Check out the new issue of AZ-Living.com, all about Healthy living:http://az-lifestyle.com/2013/1/113.html?pageindex=46.
Have you ever noticed how your body feels when you are stressed? Or how your mood is when you are sick in bed or hurting? Have you ever noticed that when one feels bad, so does the other? It is not uncommon for me to ask a patient in my office, “Where do you tend to keep your stress in your body?” It is equally as common for me to get back a blank stare of “What the heck are you talking about?” At first I found that response astonishing. The more I encountered it, however, the more I realized that many of us are a little disconnected. We feel sick, we take a pill. We feel sad, we toughen up and plow through it anyway. Surprisingly, a number of us see the body and the mind as separate entities, and therefore one would not affect the other. But is that really so?
It is now generally accepted that our heads don’t just sit on top of our shoulders. Our brain is actually intricately connected into every organ system in our body via our central nervous system. What happens above, in the head, happens below, in the body; what happens below, in the body, happens above, in the head. We are just wired that way.
When we are stressed and worried, or sad and overwhelmed, neurochemical activity in the brain signals a cascade of hormonal and other physiologic changes, pulling the body out of homeostatic balance. The mental turns physical and we get sick. In this kind of “Mind-Down” approach, we see that stress equals illness. Psychological distress like worry, fear, anxiety and depression, literally put strain on our physical body. Our immune systems weaken, our inflammatory response heightens and we become at increased risk for illness and injury. The good news is, calm and contentment can equal wellbeing. When we relax, meditate, or focus on positive experiences, our immune systems strengthen and our resiliency and responses to stressful circumstances improve.
At the same time, when we view our health from the “Body-Up” perspective, we observe that things like inactivity, poor nutrition, lack of sleep can lead to worsened mood, lowered motivation, and poorer functioning in our lives. Conversely, engaging in a regular exercise routine, choosing healthy foods to eat, and getting enough sleep can help people feel on top of their games – happy and productive. Ask any runner, swimmer or biker about their mood when they’ve had to stop playing their sport because of an injury. Better yet, stand 10 feet away when you ask them, ‘cuz they won’t be happy.
It goes both directions too. For example, we have tendency toward high blood pressure and we get a high blood pressure reading. We worry about this high reading and our blood pressure increases; we get anxious, shaky, short of breath and our hearts begin to pound. We realize what’s happening. We purposely slow our breath and tell ourselves it’s OK, we can help ourselves by calming down. Miraculously, our blood pressure lowers.
So what does this really mean? While we may not have complete control over our health, we do have more control than we give ourselves credit for. Be honest now. What do you do when you are stressed? Do you take really good care of yourself, eat well, rest well, exercise, and meditate? Or do you stay up late, eat junky comfort food, sit on the couch and worry about how stressed you are? Most of us fall somewhere in the middle, but sadly, we tend not to do the things that will help us cope when we need it the most. And when we don’t, we put ourselves at risk. Remembering to take care of ourselves during times of stress can make all the difference between sickness and health.
Simple tools to manage your health from top to bottom:
- Pay attention to the choices you are making about food, moving your body, rest, prayer/meditation, finances, friends, work, and leisure…and choose wisely…
- Make time for self-care… Get that massage you’ve been wanting. Take that long weekend. Have lunch with friends.
- Let go of anger, upset and resentment that is holding you back and making you sick.
- Take time to laugh, love, and forgive.
- Seek support.
- Discover ways to focus on the good things in your life and enjoy them, even in the midst of the difficulty.
- Say kind, encouraging words to yourself.
- Breathe slowly and deeply whenever you can.
Be happy and well,
Sari Roth-Roemer
