The word "balming" refers to the act of soothing or calming, often in regard to physical or emotional pain. Its antonyms include words that connote agitation, unrest, or discomfort. Some of these words might include agitating, disturbing, upsetting, riling, vexing, or irritating. Other antonyms might include words that relate more specifically to emotional states, such as distressing, troubling, unsettling, or disquieting. Whatever the antonyms might be, they all serve to highlight the recognition that there is often a opposite or complementary force at play in our experience of the world - one that can either soothe or agitate, comfort or unsettle, depending on the circumstances.