Relationship between body and mind

The relationship between body and mind is one of the relationships that has been written about the most throughout history and is still being debated on a philosophical and religious level.

But postures aside, their interactive link is evident for example when psychological factors provoke or worsen a disease or physical disorder. In turn, diseases can also affect emotional states and thoughts. We are a unit, a system, where everything affects everything to a greater or lesser extent. We experience it as a whole and this relationship feeds our feelings, thoughts and behaviors.

Being interested in personal growth, it is inevitable to try to learn more about ourselves, how we function and what we are capable of doing. Once we work on self-awareness and try to make a conscious change, self-management comes in, trying to regulate our responses to the environment and within ourselves as well.

It is here that we begin to realize the relationship between the mind and the body and the relationship between emotions and health, for example. More and more people are becoming aware of the close connection between mental health and physical health, and no longer see them as separate phenomena. Nowadays we are all aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle: nutrition, physical activity, sleep hygiene, etcetera.

Mind-body system

Our body and mind are connected by multiple systems, which is why a multidisciplinary approach is often necessary to treat various conditions. A better understanding of these connections improves overall health, both mental and physical. The mind and body cannot function in isolation from each other. To deny this relationship is to deny the possibility of staying healthy.

There are several systems that care for this precious balance and work together to keep us functioning. For example, the endocrine and nervous systems are two of the fundamental sources of communication between the mind and the body. Both systems are connected in the area of the hypothalamus, and this in turn to the limbic system and the prefrontal area to regulate emotions and their processes.

The digestive system is also one of those that shows a strong connection with the mind. For example, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is produced in the brain and spinal cord but also in the gut, and influences numerous processes including mood and cognitive ability.

The power of emotions to trigger bodily functions and processes has been demonstrated. Stress, fear, anxiety, being physiological fight and flight responses can negatively impact our health if prolonged over time. Physical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, headaches, intestinal diseases, sleep disorders, as well as affecting our ability to heal, can be triggered or aggravated.

Even without organic disease, the body can respond to stress by causing symptoms such as headaches or joint pain, fatigue, poor memory, tension, sweating, increased blood pressure, ulcers or heart problems.

All this has its positive side of course, just as it has been proven that everything that causes stress for example, there are also endorphin, serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, called the hormones of happiness responsible for positively affecting our body giving energy, satisfaction or euphoria. One way to get them naturally is through certain foods and physical activity. When we are able to relax the body also produces what is necessary to cause both physical and mental relief.

It is therefore important to pay attention to the signals of our organism and to take care of the harmony between the mind (consciousness) and the body (behaviors).

The way we perceive and experience the world can therefore trick our organism into giving wrong answers to objective situations. What our organism produces depends to a large extent on what we think and feel. Depending on how we filter reality and perceive experiences.

Coaching and the mind-body relationship

Clients come with their perception of the difficulties and challenges they are facing. The nature of their problems will always be emotional. People do not seek help if they feel happy and satisfied, but because they feel anxiety, fear, insecurity or stress about how to approach the future.

We invite you to reflect on the causes of these feelings and emotions. Understanding themselves and how they are experiencing their own circumstances in life.