How Your Mind Can Affect Your Body and Health

in health •  8 years ago 

                             

The body and the mind are two different entities which work together and in isolation to carry out all activities involved in our daily living.  We are beginning to realize that there is an intimate relationship that exists between our mind and our body because the mind controls our moods and the things we think about.  The human mind is dynamic, and these changes are referred to as 'Moods.'

Our moods change all the time; sometimes we could be happy, sad, hopeful, optimistic, pessimistic, angry, stressed out, afraid or simply content, etc.  These different feelings have been found to affect the health of our body in different ways.  Studies have found that positive and bright moods such as hopefulness, contentment, happiness, and optimism can help reduce the severity of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes.  On the other hand, it has also been found that dark moods like anger and depression can worsen disease conditions, especially cardiovascular diseases.  Fear is associated with a rush of adrenaline so when we are faced with scary situations, our body releases a high concentration of adrenaline, which causes the 'fight and flight' reaction.  This connection between the emotions of the mind and release of hormones is the basis of body-mind medicine.  

Let’s relate this to simpler situations; can you remember the last time you attended an important job interview or the time you wrote a professional exam which you did not prepare well for?  You probably must have been gripped by anxiety!  In such situations, you will feel your muscles become very tense, you will sweat unusually, your heartbeat will begin to race, and you may even start feeling nauseous at some point.  These reactions occur because the feelings of the mind have started affecting the body. 

    

Health Effects On A Stressed Mind 

Excessive thinking triggers stress, and when this becomes habitual, it can lead to different types of illnesses.  Constant stress can suppress our immune system and cause panic, which if not well managed, can pose serious health risks. Commutative stress and panic stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, causing rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, and tensed muscles which will lead to a diversion of blood flow from the four groups of muscles to the minor ones; thus leading to muscle weakness.  Furthermore, cortisol and adrenaline released during stress and severe panic affects the digestive system and causes one to experience stomach aches and irritable bowel syndrome.  

Related studies have also shown that chronic stress causes hormonal imbalance.  It depletes the concentration of serotonin and endorphins in the brain, which are brain chemicals that trigger happiness. It also decreases the telomeres located at the end of DNA strands, thereby decreasing the rate of DNA replication in the body.  

Depression and Health 

Depression and negative emotion suppresses the immune system and makes the body susceptible to infection, cold and other diseases. Depression is accompanied by lifestyle changes which cause adverse health conditions such as substance abuse.  Research has also found that chronic depression can lead to infertility, mental problems, and rapid aging.  

                           

A Relaxed Mind Will Improve your Health

In contrast to the effects of these negative thoughts, positive thoughts can improve our health tremendously. According to recent studies in the field of mindfulness, meditation and a positive imagination can cause muscle relaxation which triggers the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system.  The parasympathetic nervous system releases hormones which induce feelings of relaxation and calmness; stabilized blood pressure, reduced cortisol levels and normalized heart rate. 

Having known these facts, it is important that we manage our thoughts and emotions very carefully because our bodies work in sync with our minds.


I hope you enjoyed.  Please Upvote, Resteem, and Follow me @road2wisdom


  

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Stress hormones are indeed bad for us - they tear up our vital organs over time! Gotta get as parasympathetic as possible :D

A strong mind is the key to good health. When properly tapped into the power of the mind can overcome anything.

Thanks @thejohalfiles I agree mind over matter :) with all the crazy stuff happening in my life I have to be strong, @mindhunter knows what I mean! Thanks for your input :)

20 minutes a day candle meditation, a gallon of brother Johal's water and skippin' like a boxer keeps my mind sharp as a tack ;)

The mind, Its a terrible thing the waste...and realistically you can't live without it. winking noise

A strong mind is the key to good health

Totally agree with that!

Thanks Mindhuner lol:)

Thanks @road2wisdom! Hee-hee I like the typo! Did you mean honey?? LOL! @mindhoney!

yes like honey!

I do buzz around a lot so I suppose you you got that bit right on :)

hahaha

One of my favourite REM songs too ... I swear your psychic!!

Good Choice!

So true. Chronic exposure to stress hormones can be harmful. I would add that some exposure to stress is necessary for development. One can be too parasympathetic just as one can be overly sympathetic.

The key is to achieve some balance between the two, achieve a state that improves our resilience to chronic stress, and to apply stress in the right way so that it has positive effects. Exercise at the right intensity for a person's needs, deadlines that help us achieve our goals...these are positive forms of stress (eustress) that can benefit us when used appropriately.

It's great to see others talking about the importance of mental health in relation to physical health. It's such a huge component that needs to be discussed more in the public area. Thankfully, it seems that things are slowly starting to move in that direction.

I've lived both extremes here @darwinruiz - as the Swedish say - not too much, not too little, but just enough ;)

Exactly. :)

This post received a 34% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @road2wisdom! For more information, click here!

Nice post!

Thanks

Great work. I enjoyed this post.

Good research work. This took back to my biology class back then in school..hahaha

Thanks @smilexyz03 :)

goood post :)

Thank you

union of mind/spirit and body/heart/will is very much the objective of correct yoga and indeed, yoga means 'union' - this though, obviously, is not a new understanding by any means.

No thinking here:

Ok lol

This is really informative, keep it up bro...

Thanks and I am a female :) but its ok just letting you know! Glad you enjoyed it.

lol..I'm sorry...lol...

Lol no worries 🌞

Thank you @andrewade

you are welcome dear...

Very good post. The Bible tells us to renew our minds. It is very important to control negative thoughts. Before you can feel something, you must have had a thought. The thought comes before the feeling.

Thank you hope777 for you input :)

just heard you on steemspeak, cool post! Thx for sharing!

Thanks @thenightflier :)

Very true, thank you, well written, and I followed you.
I think the interesting area is the area interacting between body and mind, from western view the nervous system and from eastern view the complex system of energy channels and subtle energies. I'm sure the causes of a lot of ailments lie there and need to be addressed in this area as well, through breathing, acupuncture, yoga, qigong and other methods.
Please check out my article on a very related subject which I wrote yesterday, including how to connect body and mind:
https://steemit.com/healing/@redgaruda/emotional-healing-and-connecting-deeply-with-yourself
Thank you and with the best wishes!

Thanks and nice article I up voted it. Best wishes to you too.

It would be great if I didn't need to work and there was a 'mute' control for use on the kids

lol I know what you mean!

worth reading.

loved ur article road2wisdom, have u heard of sick building syndrome I think this article is important https://steemit.com/health/@whitedolphin/is-your-building-making-you-sick#comments

Thanks, That's so funny I was going to write about that today. lol Thanks for that link, it was a great read!

I really enjoyed reading this well thought out post. Reminds me of the truth of the bible verse: A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength. Prov. 17:22

Thank you @allforthegood That's a very good verse and it makes sense.
Thanks for sharing it.

Yes, and thanks for the good reminders in the article of the importance of taking the time to relax. I sometimes get a little stressed with my kids and no one benefits. Looking forward to reading more from you!

Thanks @allforthegood 🌞 I think I've seen you in discord chat? I will be posting later today just adding some finishing touches lol. I'm following you as well 🙂

Excellent! Followed you!

I love reading things like this. Thank you!

You are welcome. I'm very happy you enjoyed🌞

Good overview on the interrelation between the mind, our body and health. In light of finding some path beyond these rather undesirable aspects of being a human, I'm reminded of the great work being done by Joe Dispenza. He's certainly someone to consider in relation to this topic.

Thanks, I just googled Joe Dispenza' and he seems interesting. I will look into a little later thank you for sharing 🙂

You are very welcome!