MIND-BODY CONNECTION
By: Irene Okupnik
May, 2023
Our mind and body are inseparably connected. The unity of mind and body shows itself in various ways. For example, your thoughts and emotions influence your body - from its posture to its performance - while in turn your movements can affect your mindset and heartset.
The pandemic put many people through a lot of stress. But, even before the pandemic, it seems that we were already in trouble with stress, and the situation got even worse. Stress is how our body responds to a threat, real or perceived. Our brain reacts via what is known as the “flight, fight or freeze” response, by signaling for the release of hormones that pump up our heart and sharpen our senses. It gears us up to run away, challenge an aggressor, or protect ourselves. What to do about all this stress?
Psychologists and physiologists, who studied stress, found that the stress, in and of itself, is not a problem. Rather, the problem is the lack of recovery. Recovery, which can take place on multiple levels, can help you by energizing your life. At micro-level recovery level, you can take fifteen minutes break every two hours for a cup of tea or coffee, a meditation, or a walk around a block. At mid-level recovery level, you can take a day off from work and get a good night sleep. Finally, at macro-level recovery level, you can go camping, take time off to read, or do absolutely nothing for a few days or weeks, so your body and mind will get longer breaks from the daily grind as a form of recuperation.
To lower your stress, you want to engage in single-tasking, whenever possible. Even if you do multitask, introduce single-tasking breaks during the day, like staying fully engaged in one activity at a time, or spend time with someone and give them your full attention. This can help you a lot, as single-tasking relaxes your body, focuses your mind, and gives you the strength to continue.
A great deal of research points that it is very important to be physically active. The research showed that regular exercise - as little as thirty minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week - has the same effect on individuals with major depression as most powerful psychiatric medication. Our nature is such that we need regular exercise, so it is always important, especially during challenging times.
The most powerful exercise for increasing happiness is dancing - it is very difficult to dance and be gloomy, as people usually smile when shake their bodies to the beat of their favorite music.
Finally, consistency is the key. Whether exercising or taking recovery breaks, it is important to do it regularly. Small changes make a big difference if applied consistently. Also, it improves happiness in the long run, much more so than occasional spikes of activity. [1]
Notes:
1 Tal Ben-Shahar, Happier, No Matter What-Cultivating Hope, Resilience and Purpose in Hard Times (New York: The Experiment, 2021), 56-82.