Fear Can Stunt Your Growth

Fear is everywhere. These days, everyone is afraid of being judged. They’re afraid of losing their friends, afraid of losing their businesses, or they’re afraid of losing their jobs.  

What are you afraid of?

Fear is a strong, often repressed emotion. You can put it to the side or try to hide it, but it’s always there to affect the decisions and actions you take in life. It is experienced when you are faced with a dangerous situation and when you are powerless to get rid of it.

Fear causes excessive panic which leads to psychological pressures.  Uncontrollable fear will destroy the balance of yin-yang. It will destroy the balance of your relationships.  Some of us have started to become distant with friends.  We’ve experienced difficulty in gathering together with family because of the positions we take in life.  

Do you feel there is no unity and only division in your life?

Many studies have found that long-term fear can induce such things as anxiety, hypochondria, depression, and other emotions. Fear affects the neuro-endocrine-immune system. It has an impact on your growth and development, your respiratory function, digestive system, and all sorts of mental and emotional activities.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, fear can injure your kidneys, which can induce all sorts of diseases or susceptibilities to disease. How does fear injure your kidneys? According to Chinese medicine, the kidneys control water. Within water, the kidney receives and stores what Chinese doctors call Jing.

What is Jing?

It is the body’s essence.

Your body’s essence is naturally pure and calm.  But constant fear without relief will damage your body’s essence. This damage will cause weakness of bones and exhaustion of Yang Chi. Yang Chi is energy that is growing, expanding, ascending, warming, and light. This makes sense because the kidney stores essence and produces marrow in the main bone, which plays a role in promoting growth and development.

If your kidney essence is disturbed, then the bone will be malnourished. Fear also leads to Chi deficiency. When excessive fear causes your Chi to drain, then there is an imbalance and the internal organs lose nourishment resulting in various abnormalities of the heart, liver, spleen and lungs.

The ancient Taoists spoke of the kidneys as the source of life.  Today, we describe water as the source of life. The kidneys are associated with the water element. If the water is contaminated, then the kidneys are going to be weak. Weak kidneys will lead to a weak body and to you feeling constantly exhausted.

If your kidneys are not functioning properly, then your chi will not flow effectively in your body. Kidney health is also associated with your adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys. These glands are responsible for handling stress positively, maintaining healthy blood pressure, and most importantly, giving you energy to act.

Remember in Chinese medicine, the mind and the body are not separate entities. Meaning, too much stress in your mind will deplete your body’s essence. Your kidneys’ essence will be scattered, leading to greater levels of fear and anxiety.

How do you take care of your kidneys and tap into the source of vitality?

In a previous post, I talked about reducing stress in daily life which serves to preserve the function of your adrenal glands. If managing your stress wasn’t hard enough to do, now you are being asked to face your fears in this blog post.

Let me first say that there are many ways to reduce anxiety and fear with modern medicine. You can always pop a pill. There are other things you can do such as relaxation training. There is self-suggestion or self-hypnosis, and also something called cognitive behavioral therapy.

Then, there are some things you can do based on traditional Chinese medicine.

There are intervention measures in Chinese medicine which are based on concepts, such as “the unity of human being and nature”, the integration of body and spirit. 

The unity of human beings and nature is part of ancient Chinese philosophy, which emphasizes the harmonious order of life. The relationship between you, nature, earth, and heaven is one that is congruous and encompasses all of life.  You are one with all things in nature, and the idea is that once you identify with that concept, everything will be alright. You are united, not divided.

Traditional Chinese Medicine includes such treatments as acupuncture, behavioral therapy, and emotional therapy. They are worth considering because their treatments of fear have no side effects or fewer side effects than taking a pill. You might say these are more natural treatments involving energy healing or holistic medicine.

They are based on very simplistic methods, and only require your time to explore them.

Internal Kidney Exercise Video

Let’s do a quick internal exercise.  Internal exercises are effortless in nature. Anybody can do them. They are so simple that you wouldn’t believe they actually work.

Let’s stimulate the adrenal glands and your kidneys, which are directly behind the small of your back.

1. Rub your hands together vigorously to get the energy flowing into your palms and fingers.

2. Place your palms on the small of your back and keep your body slightly tilted forward. Feel the energy and heat flowing from your hands, into your back, and into your kidneys.

3. Massage the small of your back by rubbing up and down your back, then go in a circular motion, moving your arms and hands across your back.

4. Make two fists and hit the small of your back with the back of your hands. Pummel the area softly for a few seconds.

5. Repeat the rubbing and pummeling action. Repeat several times or more if time permits.

My main tip for this exercise is to do this exercise in the morning because you want to get your energy going. Gather your energy in the kidney areas to start your day.  Use your mind to direct energy through your kidneys.

By practicing this exercise, you will strengthen, energize and heal your kidneys and adrenals. 

Here’s the thing: Instead of sitting in fear, watching the crisis unfold, and giving in to panic, strengthen your prevention ability and defensive measures by doing Tai Chi. Practice meditation. Concentrate your mind and direct it towards the lower abdomen, which is the region of the kidneys.

Take the time and do that kind of work.  Do an internal exercise and practice. Spend some time with your kidneys. 

What are other ways to help you face your fears? Start by taking an ONLINE TAI CHI CLASS with me today.