What has taken place in your body is that when you thought you were in danger a series of chemicals were released from your endocrine system, adrenaline and epinephrine which trigger the release of a hormone that triggers the release of approximately 30 other hormones that prepare your body to fight or take flight.
The point I want to make here is that all this reaction began with a thought. Your outer man is along for the ride. Our brain almost always functions as it has been created to: reflecting our hidden inner thoughts.
The brain is an organ, it serves the body. It is like the hard disk drive of the body. It constantly is receiving information, taking in data and converting it through amazingly complex series of chemicals and electrical impulses into vision, smells, motions, and sounds the body makes.
You may have heard someone say about an elderly person, “they just gave up their will to live.” This is an example of the brain following the inner thoughts of a person, it is the brain carrying out the desire of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 says “the word of God is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Sometimes our feelings result from a combination of physiological problems and /or our interpretation of them. It is true that certain medications/illness/injury/constant pain can cause uncomfortable emotional feelings.
A personal example of this would be my own mom. In the last 3 years she has gone from an independent, active woman will all her abilities and zero restrictions to someone who cannot see from AMD, is in constant pain from arthritis of the spine, and has lost all freedom and independence due to this and to being on oxygen 24/7. Before this recent hospitalization she went to the store and the doctor and the senior center for lunch and that was pretty much it. Currently, she goes no where.
She has many sad feelings. She also has anxious feelings. She is fearful she will go completely blind, afraid she is going to be alone, and the constant pain is wearing and frankly depressing. She has genuine physiological issues that cause uncomfortable and sad feelings in several areas.
Lack of sleep, too much or too little food, over-work/ and lack of exercise can also cause a depressed mood. Have you noticed that if you are not well rested your mood can be affected? Tired people are cranky people.
Add to that our Hormone levels that vary from day to day.Ladies notice this more than men I suppose, but believe me guys, we notice it in you! We have constant hormonal changes in our bodies throughout the day. And these changes can affect our feelings and moods. This is one reason we cannot allow our decisions to be made based on feelings.
Certain chemicals can cause change in mood, i.e. caffeine/sugar/alcohol. If you overindulge in any of these things, you will experience results. If you make overindulging in any of them a lifestyle the physiological effects become obvious as well as the emotional responses to the abuse.
Now, here is the point that is most often abused: In very rare instances the body can malfunction and cause the brain to release mood altering chemicals into the bloodstream causing moods that don’t correspond with thoughts or circumstances.
Next time: Chemical Imbalances