Honoring the mind-body connection

Honoring the mind-body connection is key for mental and physical health. We can’t have one without the other. Explore empirical and anecdotal support for prioritizing self-care.

In our hectic, achievement-oriented society it is difficult to find time for self-care, which can involve caring for ourselves both physically and psychologically. Unfortunately, when we neglect one aspect of our health, it creates a chain of consequences due to the mind-body connection. Here’s a look at some of the research on this connection and my own anecdotal support. Let this be a warning: honor the mind-body connection or suffer the negative consequences.

Self-care can be a struggle

Not only are we over-scheduled and programmed to immediately respond to our cell phones, but we also live in a society that values possessions and accomplishments over relationships and balance. When we take time for self-care, we may fear we’re neglecting our other responsibilities, being lazy when we’re resting, or feel guilty for not being more productive with our time. However, failure to take care of both our physical and mental health can have dire consequences. The best solution for long-term health is to care for ourselves when we need it.

The mind-body connection

We’ve all had experiences when after a period of extreme stress, we end up catching a cold or sustaining an injury. We wore ourselves down so bad psychologically that we ended up with a physical illness. On the other hand, maybe we neglected our physical health to a point where we started to experience sleep disturbances or felt anxious or depressed. In other words, our physical health impacted our psychological health. Psychological and physical health seem to go hand-in-hand.

Empirical evidence of the mind-body connection

Research repeatedly demonstrates the connection between mental and physical health. Specifically, researchers found a small but significant correlation between negative affect (a psychological term for feelings and emotions) and coronary heart disease.[1] Another study revealed participants’ risk of stroke increased with psychological distress. [2] In other words, negative emotions and physical ailments go together.

To put it bluntly, our stress can kill us. One review revealed a connection between emotional stress and the following causes of death: cancer, coronary heart disease, accidental injuries, respiratory disorders, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.[3] This doesn’t appear to be a coincidence.

A recent study found both direct and indirect effects of mental health on physical health, and vice versa.[4] As with all correlational relationships you might consider what comes first, the mental or physical health? In other words, do we feel better mentally because we are physically healthy? Or, are we physically healthy because we’re in a good mental spot?

Both seem to be correct.

It appears the relationship between our bodies and minds goes both ways. A 2017 study showed past physical health was a stronger predictor of future mental health.[5] So, we are mentally stronger when our bodies are healthier. Makes sense.

However, there was also a significant relationship in the other direction. Past mental health also predicted future physical health. So, our bodies are stronger when our minds are healthier.

This reveals the complex relationship between physical and mental health. It’s similar to the chicken and the egg argument. We don’t know which comes first, they simply go round and round in a cycle. The World Health Organization puts it bluntly. “There is no health without mental health.”[6] You can’t have one without the other; You need both.

Anecdotal evidence of the mind-body connection

Several weeks ago, I experienced a level of exhaustion I hadn’t felt in a while. I felt rundown physically and mentally stressed. It wasn’t the type of exhaustion a good night’s sleep would solve, nor a vacation.

In fact, we had just returned from a week-long stay at the beach. It was a wonderful family vacation, but I didn’t return recharged. Parents of young children know this to be the case with most family vacations. A vacation is really just a change of scenery, with added pressure, increased activities, and more laundry. I know, first world problems, but it’s true.

The day after our return, I had a huge list of things to accomplish. This included obvious catching up activities, like sorting through a week’s worth of mail, following up on emails, and placing a big grocery order. Plus, I wanted to start preparing for the boys’ return to school by ordering school supplies, taking an inventory of needed clothing, and organizing backpacks, paperwork, and miscellaneous supplies.

Then, there was the bi-annual cleaning out of their rooms, which I was convinced needed to get done. I wanted to sort through their chaos of toys, bag up the donations, and get their closets organized. And of course, I thought I should do all of this on the one day buffering our return from vacation from the re-entering of our routines.

I was suffering from an inability to set realistic expectations, a de facto mode of busyness. I stopped listening to my mind and body, which were saying, “I need to rest.” Blinders on, I was in production mode, task master to the extreme.

In hindsight, it’s disappointing to be finding myself in this position. I’ve been working hard on creating a sense of calm. I wrote about my need to let go of the task list in January. January! I’ve been working on being, not doing since then.

And yet, here I was, in pajamas (no time to actually get dressed and brush my teeth!), cleaning out Victor’s closet (why are there dog toys, dirty clothes, and one random sandal shoved to the back of the closet!?!), thinking of the next ten items on the to-do list, and not at all present in the moment.

Damn. This is what I’ve been trying to avoid. This, right here, is why I made a Commitment to Calm and started the blog in the first place. I didn’t want to be doing “this.” But I didn’t recognize it in the moment.

