The Body-Mind Connection: How Our Thoughts and Emotions Affect Our Physical Health

We may take the connection between our mind and body for granted, but there’s actually plenty of scientific evidence that our thoughts and emotions have a powerful impact on our physical health. This shouldn’t be surprising; after all, we know that stress can lead to headaches and digestive problems, that anxiety can cause high blood pressure, and that depression can lower your immunity. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve your body-mind connection and reverse these symptoms naturally without the use of drugs or surgery.

Mind influences physical health. Whether it’s stress, anxiety or depression, negative thinking has been linked to everything from heart disease to cancer. You might not be able to do anything about your stress levels at work, for example, but you can learn techniques for reducing anxiety—and you may also find that managing your emotions helps calm some of your physical symptoms. Getting a handle on your mindset can go a long way toward relieving chronic pain or illness. In fact, one study found that people with rheumatoid arthritis who practiced positive thoughts had fewer flare-ups than those who didn’t. A few years ago, researchers in Scotland found that people suffering from back pain experienced less discomfort after they were trained in positive reappraisal—that is, looking at stressful situations in a more positive light.

Depression is a serious mental health disorder that affects more than 10% of adults in their lifetime. While depression is well known for affecting how people feel, new research suggests that it may also be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Two studies conducted by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have demonstrated that individuals who suffer from major depressive disorder are 40% more likely to develop coronary heart disease or experience a heart attack than those who do not have depression. In addition, these researchers have shown that treatment with antidepressant medication can significantly reduce patients’ risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack.

The stress hormone cortisol can affect our immune system, which increases susceptibility to infection. During high levels of stress, our breathing rate and heart rate increase, which

can lead to chest pain. Stress even affects bone density, so people with a history of anxiety or depression are at greater risk for osteoporosis. Simply being aware of how our minds affect our bodies helps us take better care of ourselves!

While it’s generally accepted that stress can cause mental health issues, few people stop to consider how our mindsets affect our physical well-being. Stress causes tension in your muscles, which can lead to pain in your neck and shoulders, lower back pain, headaches or a number of other ailments. Remember that stress is not only caused by our work lives; relationships with friends and family members are also sources of stress. If you find yourself feeling tense and stressed out, try taking some time for yourself—go for a walk around your neighborhood, meditate or read a book. In addition to easing stress levels, these activities will help you relax physically as well!

Happiness is one of those things that tends to affect all parts of our lives. For example, if we’re happy in one part of our life, we’re more likely to be happy in other parts, too. Studies show that happy people are generally healthier. That doesn’t mean a clinically depressed person can snap out of it and be healthy—but happiness has been linked to better physical health overall. One study found that people who experienced positive emotions on a regular basis had lower blood pressure and fewer doctor visits than those who felt negative emotions. So smile! It may help you live longer.

You may have heard about an experiment performed at Washington University in St. Louis, where researchers investigated how gratitude affects health. The study assigned half of its participants to keep a journal of things they were grateful for, each night before bed for three weeks. The other participants did not keep such a journal. At the end of three weeks, those who wrote in their journals on a nightly basis felt happier and less depressed than before; those who did not write in their journals showed no significant change. Additionally, blood tests revealed that those who kept gratitude journals had lower levels of cortisol (the hormone linked to stress) than they had previously. What’s more, these positive effects lasted even after three months. So if you want to feel better both mentally and physically, try practicing gratitude regularly!

Practice Meditation!

There's evidence that meditation have many physical benefits, which include stress reduction, increased mental health and improved cardiovascular function. Meditation isn’t just calming; it can also help you sleep better, as well as make your body less prone to stress-related ailments like headaches and stomach aches. An easy way to get started is by committing to a few minutes of meditating every day. Then, once you have a routine down, work up to 10 or 20 minutes per day. Find what works for you—whether that means sitting quietly with eyes closed or listening to soothing music while focusing on your breathing—and stick with it. Before long, you may be amazed at how much more relaxed and calm both your mind and body feel.