental stability, emotional harmony, and the ability to distinguish between what is important and what is not, thus preserving a peaceful attitude and a stable mental state.