And then it happened. I was walking into Victor’s room and the vertigo struck me like a bolt of lightning. I felt the intense pressure pushing down from the top of my head. Instantly stopping to be still, it felt like I was helplessly somersaulting under the pressure of a crashing wave. Feeling my feet on the ground, I knew I wasn’t moving, but my body was registering rollercoaster-level motion sickness.

Thankfully, I now know how to make sense of these sensations. It’s not the first time I’ve felt this way. I started experiencing vertigo a day or two post hospital discharge with my POTS diagnosis (discussed here and here). I assumed the dizziness that plagued me for days was either from the newly diagnosed condition or the necessary blood pressure medication.

It took arguing with the cardiologist, a trial of a different medication (which didn’t work and ruined a family vacation), multiple doctor appointments, an MRI, ENT consult, VNG test of my inner ears, vestibular rehab therapy, a neurologist appointment, and finally a referral to a vestibular neurologist before being diagnosed with vestibular migraines.

Standing in Victor’s room, I knew the vertigo was another vestibular migraine. It was disappointing because I thought I was on the mend. These momentary motion sick episodes were all but gone in the last few months. Until this moment.

Standing in the middle of Victor’s room I experienced the longest, worst episode to date. Even though it was only a matter of seconds, it was a red flag from my body. “Rest or I’ll make you rest,” my body said. The mental stress was undoubtedly impacting my physical health.

I have a long history of neglecting these warning signals. There are numerous past experiences in which my physical health faltered after a dip in my mental health, and vice versa. Both the Cardiologist and Neurologist instructed me to manage my stress in order to decrease my POTS and migraine episodes. Clearly, they understood the mind-body connection and it’s importance in my overall health.

Although bad habits and faulty thought patterns got me into this mess, I had a chance to pivot. And so, I listened to my body and rested. I picked up the last few items in Victor’s closet and then crawled back into bed. I drank a lot of water, took some ibuprofen, and laid there in the silence while Andrew managed the boys.

Forced to heed the warning, I released the self-imposed stress of trying to get everything done. As the stress dissipated, my body felt better.

After the vertigo incident in Victor’s room, I’ve made it a point to rest more in the past few weeks. Last week, I caught a cold and spent a lot of time in bed resting, something I usually struggle with. I reminded myself of this line from Erma Bombeck’s column: “If I had my life to live over… I would have gone to bed when I was sick, instead of pretending the Earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for a day.” It served as my permission to rest. Let it do the same for you.

Self-care must be a priority

We have no reason to deny ourselves self-care, which we need BEFORE our bodies and minds start to protest. We know from the research we will pay for it one way or another. When we ignore our bodies’ signals, our mental health can suffer. Similarly, if we neglect our psychological well-being, we risk developing physical ailments.

In part, this is due to the mind-body connection. We can’t afford to neglect one side of the equation when it comes to self-care. Balancing physical and mental healthcare must be a priority. Sometimes I need to be reminded and I don’t think I’m alone. So, I’m sharing this today in case you need to hear it. Repeat after me: I must prioritize my self-care.

My experience was a reminder and can serve as a lesson for you, too. When we ignore our needs, mental or physical, we pay the price eventually. The mind-body connection is strong, but the old saying applies. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The few moments we take for self-care today are preventive care, protecting you from tomorrow’s ailments. Neglect self-care, and pay a much heftier penalty.

Think of it like a bank account. If we continue to withdraw money, depleting our resources without replenishing them, the debt catches up to us. When we neglect our mental health, our bodies break down. Similarly, when we neglect our physical health, our psychological well-being eventually falters. We can’t fake it, force it, or wish it away.

We simply have to honor the mind-body connection and prioritize self-care. We can’t afford not to.

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[1] Nabi, H., Kivimaki, M., De Vogli, R., Marmot, M. G., & Singh-Manoux, A. (2008). Positive and negative affect and risk of coronary heart disease: Whitehall II prospective cohort study. Bmj, 337.

[2] Surtees, P. G., Wainwright, N. W. J., Luben, R. N., Wareham, N. J., Bingham, S. A., & Khaw, K. T. (2008). Psychological distress, major depressive disorder, and risk of stroke. Neurology, 70(10), 788-794.

[3] Salleh M. R. (2008). Life event, stress and illness. The Malaysian journal of medical sciences : MJMS, 15(4), 9–18.

[4] Ohrnberger, J., Fichera, E., & Sutton, M. (2017). The relationship between physical and mental health: A mediation analysis. Social science & medicine (1982), 195, 42–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.008

[5] Ohrnberger, J., Fichera, E., & Sutton, M. (2017). The dynamics of physical and mental health in the older population. Journal of the economics of ageing, 9, 52–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeoa.2016.07.002

[6] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-strengthening-our-response