12/29/2025
In Chinese Medicine, each organ system carries a resonant emotional quality that supports its optimal function.
Cultivating these positive emotions in our lives can be a vehicle through which we can balance and strengthen the corresponding organ systems.
The reverse is also true: when an organ system is functioning optimally, we are often more naturally inclined to experience those same positive emotions.
Here is a simple breakdown of these organ-emotion connections:
🌱 Liver
Weakened by: anger, frustration, rage, internal tension
Strengthened by: happiness, ease, emotional fluidity
🌱 Spleen, Stomach, and Pancreas
Weakened by: worry, overthinking, rumination
Strengthened by: peace, presence, groundedness
🌱 Lungs and Colon
Weakened by: grief, heaviness, holding on
Strengthened by: contentment, openness, the ability to release and let go
🌱 Kidneys
Weakened by: fear, chronic stress, depletion
Strengthened by: gratitude, trust, inner nourishment (‘filling your cup’)
🌱 Heart
Weakened by: excess stimulation, loneliness, emotional disconnection
Strengthened by: joy, warmth, meaningful connection
While it is often far easier said than done to cultivate these positive emotions, there is value in recognizing that they can be practiced, much like any other skill. Even dedicating five to ten minutes a day to ‘practice’ a positive emotion can begin to shift how the body and mind relate to one another, and to the world at large.
It is equally important to remember that difficult emotions are part of being human. The goal is not to erase them or push them away, but to acknowledge them, feel them, and then, where possible, consciously choose a more supportive emotion to guide the system back toward balance.
Which positive emotion can you practice for five to ten minutes today?
www.DrBrianLum.com
