Understanding How Your Mind and Body Work Together

Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed, your shoulders get tight? Or maybe when you’re anxious your stomach feels unsettled. When you’re exhausted, everything feels harder. Even making simple decisions can feel overwhelming.

That isn’t all in your head...it’s your mind and body communicating with each other,

We often talk about mental health and physical health as if they are two completely separate things. But the truth is that they are deeply connected. What happens in your mind can affect your body and what happens in your body can affect how you think, feel and respond to life.

Our thoughts, emotions and experiences can create real physical responses in the body. When we experience stress, our nervous system responds by preparing us to deal with a certain threat. Your heart races, your breathing gets more shallow, your muscles tense and your body becomes more alert. This response can help when you need it, but the problem is when your body stays in that state for too long, it can leave us feeling tired, tense, overwhelmed and disconnected from ourselves. It can also make it harder to sleep, concentrate, relax and feel emotionally balanced.

Your body is constantly receiving messages from your mind, so learning how to calm your mind can be an important part of taking care of your body.

Now...this connection works both ways. Our physical health can influence our mental and emotional health as well. Think about how you feel after a poor night’s sleep compared to a good night’s sleep. Or, how your mood changes when you spend time outside, move your body, eat nourishing food or simply take a few minutes to breathe deeply.

These things may seem simple, but they send important messages to your nervous system.

Your nervous system helps your body to respond to what’s happening around you. It constantly takes information and decides whether you are safe, stressed or need to take action. When we are constantly rushing from one thing to another, dealing with stress or never giving ourselves the chance to slow down, our nervous system can have a difficult time finding that sense of calm.

This is where practices such as meditation, mindful breathing, yoga, reiki, time in nature and other forms of relaxation can become valuable tools. They give us the opportunity to pause, to breathe, to become aware of what’s happening inside of us. Sometimes, that pause is exactly what our mind and body need.

Supporting your mind-body connection doesn’t have to mean completely changing your life. Sometimes it starts with small intentional choices like:

• -  Take a few slow breaths before reaching for your phone in the morning

• -  Step outside and feel the ground beneath your feet

• -  Take a minute to sit quietly without the need to accomplish anything

• -  Move your body in a way that feels good to you

• -  Get enough rest

• -  Notice when your shoulders are tense and consciously let them soften

• -  Check in with yourself...ask yourself “What do I need right now?”

  

  These small moments of awareness can help you to reconnect with yourself and support your mind-body connection.

  Many people thing that taking care of yourself is selfish and it isn’t something you should think about when you’re struggling. But I say that taking care of yourself especially when your struggling is something that is absolutely needed.

  At Nourished School, we believe that wellness is about looking at the whole person. It’s about creating space to learn, grow, rest and understand what your body and your mind are trying to tell you. You don’t always need to do more...sometimes you simply need to slow down and listen.

  Your mind matters.Your body matters.And the connection between the two matters more than you realize.

  A Moment to Reflect

  Take a few quiet moments today and ask yourself:

  How is my mind feeling?

  How is my body feeling?

  What is one small thing I can do today to support both?

  You might be surprised by what you discover when you finally give yourself a few minutes and permission to listen.

  Namaste Lisa