Our minds are incredibly powerful
What is mind-body connection? Every second, our minds send signals to our body, and our body sends signals back. We as beings are constantly in conversation with ourselves, even when we can’t hear it -- and we can learn to listen and guide that conversation.
We take the power of our brain for granted, and often underutilize its potential for healing, wellness, and self-care.
When our minds feel emotions strongly, we have a physical reaction. Whether shaking from excitement or anxiety, our bodies react to our thoughts and feelings. And that connection goes the other way, too.
Stress, insomnia, anxiety, and all aspects of negative feelings both physical and mental can be improved by harnessing the power of self-love and learning how to improve mind-body connection.
What is the mind-body connection, and why is it so powerful?
Mind-body connection is the idea that our bodies and minds are so intrinsically intertwined that our physical and emotional well-being affect each other dramatically.
This philosophy takes your wellness into a more holistic perspective. It moves beyond the view that our minds only react to the body’s function, leaving our health out of our control, and explores the idea that illnesses are affected and created by neglecting your mind, and soothed by caring for it.
Becoming more in tune with how our body and brain interact leads you down a path of radical self-care, amplifying the positive feelings and physical wellness that we’re capable of creating.
How does the mind-body connection affect you every day?
Even if you’ve never heard of how the mind-body connection works, it’s constantly at work. So, what is an example of mind-body connection?
In the moments before you log into Zoom for a job interview, meeting, or promotion, the familiar feelings of nervousness begin to hit you.
If the mind and body were separate, it would be only your thoughts that race – but in reality, your heart accompanies your brain and begins pumping blood faster, increasing your heart rate. Your breath might increase, or your hands sweat.
These feelings aren’t always negative – learning how to improve mind-body connection means learning how to take advantage of the best parts of them.
Have you ever heard that owning a cat can lower your blood pressure, making you healthier? It’s not because our furry companions are magical. It’s because performing activities like petting a purring cat reduces your stress levels over time. Love is a powerful indicator of health – and isn’t that all in your mind?
Why is the mind-body connection important and what happens if you ignore it?
Neglecting the importance of your body’s holistic well-being can lead to scores of health issues. Long-term increased stress is linked to heart disease, migraines, immune system issues, gastric problems, and inflammation.
In fact, one study suggests that panic disorders can even increase your risk of heart disease by 47%. That’s not a small number.
The mind and body are two parts of a whole, and it’s critical to learn how to strengthen mind-body connection in order to become your best self.
How to achieve balance with these mind-body connection examples:
There are a few simple ways to achieve mind-body connection, and all of them stem from taking time for yourself, self-care, and self-love.
Meditation
It wouldn’t be a guide for how to improve your well-being without mentioning meditation. Every day, for five minutes a day, sit in silence and focus on your breathing and reflect on how you feel. Set an intention for yourself, and let your mind explore, react, and reflect.
If you don’t feel comfortable guiding your own meditation, there are countless videos for 5-minute guided meditations that will help you achieve this daily goal.
Yoga
While meditation focuses on your mind, yoga connects your mind and body in perfect harmony.
It’s slow, focused, and calming. There is no room for non-controlled movement. By design, you focus on your breath, slowly feeling every muscle, stretching your joints and your consciousness.
Yoga improves your mind and your body, both together and apart.
Journaling
Journaling puts your thoughts to paper in a more structured way than meditation.
It forces you to slow down while you write, narrowing your focus and allowing the thoughts that are most important to come to the surface. It can reveal hidden feelings, or thoughts that you haven’t begun to admit to yourself yet.
When you journal, the underlying thoughts that distract and upset you will have a place to go, and no longer will they affect your health and your emotions.
Massage
Massage allows you the space and time to truly care for yourself. Even if you don’t have time to go to a spa, you can create the benefits for yourself. Stimulating your vagus nerve through self-massage is a wonderful way to improve your well-being.
Aromatherapy is a key step of the healing power of massage. It soothes the mind, creates an aura of calm, relaxation, and self-care.
Our Quintessential Gift Set, which includes a luxurious Evening Body Serum and aromatic eye pillow, introduces the delicate aromas of botanicals to reduce stress, hydrate your skin, and facilitate incredible relaxation and health.
Find relief from stress and care for yourself with an aromatic massage to truly understand what it means to strengthen your mind-body connection.
Therapy
Finding someone to listen to you without judgement, in a completely safe space, can give you a perspective that might be difficult to find on your own.
Once you have meditated, reflected on your feelings; journaled, taking your thoughts to paper; and cared for your body and mind with yoga, aromatherapy, and massage, it may be time to take these thoughts and feelings you’ve discovered and discuss them with someone there to help.
Learning how to strengthen and improve your mind-body connection means knowing yourself and listening to your senses.
You will never regret intentional self-awareness. To care for yourself, you have to know yourself.
These steps for caring for your mental and physical health in tandem give you everything you’ll need to lower your blood pressure, calm your immune response, silence your migraines, and truly be your healthiest and happiest self.
Self-reflection and self-love don’t come at a cost. You deserve holistic wellness, and truly understanding the mind-body connection, paying attention to it, and embracing it will lead you down a path towards peace.
We’re here to help you become the best version of yourself. Subscribe to our newsletter for further reflections, and take care.
Leave a comment