📖 Introduction

Emotional stress, suppressed anger, anxiety, family pressure, and unresolved emotional pain can gradually affect both physical and mental health. Even during periods of life that are supposed to feel joyful — such as newly married life — many people silently carry overwhelming emotional burdens inside.

This meditation testimonial shares the story of Young-ran B., a newlywed homemaker who began struggling with severe emotional stress and hwabyeong, a Korean illness associated with suppressed anger and emotional pain.

Although her husband was loving and supportive, unresolved family trauma, anxiety about pregnancy, emotional pressure, perfectionism, and years of internal stress caused her health to deteriorate severely. Daily headaches, gastritis, emotional exhaustion, and constant anxiety made life feel unbearable.

Through meditation and deep self-reflection, however, she gradually learned how to let go of emotional burdens, anxiety, guilt, dissatisfaction, and suppressed stress. As her mind became peaceful, both her emotional wellbeing and physical condition improved naturally.

This meditation testimonial beautifully illustrates how emotional healing, inner peace, stress relief, gratitude, and letting go of suppressed emotions can completely transform one’s life and relationships.

💬 Meditation Testimonial: “A Young Newlywed’s Journey of Overcoming Suppressed Anger and Emotional Stress”

By Young-ran B. | Homemaker

I began practicing this meditation about two months after getting married.

For most people, the honeymoon period is supposed to be sweet and exciting, so naturally people might wonder:

“Why would a newlywed suddenly start meditation? Was there a problem with her husband?”

At the time, my husband was still a student, and I was running a small art tutoring studio by myself in a space barely larger than about 460 sq ft.

But honestly, there was no major problem in our marriage.

My husband was incredibly kind, devoted, and caring toward me.

🌧️ “There Was No Place in the World Where My Heart Could Rest”

The real issue began before marriage.

Several painful events happened in my family all at once, and the emotional shock and stress were overwhelming.

After that, my health deteriorated severely.

Even though I was still young, I was diagnosed with hwabyeong — a Korean illness caused by suppressed emotional stress and anger.

It constantly felt as though a heavy burden was pressing down on my head and shoulders.

I suffered daily from headaches and stress-induced gastritis.

At the time, people even gave me a nickname:

“Haeng-si.”

It meant something worse than a “walking hospital patient” — essentially “a walking corpse.”

That was how terrible my condition had become.

Marriage did not immediately improve things.

Because my husband was two years younger than me, my in-laws constantly worried about whether we would be able to have children.

Since I was already extremely sensitive to stress, I became consumed by anxiety:

  • “What if I fail to meet their expectations?”
  • “What if I cannot become pregnant?”

Every night I lost sleep worrying endlessly.

Little by little, both my body and mind became even more exhausted.

I had been religious since childhood and practiced my faith sincerely.

But despite that, my heart still felt unbearably heavy.

I felt trapped.

It honestly seemed there was nowhere in the world where my heart could truly rest.

Then one day, by chance, I came across a book about this meditation.

And something inside me desperately wanted to throw away the unbearable heaviness I had been carrying.

So I immediately went to a meditation center.

🌿 After Finding Peace of Mind, Even My Painful Past Became Something to Be Grateful For

I was the type of person who held onto everything emotionally, so there was a lot inside me to let go of.

Because of that, it took time.

At times, it felt like an intense battle against myself.

But gradually, the hwabyeong began disappearing.

And slowly, I became more peaceful and happier.

As I came to understand my true nature, the suffocating pressure inside me disappeared too.

It felt as though my chest had finally opened.

All my life I had pressured myself to live perfectly and properly.

And whenever I made even a small mistake, I tortured myself with guilt for days.

Now I could finally escape from that suffering.

I also became free from my obsession and anxiety about having children.

And as those burdens disappeared naturally, my body began improving too.

Because I truly felt I had nowhere else to turn, I devoted myself wholeheartedly to this meditation.

Then, only seven months after beginning practice, something unexpected happened:

I became pregnant.

People told me meditation would also help with prenatal care, so I continued practicing steadily throughout pregnancy.

And eventually I gave birth naturally to a healthy son in only three hours.

My friends were shocked.

I had once been someone constantly visiting hospitals.

Yet somehow I had transformed into someone who gave birth easily.

When I had my second son, the delivery took only thirty minutes.

☀️ From “Barely Surviving” to Truly Loving Life

Now I joke that I’m a tough mother raising two energetic boys.

Looking back, I actually feel grateful for all the painful years I went through.

Because without those difficult times, I never would have arrived where I am today.

And honestly, my circumstances back then were not objectively the worst.

The problem was that I myself had trapped my mind inside dissatisfaction and suffering.

Now my heart has completely changed.

My friends sometimes ask me:

“You used to be so frugal. How can you spend so much time and effort on meditation without feeling it’s wasteful?”

And I always answer:

“Because it holds a value far greater than money.”

And I truly mean that.

After all, my life transformed from:

“A life where I survived because I couldn’t die…”

into:

“A life where I genuinely love each day I live.”

How could that ever feel like a waste?