Supercharge Your Health

SPRING 2019 (Florida Coast Magazine) – You’ve most likely experienced the mind-body connection firsthand. One way it occurs is when the way you nourish and move your body affects the way your mind functions. For example, have you ever gone out celebrating? Maybe you ate a large dinner, enjoyed dessert, had a drink (or two), and stayed up late. How did you feel the next day? Was your brain focused, clear, and creative, or did you need a flashlight to navigate through the brain fog?

If your body isn’t nourished properly, your mind will feel the effects. Alternatively, have you ever considered the opposite might also be true: Your mind has the power to affect how your body functions, too?

Believe it or not, your physical body is a source of immense wisdom. It’s more than just a 3D vessel; your body is comprised of constantly flowing energy and chemicals, continuously changing and adapting. You have 50 trillion cells working to perform vital functions. These cells also create a valuable feedback loop of information to help you survive and thrive.  

While these processes may seem completely out of your control, more and more research is suggesting there’s tremendous healing power over your body from within your mind. You’ve probably noticed the way your body responds to certain thoughts you have. For example, if you’re late for an important meeting, and you begin to think about the repercussions: “Oh, no! What if I lose the deal?” What happens? Your heart races, palms sweat, and you feel sick to your stomach. This phenomenon—where the way your brain thinks affects the way your body feels (and vice versa)—is known as the Mind-Body Connection.

This connection has both a physical and chemical aspect to it. You can think of the brain as the CPU (central processing unit) that allows you to experience different mental “states” (including thoughts, beliefs, and emotions); we label that the “mind.” In my last example, you can see how mental states of the mind can either positively or negatively affect your body. That’s because three of your main body systems (nervous, endocrine, and immune) share chemicals (hormones and neurotransmitters) to communicate to each other. As your brain processes thoughts and emotions, it produces chemicals to let the rest of your body know what’s going on. Is there trouble, or shall we celebrate?

All of these intertwined systems and communications make up the mind-body connection and are the linkage between the states of your “mind” and the sparking of a reaction or symptom in your physical body. The molecules sent from your brain when it processes a thought or emotion directly impacts your body and delivers an energetic effect. If the message is positive, your body creates an internal environment in alignment with that—healing, balanced, and peaceful. In the case of emotions like anxiety and depression, increased stress hormones can be released, suppressing the immune response and creating a physical environment in the body more conducive to the development of illness, infections, and disease.

When utilizing the Mind-Body Connection, it comes down to how we “charge” both our body AND our mind. While the negative is true, utilizing a holistic approach, we also have the ability to rewire the connection for positive results. It’s astounding the immense power our Mind-Body Connection has. You can begin exploring this connection yourself with the following, suggested Mind-Body practices straight from my “Whole Body-Mindset Reset Program.” The aim is to help you process emotions and thoughts, develop a more-peaceful, internal environment, and supercharge your healing abilities for healthier, happier living!  

Connect with Michelle on Instagram @rewire_and_inspire or www.rewireandinspire.com