In traditional Chinese medicine, people's psychological activities are collectively called emotions or emotions, which is a comprehensive reflection of people's instinct when they contact and know objective things. Reasonable mental health care is an important part of human health and has important life value, which has been valued by human beings since ancient times. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period or even earlier, a hundred schools of thought contended and had a more incisive exposition. Among them, Internal Strength in Guanzi is the earliest monograph on mental health. Inside, it is the heart; Industry is art, and so is the art of nourishing the heart in the industry. "Guanzi" regards kindness, centering, wholehearted and big heart as the most ideal psychological state, and regards these as the standard of internal cultivation. Specifically speaking, it is three points: First, being calm, that is, being upright in body and being calm in mind. If this can be done, it will be beneficial to the body and mind; The second is justice, which is justice in peacetime. The opposite of justice is "emotions". The third is to keep one, that is, to concentrate, not to be disturbed by anything, and to be happy physically and mentally.

Especially noteworthy is Huangdi Neijing, whose mental health care thought is much richer and more mature than Hippocrates in ancient Greece. Looking at Neijing again, there are many incisive expositions on the socio-psychological pathogenic factors and pathogenesis of physical and mental diseases, as well as the diagnosis and prevention of physical and mental diseases, forming a certain theoretical system. For example, in terms of the relationship between form and spirit, Neijing has already realized that form and spirit are born together, which contains god. God can shape and combine form and spirit, so that people can be physically and mentally healthy and enjoy life, and people are required to restrain themselves and resist or get rid of the interference of bad social atmosphere. In addition, Neijing also summarizes the close relationship between psychology and physiology, the classification of individual psychological characteristics, the position of psychological factors in the occurrence and development of diseases, the significance of psychotherapy, and the psychological health of adjusting mentality and taking care of life. , put forward many valuable opinions, which are valuable materials for our research on emotional health care.

Zhang Zhongjing, a famous doctor in Han Dynasty, talked about the importance of health preservation in Preface to Treatise on Febrile Diseases. At the same time, he accused and denounced those doctors and people who neglected health care, which was a "worldwide coma" and "regardless of life". He only knows that "glory should be pursued, fame and fortune should serve", which is really "glory will eventually abandon this" and persuade the world to pay attention to life. It can be seen that Zhongjing has a deeper understanding of the influence of emotion on human health than the author of Neijing.

Hua Tuo, a famous doctor in the Three Kingdoms, was not afraid of being killed, and his deeds of treating satrap's disease with anger were widely known in the records of the later Han Dynasty. He also "knows the art of self-cultivation" and attaches importance to mental health.

Sun Simiao, a famous doctor in the Tang Dynasty, put forward the theory of "nourishing nature" in his book "Thousand Women", which not only sorted out the discussion about regulating the mind and nourishing the heart before the Tang Dynasty, but also put forward his own unique views, such as "keeping in good health in Daolin is twelve less and twelve more", which are the further development of the theory of emotional health care.

In Song Dynasty, Chen Wuxuan's "Three Causes and One Disease Syndrome Prescription" holds that seven emotional stimuli are one of the three major pathogenic factors, which highlights the important role of psychological factors in the occurrence and development of diseases.

Zhang, one of the four great masters in the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, attached great importance to psychotherapy in his book The Scholars, made a deep study on the treatment method of "winning with emotion" in Neijing, and created intentional treatment methods such as "learning to be calm".

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the theory of mental health care had new development and characteristics. For example, it is put forward in the book "Death Collection" that although there are tens of thousands of maintenance methods, mental health care is the first. In the relationship between sleep and spirit, it is pointed out that insomnia is related to emotion, and it is advocated that "the method of sleep is to clear the heart" Eight Chapters of Respect for Life also advocates the appreciation of calligraphy and painting, Four Treasures of the Study, various flower viewing, sightseeing, mountaineering and other activities to cultivate the spirit, which is actually the theoretical source of today's tourism and mountaineering to strengthen the body, and still gives us methodological enlightenment.

In recent years, the mental health care thought of traditional Chinese medicine has gradually attracted people's attention. The definition of health by the World Health Organization is that health is not only the absence of disease, but also a "state of personal physical, mental and social integrity". Because "mankind has entered an era of extraordinary emotional burden", psychosomatic diseases caused by mental factors in contemporary society have become common frequently-occurring diseases and epidemics in human society. At present, the change of disease spectrum can fully explain the universality of mental illness. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and malignant tumors have become the main diseases threatening people's health and life, and the occurrence of these diseases is closely related to social and psychological factors. Therefore, emotional health care must be taken seriously and cannot be taken lightly.