headshot15.jpgBy KC Kelly, Ph.D., LMHC

www.DOCintheBiz.com

Is it all in our thinking? Once we begin to understand the mind/body connection, I think we’ll have a much better understanding of just how much psychology plays a part in our everyday emotional and physical health and wellness. Health is not just about working out and eating well. It’s also about taking care of our minds. Our mental health is just as important, if not equally important than our physical health because of the way in which they are ultimately connected.

By finding the right balance needed to keep our mental and physical health strong, we can have some say in determining our destiny towards good overall health and happiness.

Our bodies respond to the way we act. The way we act is in direct correlation with the way we think and feel. And this is what we call the mind/body connection.

When dealing with a stressful situation or a stressful period of time in your life, did you ever develop headaches, abdominal pain or upset stomach, high blood pressure, insomnia, increase or loss of appetite? These are just some of the physical symptoms that prove overtly that there is something not right with your emotional health. Somewhere, your emotional health is out of balance causing your body to physically react. Again, this is called the mind/body connection

During the days when doctors and scientists were frowned upon if they did not stay stringently in the realm of the observable and strictly quantifiable, people thought there was a distinct divide between mind and body. Even the 17th-century philosopher/scientist and the Father of Modern Philosophy, Descartes, in an attempt to study this metaphysical phenomena, was stopped by the Roman Catholic Church, who restricted him to the study of human anatomy, leaving the mind and body to the care of the church. It wasn’t until the 1970’s when doctors and scientists began to provide irrefutable data showing that it is indeed true that mind and body ARE connected in an undeniable way. Do we really need these ancient philosophers or even today’s doctors to tell us this is so? Perhaps we do. If you suffer from daily headaches, for example, have you ever thought about what may be causing these headaches? Have you ever thought about the possibility that the stress from your job, for instance, is what has been causing you to live with these awful headaches that persistently impede your daily activities?

Every second we have a thought. Every thought that we have releases chemicals called neurotransmitters into our body. With the brain being most enigmatic organ of the body, scientists and doctors have not yet been able to perfect and fully understand what causes the mind to have such an effect upon the body and our physical health. We may be looking YEARS into the future before such answers are found.

One thing remains true, at least in my humble opinion: We need the contentment of the mind to help us in our every day strides towards overall health and ultimate happiness in our lives. It seems that the answer to the question, “Is it all in our thinking?” is yes!

Please visit us at www.DOCintheBiz.com for our mental health self help links and the opportunity to subscribe to email Dr. KC for professional and confidential help with any concerns you may be having.

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