law of conservation of energy

There are many laws in physics. The Law of Conservation of Energy is one; are you familiar with it? Here’s a quick physics lesson:

The law of conservation of energy is an empirical law of physics. It states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant over time (is said to be conserved over time). A consequence of this law is that energy can neither be created nor destroyed: it can only be transformed from one state to another. The only thing that can happen to energy in a closed system is that it can change form: for instance chemical energy can become kinetic energy.

– Princeton.edu

In essence, the law is saying that energy doesn’t just go away, it must go somewhere. We witness energy changing forms all the time. For example, the brakes on a car slow the movement of the turning wheel creating heat (transforming kinetic energy into thermal energy).

What if the law of conservation of energy also applied to emotional energy?

What becomes of stored anger (resentment)? Or accumulated fear (anxiety)? Maybe repressed emotion is a form of storing the energy, which ultimately will need to go somewhere. If not released through an intentional outlet (exercise, creative expression, etc.), maybe that energy is released slowly over time by critical, resentment laced comments, or passive-aggressive behaviors.

This idea also makes me wonder about the impact on the human body of storing repressed emotional energy. Could repressed emotional energy contribute to hypertension, headaches, IBS, depression, etc.

Leave a Comment