The important link between mental health and the body -

The relationship also works the other way around. Physical pain may destabilize your mental state. Treatment for both physical and mental pain should take into account this link in order to be more effective. By understanding your body-mind connection, you could be on the way to a healthier you.

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Non-existent - When psychology started to become a field in its own right, we began to separate the mind and the body. All of a sudden, mental illness and physical illness were completely separate problems.

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Connection - However, it is hard to ignore that when mental illness strikes, the body also changes in a variety of ways. From reactional symptoms in the present to long-term changes in the way you move and think, the body and mind are inextricably linked.

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Psychosomatic - When physical symptoms are created by your mental state, or made worse by it, they are called psychosomatic.

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Vice versa - The brain and the body are not mutually exclusive. Therefore, while there are physical symptoms of mental illness, there are also mental symptoms of physical illness such as irritation and anxiety.

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Chronic pain - For example, chronic pain is pain that comes from the nervous system. It cannot be traced to any physical problem. For a long time, doctors dismissed it as nothing serious. However, now we know that it is as real as physical pain.

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Mental illness - It can also be the case that sources of mental illness are traced back to only mental sources. However, if you have had a persistent back problem for years and are always in physical pain, this can prompt mental issues such as depression and stress. Just because it comes from a physical problem does not render the pain of mental health any less painful.

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Ancient knowledge - Even though psychology as a field only came about in the 19th century, humans have been using phrases such as “broken heart” for centuries. This is because when you are very sad, your chest actually does hurt. The separation between the body and mind is a recent affair.

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Symptoms - Anxiety and depression are two of the most common mental illnesses. When you start feeling them, it is not abnormal for your body to react because your brain is the one controlling the physical switchboard.

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Fight or flight - When we feel danger, our bodies tend to go into fight or flight mode. Danger can be anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. In the fight or flight mode, our nervous system gears up for battle by releasing two important hormones.

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Survival mode -

Adrenaline and cortisol are released to try and get your body into the optimum state. However, if you are constantly battling mental illness, this prolonged survival state can drastically affect your body.

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The effects - Adrenaline and cortisol increase your heart rate and your blood pressure, decrease appetite and weaken your immune system. In the long run, these symptoms can lead to severe problems.

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Physical symptoms - Your body will often go into fight or flight mode when you are battling mental illness. In these moments, it is likely that cortisol and adrenaline will be pulsing through your body and will eventually give you physical symptoms such as headaches.

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Headaches - The headaches that are psychosomatic are those that give you a throbbing sensation, usually around the eyebrows. These are known as “tension headaches.”

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Muscle tension - When your body is so often ready to pounce on a predator, your muscles eventually start to ache. That is why when you are feeling depressed, you might feel soreness in your body or sluggishness.

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Muscle tension - In 2017, a group of researchers found that there is a direct link between depression and backaches. They hypothesized that it might have something to do with inflammation in the brain that interrupts the neurocircuits.

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Pain tolerance - Mental illness, specifically depression, is known to decrease your pain tolerance. The link has not been fully explored, but two studies have found that people struggling with mental illness are more likely to feel unexplained physical pain or rate their pain level higher than those who are mentally healthy.

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Sleep - The high levels of cortisol and adrenaline in your body might make it hard to achieve a restful night. Not only can mental illness bring on insomnia, but it also means that a full night's sleep might not feel restorative.

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Lack of sleep - When the body does not get enough sleep, your mental state can go into a vicious cycle of feeling sadness and depression more strongly. Lack of sleep also weakens the immune system and thus makes the body more liable to physical illness.

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Eye problems -

Your mental health can also affect the quality of your vision. In a downcast state, you may have more difficulty seeing clearly, i.e. everything might be a little more burry.

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Eye problems - Researchers have named this ”contrast perception.” In 2010, a study found that people suffering from depression cannot see the differences between black and white as clearly as those who are not.

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Stomach issues -

The brain and the gut are strongly linked. Some doctors have even called it “the second brain.” When your mental state is poor, it can often manifest itself in stomach pain such as cramps.

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Stomach issues - The pain is often written off as menstrual pain or irritable bowel syndrome. However, there is evidence to suggest that mental illness can cause an inflamed digestive system. Vice versa, if the bacteria in your gut is not balanced, it can cause anxiety and depression.

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Stomach issues - Therefore, when your mental landscape is not calm, your digestive tract might not function normally. This can lead to abnormal weight gain or loss.

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Why? -

Pain is the way the brain communicates that something is wrong. It could be that you haven’t faced trauma from your childhood, or that you are burying strong genetic impulses. When you do not face issues with your mental health, your brain has to let your conscious mind know that something is going on in another way.

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Potential - There is more awareness of mental health than ever before. By accepting that mental health is in the body as well as the brain, a whole world of treatment possibilities opens up.

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Meditation - One of the key aspects of meditation is focusing on your body. Not only do you quiet your mind, but it also gives you the opportunity to see how your body feels. Perhaps you feel tightness somewhere and decide to take a break and go for a walk. Small things like this can improve your mental health.

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Yoga -

Similar to meditation, yoga is a way to move your body and focus on yourself. Exercise is known to improve mental health. It also allows you to release tension that you may have stored due to emotional trauma.

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Stored tension - For example, people who grew up with trauma from someone else’s anger are likely to store tension in their bodies. They try hard to control their emotions, but this often results in repressed pain. Movement like yoga sequences can help to relieve and release some of this tension.

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Body therapy -

Instead of just doing talking therapy, nowadays you can also do therapy with your body. By releasing emotions through carefully studied exercises, such as shaking, your mental state can improve.

Sources: (Healthline) (Mental Health Foundation)

See also: Everyday things you didn't realize are harming your mental health

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