There’s so much evidence that there is a strong connection between the mind and body. What affects your mind (whether it’s grief or stress), will have a harmful effect on the body. If you have a hard time listening to the wisdom in our body, it’s important to remember how interconnected all the systems in the body are.
We may need to ignore the messages we hear such as constantly pushing ourselves no matter what and the pressure to meet deadlines when we are noticing symptoms that are distressing. Taking sick days seems like a luxury. The more we push the messages away, the louder they will return. You have to step back and take a deeper look at what’s going on.
- Connect your symptoms to your life circumstances. I noticed that when I was going through a period of grief, I felt constantly tired. Even though I slept more than I thought possible, I felt this constant sense of fatigue. I had brain fog that made concentration difficult and my bed became my favorite refuge. I went to the doctor to rule out medical conditions, but had to face my feelings of grief that were so overwhelming and constant that my body felt the effects. This is something that we don’t discuss or we try to medicate, but take the time to think through possible causes of illness.
- Use mind-body practices such as yoga to connect more deeply to yourself. Sometimes it’s hard to access our inner voice with all the noise in the world. Listening to our body means we need to slow down so we can hear the messages being sent. Yoga, tai-chi, qigong and other practices help us to get into this heightened state of awareness. Having a regular practice as a ritual means we will notice when things are out of balance or feel off to us.
- Honor the mind-body connection. Knowing that we are more than our minds is important for us to acknowledge. Our bodies can become ill very easily if we ignore pain and distress signals. We can’t just pretend everything is fine and carry on without considering if we need to make changes at work, in our personal lives, or in the choices we make. There comes a time when we can’t power through and may need to withdraw or take some time for reflection so we know what our next steps will be.
As applied to our health, finding out where our food is coming from and how it’s made/processed is an important part of keeping our bodies healthy on multiple levels. We know this instinctively by the way food tastes at home versus when we eat at a lunch place that feels rushed and without the sense of care that is available at home.
The more disconnected we are from ourselves, the more physical and emotional challenges we will face since we are living completely out of balance. Greater awareness of your mind-body connection will help you make better decisions, know when a situation is bad for you, and give you the direction you need to guide your life. You can experiment with different ways to connect more deeply with yourself that will help you in all areas of your life.
