Holding a grudge is not good for health, this is the reason

Everyone has been hurt and hurt others. And sometimes it's hard to come to terms with the raging emotions and try to forgive them. In the end, the anger that has been latent makes us hold grudges.

Not many people know that holding grudges not only irritates us and damages relationships with those around us, but also causes emotional disturbances that can have an impact on health if it occurs for a long time.

Is that a grudge?

Resentment is a condition in which we want other people who do something wrong to us to receive retribution or the consequences of their mistakes. Instead of trying to better manage emotions by expressing anger appropriately and then forgiving, holding onto a grudge makes us perceive the person as a threat that causes feelings of stress or repeated trauma even though the actual incident has long since passed.

In fact, forgiving does not mean that we forget someone's mistakes and allow those mistakes to happen again. Forgiveness is a way to train our minds not to constantly perceive ourselves as victims and feel depressed because of the wrongs that have been done to us.

A little bit, over time it becomes a hill. So goes the saying, and this is also true of resentment in the heart. Over time, holding grudges affects brain function and overall mental health, which in turn also affects physical health.

The danger of holding a grudge for the health of the body

Here are some ways how holding a grudge can be bad for health:

1. Changing the structure of brain hormones

The brain is an organ that works when we think, communicate, and form social relationships with other people. This function is influenced by two hormones that are interrelated but can work opposite, namely the hormone cortisol and the hormone oxytocin. The hormone cortisol is usually released when we are under great mental stress, such as when holding a grudge. On the other hand, the hormone oxytocin is produced when we forgive and when we make peace with ourselves and others.

Both hormones are needed and the balance between them creates good stress (eustress) such as when working to achieve goals, as well as controlling bad stress (distress). The hormone cortisol is known as a dangerous hormone if it is produced continuously for a long time, because it not only affects the work of the central nervous system but also the work of other organs. Excess cortisol secretion also suppresses levels of the hormone oxytocin, which is needed for emotional and social health, such as the ability to maintain good relationships with partners or other people.

2. Trigger an unhealthy lifestyle

Holding grudges is linked to various chronic diseases. Severe stress stimulated by resentment triggers a person to pay less attention to his health condition. A study shows that temperamental conditions that result from holding a grudge make a person more likely to smoke and eat high-calorie junk food, both of which are risk factors for diabetes mellitus.

3. Increase the risk of heart damage

The buildup of negative emotions is known to be the cause of high blood pressure in a person, and this will be very dangerous for a long time.

As with the emergence of negative emotions, holding grudges for some time can make us always feel depressed and angry. Moreover, these repetitive mechanisms can increase the risk of heart disease. A research conducted by the American Heart Association has proven that harboring feelings of anger and resentment can trigger coronary heart disease which is preceded by high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.

4. Trigger disease with chronic pain

This stems from a conjecture which states that individuals who hold grudges are more likely to experience several medical conditions. A study conducted on a population in the United States showed that someone who held a grudge had a 50% higher chance of experiencing painful illnesses such as gastric ulceration, backaches and headaches. Researchers also concluded that holding grudges is related to the possibility of suffering from psychosomatic disorders.

5. Trigger premature aging

The mechanism of premature aging is related to the excess secretion of stress hormones that occurs when you hold grudges, causing depression and frustration. In addition to emotional disturbances, the body responds to excess stress by triggering premature aging due to changes in DNA chromosomes in the regeneration process for the formation of new cells, which triggers the biological aging of organs in the body more quickly. Conversely, by forgiving, the stress hormone produced becomes more controllable and minimized so that the stress response process can return to normal.