The Connection – Body and Mind

I’d like to share a couple examples of the connection between our bodies and minds. I just read a recent study out of the University of California-Davis School of Medicine that suggested a connection between physical pain and mental health. Results of the study revealed that the amount of physical pain people with osteoarthritis experience is related to their mental health. So, people with better overall mental health felt less pain than those with worse mental health. At first you may think, “well, people have different tolerance levels for pain.” While this certainly may be true, the researchers tried to mitigate the influence of such factors in their research design (I won’t bore you with all those details). The researchers concluded that mental health treatment could improve the physical pain of osteoarthritis.

In a recent review of numerous studies related to the use of exercise for those suffering from anxiety and/or depression, researchers found that exercise helps alleviate many symptoms of anxiety and depression. Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas stated that “Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their feelings of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing.”

Both of these examples show how the state of our mental and emotional health can actually improve (or worsen) our physical health; and the state of our physical health can improve (or worsen) our mental and emotional health. This clearly speaks to the value of healing both your mind and your body if you want to achieve an overall state of wellbeing.

So, what happens when you are already addressing one of these elements (either your body or mind), but are still feeling stuck in the other? For example, you may already have a healthy fitness and eating routine, but you don’t feel as settled, happy, or balanced as you’d like. First of all, keep up that exercise and healthy eating because that is going to give you added strength to address what is emotionally going on for you. What I would suggest you do next may seem counter to exercise and activity…BE STILL. I know this is a challenge when you are balancing work, relationships, and/or children, but it might be just what you need. Set aside at least 5-10 minutes to just sit in silence and listen to what both your body and mind are telling you. It’s in the stillness and silence of these moments that we often are able to get a glimpse of that which keeps us stuck. Sometimes we find that what arises is too difficult to acknowledge. That’s okay; be patient with yourself and know that working on your emotional self is a process. And if it gets too difficult or if you find yourself just burying it, tap into that strength that gets you through your fitness workouts and use it to ask for help.

--Nicole