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mind-body connection improvment essay
mind-body connection improvment essay
mind-body connection improvment essay
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As human beings, we tend to believe that our mind and body function as two separate systems. However, that is not entirely the case. Everything that we think about has a direct correlation to the way our body feels. Whether you are aware of it or not we all experience mind and body connections in our everyday lives. What you put in your mind can either make you or break you, it all depends on what thoughts you decide to let enter. Negative thoughts can lead to anxiety, depression, stomach ulcers, and many other avoidable illnesses. While positive thoughts can lead you on a path to great success. With that being said, here are some ways that the mind and body connect: Your emotions can affect your health in many different ways. And being able …show more content…
It is in our human nature to react negatively to stressful situations. We over think ourselves into depression and many other illnesses while doing so. In the article 7 Facts about the Mind-Body Connection, Caroline Bearden says, “If we are constantly thinking negative, self-destructive thoughts, our bodies will follow suit. Emotional and mental imbalance can start as something like stress-induced headaches, tight shoulders, and a sore upper back, and lead to unhealthy weight gain or loss, insomnia, and high blood pressure.” (1) This is saying that when we put negative thoughts in our head, our bodies take the fall for it. What you believe in your head comes to physical form and if you continue to let stress take over your body, then your body will eventually fall into a state of illness that will be hard to get out. When our body and mind are out of balance it makes it hard to function on the daily. However, maintaining a positive mindset clears the way for you to live a healthy life. Being able to cope with stress can greatly help the human body system in ways you couldn’t imagine. Bearden states, “On the other hand, we can make a conscious effort to think more positively and to develop healthy coping mechanisms for life’s stress and trials. Over time, the state of our emotional and mental health can hurt or help the body’s immune system.” …show more content…
In the article The Science of Mind and Body Therapies, the NCCIH video series states, “Mind and body practices—such as tai chi, yoga, and meditation—focus on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior, with the intent to use the mind to affect physical functioning and promote health.” (1) By involving yourself in yoga, tai chi, and other practices you are enabling yourself to live a peaceful, joy-filled life. This quote is telling you that your behavior is all based on what state your mind is in and when you focus on these types of therapies you can free your mind from all stress. As human beings in order to live fully functioning life, we need to be able to avoid toxic emotions. You need to be aware and present of the things that are going on in your life. Jennifer Weinberg says “ Jennifer Weinberg says “ To avoid the buildup of toxic emotions, you need to remain present and aware. Paying attention allows you to identify emotions as they arise, process them, and choose how you react. One way to effectively express, feel, and get your feelings out is to talk about them. This can be done out loud by speaking with a trusted friend or therapist—or on paper through a journaling practice.” Weinberg is telling us that we should really pay attention to our emotions and not neglect them. When you are able to realize what your emotions are and control them, then you become one step closer to living a life avoiding those non-toxic emotions.
In the Unnatural Causes film, UC Berkley Professor and Epidemiologist, Leonard Syme, states that an important component of overall health is the “ability to influence the events that impinge on your life,” or another words, the means by which you are able to effectively manage the stressors in your life will greatly impact your health (2015). It is common knowledge that stress can negatively impact your health and the film points out that chronic stress affects the body by increasing cortisol levels, heart rate, blood pressure, circulating glucose levels and decreases the immune system’s response. All of this increases the risks of diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses (Smith, director, 2015). If we have power, control and
Jin, P. (1992). Efficacy of Tai Chi, brisk walking, meditation, and reading in reducing mental and emotional stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 36, 361-369.
The mind and body do interact with the body in some ways. Descartes says that the mind imagines things, you see things in your mind. These things do not just come from anywhere. You get these images from your senses. Say if one sees something with their eyes. Then turns away and closes their eyes. The image is still there.
The stress not only causes physiological, but also psychological problems. How does our body react when the stress comes? That will be “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal”, which is called ATP , the system regulate the stress. When facing stressors, our mouth becomes dry, as it is conserving fluids because our HPA axis sensing danger. It’s used to escape predators or fighting with beasts. But this system isn’t designed for today’s diverse stressors because in modern world, most people need to worry about mortgages, relationships and promotions more than the fight for food. If we continur to let our body work under these stressful conditions, it will break down the strain. This process is called ”allostatic load”. HPA axis also produce serious and long-lasting negative effects, like physical and psychological in our
There is overwhelming evidence that daily stress may be harmful to the overall health of humans (Cohen, Tyrrell, and Smith, 1991; Glaser, Rice, and Sheridan, 1987; and Schleifer, and Keller, 1991). The mechanism by which stress influences health outcomes is thought to involve the immune system.
...le to a disorder under some circumstances (pg 471). Stress can also cause immunosupression, which inhibits the immune system, making it more likely that the individual will become ill (pg 472). In comparison to Dr. Siegel’s video, the key to happiness may be mindfulness and taking life in during the moment. Many people think too much about the past or future and miss the present moment.
In my experience, I am aware of many cases in which my body affects my mind (I stub my toe & I feel pain) and many cases in which my mind affects my body (I feel an itch & I scratch it).
Getting sick is another negative factor of being overly stressed. Chronic stress compromises your immune system and stress hormones affect the body’s ability to fight off illness due to the fact that thymus’s ability to stimulate and coordinate the white blood cell activity.
But first, I will describe the reasoning behind the mind-body connection. Psychoneuroimmunology is the name for the study of the min-body connection, or PNI for short. PNI has been around for the last 20 years or so and has revolutionized the way we look at health and wellness. There was a point in human existence when the connection between the mind and the body was taken for granted.
History of the Mind-Body Connection. The concept of the interconnection between the brain and body has been around for quite a while. Ancient healing practices, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, emphasized important links between the mind and body. Hippocrates once wrote: "The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well." This statement reflects the belief of ancient philosophers that emotions and health are deeply connected. In later centuries, however, this belief was cast aside.
Everyone has their own opinions and beliefs and can interpret information as they see fit. Both Bertrand Rusell and Richard Swinburne have expressed their views on the topics of the mind soul and the after life. These are very complex areas of science and have their own ideas of what the mind and soul are and what there purposes are.
The Theory of Mind-Body Dualism is the view that there are two different kinds of things or substances that make up human beings: a physical body and a non-physical mind or soul. “Many dualist believe that a materialistic account of the mind is insufficient to explain everything we want to about the nature of mind and that the mind can be ‘embodied’ or ‘disembodied’” (Mind Body Dualism 1 Notes). Two famous arguments that breaks down dualism a little is The Argument from Conceivability says that the mind can exist without a body like a “disembodied mind” and the body cannot exist without a mind. And The Argument from Divisibility saying the mind cannot be identified with body because the body is divisible while the mind is indivisible.
Stress is a normal part of everyday life. From what happens to you and around you, plus the many things that one does to themselves put stress on the body. The common causes of stress that most people encounter are problems in personal relationships, starting a new job, financial situations, daily hassles, illnesses and legal problems (webmd.com). When the body encounters long periods of stress like those our body begins to give off warning signs that something is not right. When we encounter these warnings they shouldn’t be ignored. Our body is telling us that we need to take it down a notch and give
Stress has various effects on the body, both psychological and physiological. Stress can have positive effects on the body and can be beneficial, but frequent stress will eventually cause negative effects on the body.
Even though we all know that we cannot exist without oxygen, most of us do not realize how important the amount of oxygen is to our heart rhythm and our heart rate. When we are anxious and worried due to physical, emotional or spiritual pain and stress, we tend to breathe more quickly and shallowly than when we are relaxed. Our heart rate variance becomes super chaotic and incoherent, affecting the quality of our brain function.[]