It's so important to realize that every time you get upset, it

In the tumultuous flow of life, we are often swept away by the waves of emotion—anger, frustration, and impatience. Joyce Meyer’s words, “It's so important to realize that every time you get upset, it drains your emotional energy. Losing your cool makes you tired. Getting angry a lot messes with your health,” speak to a universal truth that transcends time: anger and negative emotions sap not only our energy but also our well-being. These words reflect an ancient wisdom, one that teaches us the importance of mastering our emotions in order to maintain balance and health in our lives. When we lose control over our emotions, we not only harm our peace of mind, but also our physical health.

The ancients understood the connection between emotion and health. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, spoke of the balance of humors and how emotional turmoil could upset the body’s equilibrium, leading to sickness. His teachings suggested that the mind and body were deeply interconnected—that emotional stress could manifest as physical illness. In fact, the very roots of modern psychology are intertwined with the ancient understanding that the state of the mind directly influences the state of the body. Meyer’s words echo this ancient wisdom, as she reminds us that uncontrolled anger and upset drain our emotional resources, leaving us weakened in mind and body.

Similarly, the great Stoics of Rome, such as Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, taught that mastery over one's emotions was the key to inner peace and strength. Seneca, in his letters and essays, often wrote about the danger of allowing emotions like anger to dictate one’s actions. He understood that when we succumb to such emotions, we surrender our peace and clarity to them. For the Stoics, a calm mind was the foundation of wisdom and health, and they argued that allowing anger to rule us was not only unwise but harmful to our very being. In line with Meyer’s wisdom, the Stoics understood that the energy we expended in anger would never lead to growth, only to exhaustion and discontent.

In modern history, the story of Abraham Lincoln offers a powerful example of how anger and emotional turmoil can erode health and hinder leadership. As President during the Civil War, Lincoln faced immense stress and pressure, yet he was often praised for his ability to maintain a calm demeanor in the face of immense challenges. It is said that Lincoln would carefully measure his words and emotions, taking time to reflect before responding to provocation. In his later years, however, the weight of his decisions, combined with the emotional toll of the war, took a great physical toll on him. His health deteriorated under the constant strain, illustrating how emotional stress can manifest in physical decline. Lincoln’s ability to maintain his composure, despite the overwhelming stress of his office, allowed him to lead effectively, but even he could not escape the toll that emotional exhaustion takes on the body.

The lesson embedded in Meyer’s words is one of profound importance: anger and emotional turbulence are not just damaging to our minds but to our bodies as well. Every time we allow ourselves to be swept away by frustration, we spend our precious emotional energy, leaving us drained and vulnerable to illness. Just as a warrior exhausts himself in battle, we too exhaust our inner resources when we lose our cool. And in the modern world, where stress and pressure are constant companions, we must learn the art of emotional self-regulation—not just for our own peace of mind, but for the sake of our health.

The ancients and modern thinkers alike have shown that the key to well-being is not in the absence of challenge or adversity, but in our ability to approach life’s trials with calmness and clarity. Mindfulness, a practice that has roots in ancient wisdom, teaches us to observe our emotions without being swept away by them. By cultivating an attitude of detachment from the storm of anger, we can learn to respond with reason rather than reaction. This emotional mastery allows us to preserve our energy, protect our health, and maintain our inner peace in the face of life’s inevitable challenges.

In our own lives, we must take heed of this ancient wisdom. When faced with stress and anger, let us pause and reflect before we act. Let us cultivate an awareness of our emotions and their impact on our physical and mental well-being. In doing so, we will protect not only our health but our ability to live wisely and with integrity. By choosing to maintain our cool, we reclaim our energy and empower ourselves to face life with strength, resilience, and grace.