The past few months have been very difficult for me.  I went through many rough patches and have been extremely stressed out over many issues. This year has been a  tough year for me. It does not help that I am a high-strung person who’s really good at worrying.   I could feel my emotions running strong and deep from time to time and as a result,  noticed changes to my health.  I had heart palpitations, painful lumpy breasts and a difficult menses this month with blood clots.

I’ve been trying very hard to control my emotions and have been taking steps to de-stress. I try to exercise in the morning sun every morning, which I find extremely therapeutic for me.  I try to do things that make me happy and though our finances have been impacted by the continuous partial lockdown imposed by the Government to curb the spread of Covid-19, I sometimes try to splurge a little on myself and on the kids, all in the name of finding a little joy. Life is short. There’s no better time to enjoy life a little than now.

Several years ago, I met a very amiable and knowledgeable acupuncturist who practices Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  She does acupuncture for Cass and me. I always found it therapeutic talking to her as she has an extremely calm and positive disposition.  She would always tell me that in TCM, emotional stress is the cause of many major diseases suffered by women like breast cancer, cancer of the reproduction organs and fibroids.  I had a large benign uterine fibroid that was growing rapidly and she would always advise me to control my emotions.  In TCM, uterine fibroids are caused by negative emotions.  I had the fibroid removed by a Laparoscopic Myomectomy surgery 3 years ago.

In TCM, negative emotions experienced excessively or over an extended period of time is identified as a major cause of disharmonies in menstruation, pregnancy, labor and menopause.  As emotional stress disrupts the natural cycles of energy transformation and circulation within our body, it can cause our Qi and blood to stagnate or rebel – which may manifest as PMS, irregular periods, amenorrhea (no period), delayed periods, heavy menstruation, or dysfunctional uterine bleeding.

Correlation of Stress With Your Breasts 
During particularly harsh periods of anxiety, pressure and stress, you can experience breast pain.

What causes it?  Research has found correlations between the impact of stress and estrogen levels, meaning that increased stress during a specific time during the menstrual cycle could cause excess discomfort.

What’s the treatment for stress related breast pain?  You simply have to remove stress from your life and get ample sleep each night! This was what my gynae told me.  However, we all know that it isn’t that simple.  Women have to find ways of managing anxiety, stress and invest in sufficient sleep each night.

Five Emotions that Affect Menstruation
There are five emotions that have a profound influence on women’s menstrual health:

1. Sadness and grief
2. Worry
3. Anger / Hatred
4. Fear
5. Guilt

If we allow our emotions to flow through us naturally and if only we could prevent the above five emotions from holding us ransom, we will be a happier, healthier and more content person.

On the other hand, if we allow ourselves to harbor negative emotions, these emotions will stagnate, knot, sink or rebel, causing various emotional and menstrual disharmonies.

As human beings, it is not easy to stop negative emotions from controlling our minds but it can be done through practice, meditation, prayers and talking about it with a good friend or loved one.