Worry seems to be a common cause of diseases nowadays. We live in times of extreme insecurity in all aspects of life. Everything changes so fast and our day to day life and freedom is threatened by unforeseen forces and events.
Pensiveness is an excess of mental stimulation. The mind can rest as it is always preoccupied with problems that may occur in the future. This can affect the spleen (which rules over vital energy). Resulting in; low energy, lassitude, and difficulty in focusing.
Some people appear to be very tense and worry a lot. People prone to worry are those who concentrate too much on trivial everyday activities or excessive mental work in the process of one’s work or study. This may be due to a constitutional weakness of the Spleen, Heart, or Lungs or a combination of all.
Worry knots Qi, causing qi stagnation, and it affects both Lungs and Spleen: the Lungs because when one is worried breathing is shallow,
The symptoms occurring in the body due to worry vary according to whether they affect the Lungs or the Spleen.
If worry affects the Lungs:
- Discomfort in the chest area
- Slight breathlessness
- Tensing of the shoulders
- Dry cough (not always)
- Weak voice
- Pale complexion
When over thinking affects the heart it makes the Heart [Qi] accumulate, and therefore causes the Mind to congregate: Qi in the Upper burner stagnates.”
If worry affects the Spleen the symptoms would be:
- Poor appetite
- Gastric discomfort
- Some abdominal pain and distension
- Tiredness
- Pale complexion
Finally, like all emotions, worry affects the Heart causing stagnation of Heart-Qi, causing palpitations, a minor tightness of the chest and insomnia.
Healthy Spleen’s mental energy is responsible for concentration and good memory. When this spleen energy is disturbed it leads to constantly thinking, and inability of clear thinking.
Since “Wood” controls “Earth”, Anger controls Worry and over thinking.
When over thinking Harms the Heart –the Son depleting the Mother (in this case the Shen)
- Palpitations
- Spleen Qi Deficiency
- Heart Blood Deficiency
