Emotional health preservation

The so-called emotions refer to the seven kinds of human feelings such as joy, anger, worry, pensiveness, sorrow, shock and fear. Any change in things has a dual nature; it can be beneficial to people as well as harmful to them. Similarly, changes in people's emotions and feelings have both advantages and disadvantages. Just as the "Record of Cultivating Nature and Prolonging Life" states: "Emotions are unpredictable, and excessive emotions can be harmful." The "Treatise on the Three Causes and One Disease Syndrome" officially lists joy, anger, worry, pensiveness, sorrow, fear and shock as internal causes of illness. However, under normal circumstances, the activities of the seven emotions play a coordinating role in the physiological functions of the body and do not cause disease. The seven emotions and six desires are inherent in everyone. Emotional activities are normal physiological phenomena of human beings and are protective responses to external and internal stimuli, which are beneficial to physical and mental health. In traditional Chinese medicine, human psychological activities are collectively referred to as "qingzhi" or "emotion". They are the comprehensive instinctive responses of the human body when people come into contact with and understand objective things. Reasonable mental health care is an important part of human health and holds significant value in life. It has been noticed by mankind since ancient times. As early as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods or even earlier, the various schools of thought had already made relatively incisive discourses. Among them, the chapter "Neiye" in "Guanzi" can be said to be the earliest specialized article discussing mental health. Inside, it is the heart. Karma is technique. Internal cultivation is the art of nourishing the heart. The Guanzi regards kindness, composure, completeness and magnanimity as the most ideal mental states and takes these as the standards for inner cultivation. Specifically, there are three points: The first is uprightness and tranquility, that is, the body should be upright and the mind should be calm. If this can be achieved, it will be beneficial to both the body and mind. The second is "Pingzheng", which means peace, moderation and uprightness. The opposite of "Pingzheng" is "joy, anger, worry and trouble". The third is to adhere to one principle, which means to concentrate wholeheartedly and not be disturbed by anything in the world, thus achieving peace of mind and body. Particularly worthy of attention is the "Huangdi Neijing", whose ideas on mental health care are far richer and more mature than those in the ancient Greek "Hippocratic Works". Looking at the Inner Classic as a whole, there are many incisive discussions on the social and psychological pathogenic factors and pathogenesis of physical and mental diseases, as well as on their diagnosis, prevention and treatment, and a certain theoretical system has been formed. For instance, in terms of the relationship between form and spirit, the Inner Classic has recognized that form gives birth to spirit and embodies spirit, and spirit can control form. Only when form and spirit are unified can one enjoy physical and mental health and enjoy a long life. It requires people to control their spirit and resist or get rid of the interference of bad social trends. In addition, the Inner Classic has made principle-based summaries on the close relationship between the mind and the body, the various classifications of individual psychological characteristics, the position of psychological factors in the occurrence and development of diseases, the significance of psychotherapy, and mental health for regulating the spirit and maintaining health, etc. It has put forward many valuable insights and is a precious resource for our research on emotional health care. In the preface of his "Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders and Miscellaneous Illnesses", Zhang Zhongjing, a renowned physician of the Han Dynasty, expounded on the significance of health preservation. At the same time, he blamed and denounced the doctors and people of the time for ignoring health preservation, claiming that it was "a global coma", "not sparing their lives", only knowing "chasing after prosperity and following the powerful", "focusing solely on fame and fortune", which was truly "glorifying the minor and neglecting the fundamental". He urged the world to value life and consolidate the foundation, which could be said to be "enlightening them with reason". "Move it with reason." It can be seen that at that time, Zhongjing had a deeper understanding of the impact of emotions on human health than the authors of the Inner Classic. During The Three Kingdoms period, the renowned physician Warren, undaunted by the threat of death, cured the governor Du's illness by using the therapy of provocation, which is recorded in the "History of the Later Han Dynasty" and is widely known. He also "knows the art of cultivating one's nature" and attaches great importance to mental health. Sun Simiao, a renowned physician of the Tang Dynasty, in his work "Thousand Gold Prescriptions", specifically proposed the theory of "nourishing one's nature". Not only did he collate the previous discussions on regulating the spirit and nourishing the heart before the Tang Dynasty, but he also put forward his own unique insights. For instance, the twelve less and twelve more in "Dao Lin Health Preservation" are further developments of the theory of emotional health preservation. In the Song Dynasty, Chen Wuzhe's "Treatise on the Three Causes and One Disease Syndrome" held that the stimulation of the seven emotions is one of the three major types of pathogenic factors, highlighting the significant role that psychological factors play in the occurrence and development of diseases. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the theory of mental health care made new developments and developed its own characteristics. For instance, the "Collection of Health Preservation Works" proposed that "nourishing the spirit comes first", meaning that although there are countless methods of health preservation, nourishing the spirit is the top priority. In terms of the relationship between sleep and spirit, it is believed that insomnia is related to emotions, and it is advocated that "the first way to fall asleep is to clear the mind." In the "Eight Notes on Zunsheng", it is also advocated to appreciate calligraphy and paintings, the four Treasures of the study, various flowers, and activities such as sightseeing and mountain climbing to cultivate the spirit. It is indeed the theoretical source of the current perspective on tourism and mountain climbing for physical and mental health, and still provides us with methodological enlightenment to this day. In recent years, the idea of mental health care in traditional Chinese medicine has gradually drawn people's attention. The World Health Organization defines health as not merely the absence of disease, but also "the state of physical, mental and social well-being of an individual". As "humanity has entered an extraordinary era of emotional burden", psychosomatic disorders caused by mental factors have become common and prevalent diseases in contemporary society. The changes in the current disease spectrum fully demonstrate the wide spread of mental disorders. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and malignant tumors have become the main threats to people's health and lives, and the occurrence of these diseases is closely related to social and psychological factors. Therefore, emotional health care must be given due attention and should not be taken lightly.