Mind Body Connection
The mind body connection is a way to describe the impact of mental and emotional health on our physical health. In our “see-it-to-believe-it” society, the body is often viewed as a separate entity and our health purely a biological function of the human machine. Slowly, this mindset is being chipped away as we see the adverse effects of stress, anxiety, and other negative emotions on our health. We also see the healing aspects of happiness, prayer, and positivity on bodily illnesses. A relatively new addition to Western medicine is psychoneuroimmunology, which focuses on how psychological processes are related to the nervous and immune systems of the body. Psychoneuroimmunology is, in essence, the scientific study of the mind body connection.
Our emotions and physical health are inextricably linked. Think of a time when you felt joy. How did your body feel? Light, balanced, healthy, energetic. Now think of a time when you felt great sadness. Your body responded by feeling heavy, slow, achy. This is the mind body connection at work. Our bodies are signaling to us that our emotions are awry and need attention. We often respond more actively to bodily pains, so this is our mind’s way of seeking help for its ailments. We may experience back or neck pain, headache, weight loss or gain, chest pain, lethargy, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, or any number of other physical complaints when we have unresolved emotions begging for attention. When left unattended, relatively minor problems can escalate, causing serious damage to our bodies as well as our psyches.
When we cope with emotions in healthy ways, we establish balanced energy, which feeds our bodies as well as our spirits. No longer turning to alcohol, food, or drugs, we can enhance our minds and bodies through exercise, art, nutrition, writing, or other beneficial pursuits. The mind body connection is extremely powerful and can contribute to serious illness or heal serious illness. It depends on the balance you seek to create in your life and energy centers. Establishing a strong mind body connection is important for overall health and emotional wellness. Being mindful of this connection helps us choose and create health.
