Viewing the Five Elements diagram as a sort of tensegrity structure, we can see that the state of each element affects the state of all of the other elements. When each of the elements is in a normal state, the generating and controlling sequences are balanced, and the structure is stable. However, if one or more of the elements is in an abnormal state of excess or deficiency, then the sequences are unbalanced, and the structure is unstable. For example, stress causes the Liver (Wood) to enter a