When we think of our environment, we may think about the air we breathe, the water we drink, or the soil that nourishes our food. We survive by either consuming resources from our natural environment or by consuming the animals that eat from our natural resources. Ahh, the circle of life! In this way, we are all linked to our natural environment. But additionally, we are also connected to our man-made environments that encompass our economic and social surroundings. If the conditions of this interconnection are harmful, they can negatively affect our health. This disruption is known as Environmental Pollution.
Pollution is commonly thought of as chemical substances (toxic waste) or energy (noise, heat, or light.) However, Environmental Pollution can also take the form of Emotional and Nutritional Pollutants. These are found within our immediate environment that can create a somewhat invisible toxin. They disrupt our vital energy and block our positive energy flow, pollute our bodies and contribute to chronic illness/disease.
Emotional Pollutants
Negative communication in a conversation, email, or social media can create negative feelings that pollute our vital and mental bodies. Emotional stress can also stem from negative self-talk where we have become our own worst enemy. In this way, our social and personal environments can become contaminated with emotional pollution.
Negative thoughts create a negative reality that causes physical illness and disease. For instance, watching the news or worrying about uncertainties that are out of our control, will create unnecessary stress and anxiety. If this negative reality becomes chronic, toxins will eventually build up in our bodies. Even overloading our daily schedules with to-do lists and rushing through the day can cause emotional stress. Stress causes us to release chemicals such as dopamine, epinephrine and, norepinephrine. The result is sleep deprivation and metabolic distress associated with mood swings, weight gain, and other biological disturbances.
“Emotions are more contagious than bacteria and viruses.”
~ Uma Goswami
Our environment may also include our workplace or home. Does the daily environment at work or at home ignite joy and happiness or is it hostile or stagnant?
Our immediate environment may be ‘polluted’ and preventing us from personal growth. If we live or work around stressed-out, stuffy or angry people, these negative vibes can transfer into our energy field and suck the positive energy right out of us. Even though we consciously try to put the positive back in, the daily exposure to a negative environment will eventually wear us down. The struggle with this negative energy can take our focus off of creating for our higher purpose. Our creative energy then becomes blocked. We may feed this blocked, frustrated feeling with food, alcohol, or drugs as a way to cope. Whatever the vice, blocked energy can manifest into illness/disease.
Nutritional Pollutants
With our busy lifestyles, we depend on stimulants to keep up the pace and use alcohol, pills, or other means to help us unwind. For example, food manufacturers are making coffee with 2x the amount of caffeine in 1 cup. Young kids (13-15 year-olds) are drinking energy drinks before school. Athletes use stimulants to stay ‘on their game’ or to get motivation for another training session. On the other hand, CBD oils, marijuana, and prescription sleep aids are the norm to bring us back down. So although some of these may appear to be healthy, the toxin build-up will eventually take a toll on the body.
Likewise, processed foods pollute our bodies with preservatives/chemicals. Dairy from cows being fed synthetic hormones to produce more milk will also transfer to us once consumed.
A great example is ‘angry beef’ and how the unpleasant environment of raising massive numbers of cows and chickens can transfer to our own vital bodies. While we cannot control everything and live a perfect purely organic life, there are plenty of things we can control by making better choices.
Practice protection against environmental pollution with Mind/Body techniques. Meditation, yoga/qigong/tai chi, and biofeedback teach us how to slow down and become aware, tune in to nature and connect with our surroundings.
Grit & Grace