The
children’s Skeleton Dance song goes something like “The knee bone is
connected to the thigh bone; the thigh bone is connected to the hip bone” and
so on. This song is used to teach children how we aren’t separate compartments,
and that systems working independently, but that we’re highly interconnected
beings.
Our
body has the capability to work like a well-oiled machine if everything is
working properly, but certain outside factors like stress, anxiety, depression,
unhealthy foods, physical pain, and other events, like an accident, can set off
a cascade of reactions in the body. Migraines, heart palpitations, and various
other physical ailments may result, which demonstrates how what we do, how we
think, and how we treat our body affects so many things within us.
Our mind and
emotions affect our bodies physically, and physical ailments can also, in turn,
affect our emotions. Stress, anxiety, and depression have several
emotional, physical, and chemical consequences. Stress can affect things like
memory, concentration, sleep, weight, the ability to heal from illnesses,
hormonal imbalances, the aging process, and heart rate. During stressful times, our body goes
into “fight or flight” mode. The hormones adrenaline and cortisol increase,
blood pressure rises, and many other systems in the body are affected.
This
entire process initiates a pro-inflammatory cascade of events, and inflammation
is necessary in the short-term; however, long-lasting inflammation can be very
detrimental and contribute
to a variety of chronic medical conditions like
hypertension, strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, ulcers, and systemic pain. Stress can prompt
unhealthy habits that can lead to a higher risk for heart disease, heart
attacks, stroke, obesity, anxiety, depression, and numerous others. Studies also show that grief can
increase inflammation and alter the cardiovascular system, and
depression is seen to further compound grief-related health conditions.
Stress, depression, grief, illness, and pain make
us less likely to want to exercise and make healthy food choices, but exercise has been seen in research to have so many beneficial effects on the body
and brain as it increases blood flow, decreases blood pressure, and decreases
stressor hormones like cortisol. Typically, during these times individuals head
toward “comfort foods,” like caffeine,
sugar, fast food, and salty foods; however, ideally, they should choose healthy proteins, fruits, veggies, complex
carbohydrates, and beneficial fats. Self-care and quality sleep are
important as well.
We are beginning to understand
the links more between the mind, heart, and body. Current research is looking deeper
into how interrelated our systems are and how much of a role mood and emotions,
food, stress, pain, and other factors play on the health of our body.
