What This Article Covers
- Why self-worth is the foundation of emotional and physical health
- How stress and suppressed emotion impact immunity
- Three powerful ways to rebuild your “soul’s immune system”
- EFT tapping to release emotional fatigue and restore self-worth
- How daily acts of joy and forgiveness strengthen resilience
Do You Ever Find Yourself Tolerating Things You Know You Shouldn’t?
- Maybe you wish your partner would help more, but it’s easier not to ask.
- Maybe you fantasize about quitting your job or starting something new—but the voice that says, “Who do you think you are?” keeps winning.
- Maybe you want to eat differently, move your body, or take better care of yourself—but somehow, you can’t get yourself to follow through.
You’re not weak. You’re depleted.
And here’s the truth most women never hear:
Your self-worth functions like an immune system for your soul.
When Worth Runs Low
When your sense of worth is low, it’s like having a slow, invisible infection draining your energy and joy. You can’t quite pinpoint it—but you feel it. You stop smiling as much, tolerate what used to break your heart, and quietly lose your spark.
And it doesn’t just affect your spirit—it affects your body.
Chronic emotional stress—especially from guilt, resentment, and self-neglect—has been shown to suppress immune function and raise inflammation.
Research from the University of Pittsburgh and UCLA found that negative emotional states and perceived social disconnection can increase inflammatory markers like interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein while lowering immune defenses.
In simple terms: when we internalize stress or suppress emotion, our immune system takes the hit. And just like your physical immune system, your soul’s immune system—your sense of worth—weakens from constant stress, self-judgment, and lack of nourishment.
Healing the Soul’s Immune System
Here are three powerful ways to begin strengthening your worth and resilience from the inside out. Think of them as nutrients for your emotional immunity.
1. Forgiveness Is Zinc for the Soul
Unforgiveness—especially toward ourselves—is one of the biggest depletions of inner vitality.
Ask yourself:
- Who or what am I still holding resentment toward?
Often, the answer is ourselves.
Forgiveness is complicated in the event of abuse of any kind. In those cases, focus only on forgiving yourself. It’s not about excusing harm—it’s about freeing your body from carrying it.
When it comes to emotional or physical abuse, it’s imperative to stop forgiving the abuser and allowing them access to your life. Dr. Peter Salerno’s work in Traumatic Cognitive Dissonance highlights this beautifully.
EFT tapping can help release the root causes of self-blame. As stress hormones decline, the immune system rebounds. Research shows self-compassion and forgiveness practices lower cortisol and reduce inflammation.
2. Let Go of What Makes You Sick
Anything that consistently drains your energy is lowering your immunity—emotionally and physically.
- Toxic relationships
- Overwork
- Daily frustrations you “put up with”
These all train your nervous system to stay in fight-or-flight.
If you can change it, do it.
If you can’t, release it through tapping, prayer, or boundary work.
Every act of self-honoring is an immune boost to your worth.
3. Choose Joy Like It’s Medicine
Joy is selenium for the spirit—rare, essential, and deeply protective.
Most women nurture everyone else first, leaving joy for “someday.” But joy is not optional—it’s biological protection.
Positive emotions increase salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA), one of the body’s first immune defenses.
So yes:
- Dance
- Sing
- Create
- Ride your horse
- Take that pottery class
Joy tells your body: I am safe. I am alive. I am worthy.
🌿 Tapping to Strengthen Your Worth (and Your Soul’s Immunity)
When our self-worth drops, so does our resilience—emotionally and physically.
This tapping round helps you release self-criticism, resentment, and emotional fatigue so your body and spirit can recalibrate.
Before you begin:
- Take a deep breath.
- Notice where you feel tension in your body.
- Rate your current feeling of “unworthiness” or exhaustion on a scale of 0–10.
Then gently tap through each point while speaking the following statements aloud:
| Tapping Point | Affirmation |
|---|---|
| Karate Chop (side of hand) | Even though I’ve been feeling drained, like I’m not enough, I deeply and completely accept myself. |
| Even though I’ve been carrying too much—emotionally and physically—I’m open to releasing what no longer serves me. | |
| Even though I sometimes forget my worth, I’m ready to remember who I am. | |
| Eyebrow | I’ve been holding on to stress for so long. |
| Side of Eye | It’s been weighing me down and dimming my light. |
| Under Eye | Part of me still believes I have to earn my worth. |
| Under Nose | But that’s just an old story I’m ready to let go of. |
| Chin | My body knows how to heal when I stop fighting myself. |
| Collarbone | It’s safe to rest. It’s safe to receive. |
| Under Arm | Every breath reminds me that I’m already enough. |
| Top of Head | I am releasing what weakens me and reclaiming what strengthens me—peace, love, and worth. |
Take a slow breath in and out.
Place your hand over your heart and say softly:
My worth is my medicine. When I honor myself, I heal.
You may notice your body softening, your breath deepening, or even a sense of lightness. That’s your nervous system shifting out of fight-or-flight and into healing.
Repeat this process daily or whenever your self-worth dips—it’s one of the simplest ways to reset your emotional and physical immunity.
The Emotional Immune Bucket
Just as toxins, poor diet, and lack of rest weaken your body’s defenses, emotional toxicity fills up your inner bucket until it spills over into symptoms like:
- Fatigue
- Cravings
- Anxiety
- Disconnection
You can empty that bucket—gently, one healing act at a time:
- Forgive
- Release what drains you
- Feed yourself joy
Each act of self-love strengthens your worth—and when your worth is strong, your life, your health, and your immunity rise with it.
Unload the bucket, beautiful.
Feel your worth.
You were never meant to live half-alive.