Soul Sustenance

Effects Of Mental Stress On The Body

We are all somewhat aware about the effects of mental stress on the body. But, when one becomes emotionally disturbed, why is organic illness in the body not seen immediately? This is because if organic illness followed every emotional disturbance, we would become alert and pay great attention to our thoughts, feelings, attitude, etc. Rather, the organic illness by itself would have taught us the great lesson of the need to retain emotional balance. In fact, our body has a large amount of reserve capacity. For example, our heart possesses four to six times more capacity than the minimum required. Thus only when the capacity of the heart is reduced four to six times below normal do we suffer heart failure. Likewise, a good surgeon can remove twelve feet of the small intestine out of the twenty-two feet of its normal length without harming digestion. In the same way, he can remove one kidney without reducing the normal performance. Our bone marrow can increase the production of red blood cells almost seven times its normal capacity whenever required. The fact is, then, every emotional disturbance does cause negative changes in the body and reduces the attacked organ's reserve capacity. But only when all of our organic reserve is depleted do we suffer from visible organic diseases (clinical cases). The process of depletion of reserve capacity may take many years before clinical cases are seen. In this way, psychological stress acts as a slow poison, harming the body very gradually.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris