What is The Mind-Body Connection?
You may have heard psychologists talking about how your thoughts can affect your physical being. Or, if you have a personal trainer, they might have asked you to think closely about the muscles that you are trying to target as you lift your weights.
In both of these scenarios, we’re talking about something called the mind-body connection. This is the idea that the mind and body are not separate entities. They are, instead, closely connected, and your physical and mental health affect one another.
You will have experienced the mind-body connection in action at many points in your life. If you’ve ever been nervous before a presentation, an interview, or an exam, you might have felt ‘knots’ or ‘butterflies’ in your stomach. You are feeling anxious and this is affecting your body physically.
Scientists still don’t know everything about the mind-body connection, but ongoing research reveals more about this fascinating phenomenon. Every thought you have translates into a neural message via your nerves, hormones, and neurotransmitters, including serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. These neurotransmitters can, directly and indirectly, affect every cell in your body, leading to physical responses.
Benefits of The Mind-Body Connection
The benefits of mindfulness in a variety of physical and mental health conditions are likely because it can activate and develop certain areas of the brain that are responsible for emotions and pain responses.
Working on your mindset can affect your overall health. Learning to manage your emotions and stress responses can reduce physical symptoms of anxiety and may boost immunity by promoting the production of white blood cells.
Mindfulness exercises have been shown to be effective in chronic pain management. Alongside regular medications, mindfulness is also a significant component in the treatment programs for a range of diseases, including cancer, eating disorders, and diabetes.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of mindfulness that manipulates the mind-body connection. It is used to treat a range of mental health conditions to consciously shift towards positive thought patterns and behaviors in the hopes that these adjustments eventually become permanent.
If you’re a keen weightlifter, you can use the mind-body connection to lift heavier. When you consciously think about the muscles that are working during a particular exercise, you will find that you can somehow lift more. This is because you are strengthening the connection between your thoughts (thinking about your muscles) and your behaviors (lifting the weights).