Mind & Body - The Wanna Be Besties

Our mind and our body sometimes feel like two separate entities, but they work together a lot more than we think. In fact, not only do they work together, but they can raise each other up, and bring each other down like a duo in a three-legged race - work well and in sync and they'll get through efficiently, but work against each other, they're more likely to fall down and potentially get injured. When we work towards being mindful of the connection between our mind and body, we become more likely to foster that connection, and as a result, the whole self becomes more healed, fulfilled, and in a better place.

Let's Reflect For a Second

We have come a long way from previous decades when mental health needs were often encouraged to be kept secret; a thing to feel shameful about, embarrassed, and feel like we needed to handle all alone. Now don't get me wrong - although we have come a long way, there is still much more work to be done on the front of normalizing, openly supporting, and accepting mental health challenges and seeking help when needed.

On the contrary, physical health has for several decades been something openly encouraged to be worked on. We flaunt to others when we attend the gym, we encourage friends and families to exercise with us and make it a group activity, and we never feel ashamed or secretive about when we want to work on our physical health.

Why the difference? Why do we feel proud about working on one, yet like there is something "wrong" when we want to work on the other? After all, the brain, the part of us responsible for firing all the neurons and balancing the chemistry that impacts our mood, decision-making, processing and reacting to the world, is part of the body too. Would we feel ashamed for working on a bicep or a glute?

In the midst of all this, we have somehow landed in a place where we often prioritize (whether it be due to differing social stigmas, lack of time, finances, resources, or whatever other hundreds of barriers that currently exist) one over the other. However, as research shows that mental health and physical health, mind and body, have a strong existing relationship (Kim et al., 2012). Ideally, we would work to a place of understanding that mental health and physical health, mind and body, should be prioritized together rather than constantly picking one over the other (flashbacks to not wanting to be picked last for team games in elementary school recess).

Working Towards Progress & Healing

The first step in fostering our mind body connection is developing and furthering our understanding. Research has shown that this connection not only exists, but has elaborated on how improved physical health is associated with improved mental health (and same for lower physical health being associated with lower mental health) (Kim et al., 2012). Similarly, improved mental health has been shown to decrease harmful behaviours and improve physical health (Ohrnberger et al., 2017). In fact, one study highlights the association between mental health and chronic diseases. Huang et al., (2023) discusses how people experiencing chronic illnesses were more likely to experience negative mental health, and additionally, people experiencing mental health challenges have been associated with a higher likelihood of chronic ailments, poorer prognosis, and increased morality rates. There is a lot of literature that continues to further break down the relationship of mind and body, and I encourage you to read it at your own leisure.

Once we start to conceptually understand that relationship, we can begin to take the practical steps. Now before we explore some practical steps, a key reminder here (and this is something I find very important to bring into my practice, but also general conversations I have with folks) is that we will not always be in a place where we can equally foster and work on the mind and body as equally deserving entities, and that is OKAY. One may fall behind the other, both may completely derail, or we flip flop back and forth between the two; whatever the case may be (LOST reference for any fellow fans), it is important to always ground ourselves in the reality that we are all humans, we are flawed, imperfect people, and it is okay to not do things perfectly. What we want to try to be mindful of is how can we work each day towards a place that is closer to where we want to be than where we are today - if you can carry that mindset, than you are already in a great place to be.

Moving into putting all the above mumbo jumbo into practice (and probably the part most people have tried to scroll ahead to, hey, no judgment), here are some things you can do to foster that mind body relationship into the besties they deserve to be.

• First? Start off small. Make a small goal, or small step, or come up with a small idea. Maybe it's reading this blog, or calling a service, or taking a small walk around your house when you are used to sitting down all day. It can truly be anything, but be kind to yourself and remember it does not have to be a huge thing.

• Reflect on and identify what areas of your current mind body connection you want to work on? Maybe it's improving mood, increasing energy, feeling less stiff, having more mobility. It is your mind, your body, and you choose what you want for yourself to be closer to a more healed version of you.

• Play around with the balance you want to have. How often do you feel you want (or need) to work on things that more directly impact the mind? How often for things that more directly impact the body? How often on things that are more clearly linked to both? It is totally up to you to choose how you balance different activities. This is something that you should play around with until you land in something that feels right.

• Check in with yourself along the journey. People often find something that works for them and feel they need to endlessly stick with that routine (and hey, there is no shade if that floats your boat). But we are constantly changing, growing, and learning, and that can sometimes impact where we are at, what works for us, and what are needs are. Do yourself a favour and do a monthly self-evaluation to see what may or may not need to be modified.

• Connect with the professionals. It is great if you have the tools at home and are able to support yourself in all the ways you need. But it can also be so significantly helpful to connect with a professional to potentially engage in additional healing methods you may not have considered before. Book that massage, reach out to that physiotherapy and learn ways to heal your body, meet with that psychotherapist and see if you walk away with new coping strategies; professionals are there to help you so you don't have to do it alone, because you should never have to be alone.

  
  

We're Here When You Need

Prioritizing your mental health and physical health is an investment in your overall well-being. By working towards both and understanding their connection, you allow yourself the opportunity to heal in a more holistic way that honours the whole self. At Cura Mental Health & Wellness, we understand the importance of the mind body connection, and work to provide support that is mindful of this connection while being aware of the unique and different bodies, experiences, and goals each of our clients come in with. We work to offer services that can support this connection, and make it easier for our clients to work on all areas of themselves that get them to the ideal place in which they want to be. Check out our services to book, or contact us to learn more.

References

Huang, Y., Loux, T., Huang, X., & Feng, X. (2023). The relationship between chronic diseases and mental health: A cross-sectional study. Mental Health & Prevention, 32, 200307.

Kim, Y. S., Park, Y. S., Allegrante, J. P., Marks, R., Ok, H., Cho, K. O., & Garber, C. E. (2012). Relationship between physical activity and general mental health. Preventive medicine, 55(5), 458-463.

Ohrnberger, J., Fichera, E., & Sutton, M. (2017). The relationship between physical and mental health: A mediation analysis. Social science & medicine, 195, 42-49