OneRepublic said it best.
While the relevance of OneRepublic to a blog about psychology may not be immediately apparent, one lyric, in particular, is the glue holding this introduction together. That lyric is:
“Can I get a connection? Can I get, can I get a connection? I can see it in my, see it in my reflection. Oh, can I get a connection?”
Now that is art that really makes a statement. It is also the perfect set of lyrics to set the stage for the topic of this blog post, which is, of course, a particular type of CONNECTION! While there are many forms of connection that are important to our health, such as connecting with friends, family, the work we do, our hobbies, etc., today we will discuss the ever-mysterious concept of the mind-body connection.
The connection between the mind and the body is something we hear about often in popular culture, imploring us to cultivate a strong connection between these two “divided parts of ourselves”. I put that last bit in quotation marks because the idea of a truly divided mind and body just isn’t possible. The truth is, our mental and physical health are so inextricably linked that they are less like roommates living in the same house and more like conjoined twins. Everything that occurs within our mind has an influence on the body and everything that happens within our body has an influence on the mind. With a few examples, I think you will find us on the same page and ready to dive in:
Have you ever injured yourself and felt physical pain, which has left you feeling agitated and moody? The presence of pain in our bodies is an indicator that there is damaged tissue which requires our bodies to recruit an inflammatory response to heal. This inflammation is what leads to pain, and in many circumstances, anger, sadness, agitation, and frustration. A surge in stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline flood our bodies when we experience pain, which can lead to a ready-to-fight state of mind. The pain may be preventing you from participating in an activity you enjoy or stealing your attention away from something that could be otherwise enjoyable. Whatever the contextual details, physical pain can cause an emotional response.
Have you ever ingested a drug (nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, marijuana, SSRIs, Adderall, etc.) and noticed that as you consume the substance, your mood begins to change? The focus of your attention changes? How about your mental acuity? What happens to your behaviour? As the body metabolizes the substance, communication changes between cells in the brain and results in this alteration of perceptions, thoughts, behaviours, and feelings. The change in your physiological state brings about major psychological changes as the many psychoactive properties of the drug take effect.
Have you ever had a terrible sleep through the night and the next day found yourself feeling slightly homicidal? Perhaps your patience was about as short as a one-word poem? When sleep is in short supply, your thought-patterns, focus, memory, self-control and learning are all impaired, which forces you to confront the demands of your day with limited resources. It is as though executive function (AKA the brain’s self-management system) can only be accessed by a well-rested brain, leaving the sleep-deprived to exhibit more uncontrolled, childish behaviour and moods.
Dare I say that the evidence presented above is plenty more than necessary to make a case for the mind-body connection? Trust me, I could list examples all day! Let us assume that the examples were sufficient and you are now hungrily seeking more information as to how this connection can be nurtured. FEAR NOT! There are many ways to cultivate a stronger connection between the mind and body. Everyone is different, but for some it may be as simple as having an awareness of your breath, or checking in with hunger and fullness signals during a meal, or even examining moods and noticing if they correlate with fatigue or hunger. The goal is to simply notice how changes in the body can lead to changes in your feelings and vice versa. It is helpful to be a neutral observer (judgement-free, please!) of your mental and physical state to see what types of patterns emerge for you.
Personally, when I experience psychological stress, I experience significantly more fatigue, back pain, tightness in my neck and shoulders, digestive upset, and disrupted periods. When I do not take the time to address an emotionally salient event or issue, my body lets me know that something is off by creating physical symptoms. It is like one of the aforementioned conjoined twins flagging me down to alert me that the other has stepped on a bear trap. I use mindful breathing, yoga, meditation, exercise, healthy nutrition, and participate in psychotherapy to keep my emotional world calm and counter physical symptoms. I am a very sensitive person, so I need to use many different strategies to feel like my emotions are regulated. The good news is, it is likely that you do not need to do ALL of these things to build and maintain a healthy mind-body connection! Choose one and start there. Once a day, set a timer for 3 minutes and spend the first 30 seconds checking in with how you are feeling, the next 2 minutes focussing on deep breaths, and the final 30 seconds noticing what changed emotionally and physically after taking these breaths. Alternatively, at mealtime before eating, take a couple of breaths and check in with your hunger, then do this a couple of times throughout the meal until you are full. Another option is to write down the quality of your sleep in the morning and then notice throughout the day how much patience, resilience, agitation and joy you have. There are so many options!
As I mentioned before, every person is different! What helps one person may not help another and there is no single prescription to build a stronger connection with yourself. Regardless of where you start, it is an opportunity to get to know yourself a little better and understand the connectedness of the mind and body in all of its harmonious glory. You never know what you will find. Happy exploring!!
