Fitness and the Mind-Body Connection: How Your Thoughts Determine Your Results

The mind has a profound influence on our body and vice versa. When you're having a bad day, your mental state affects your physical health as much as stress can affect your heart. When you're unhappy, you're more likely to get sick and miss work or lose a big project. And when you're depressed, your whole life can be affected. You can't negotiate a deal or play pool with friends if you're worried about paying your bills. You can't be a good parent if you're having problems with your spouse. You can't go out and have fun if you feel depressed. Mental wellness is just as important as physical health. It determines how we interact with the external environment, process information, make decisions, and interact with others. Our emotions literally change the way we see the world and how our brain works when we experience them.

Credit: Ketut Subiyanto | Source: Pexels

ADVERTISEMENT

Mental health is influenced by the brain and our behavior. Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors directly influence the brain in an infinite way that is constantly changing moment by moment. In order to have optimal mental health, we must be able to manage our emotions and thoughts so they don't negatively affect us throughout the day. We need to be able to have control over ourselves and get rid of negative thoughts as quickly as possible.

When you're aware of your negative thoughts, you can begin to break the cycle and find a way to calm yourself down and bring yourself back into a positive state of mind. A 2008 study found that 95% of people with chronic low back pain suffer from depression, anxiety, and/or stress. An article published in the British Medical Journal in 2008 stated that "chronic pain is a risk factor for depression." In fact, the phenomenon known as "pain-related depression" is so commonplace among chronic pain sufferers that it's likely underdiagnosed.

A big part of improving our emotional health is learning how to manage negative thoughts and emotions because they can manifest into real and serious problems such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, even addictions, and other mental disorders. Many people simply don't realize that their negative thinking is affecting their life negatively in so many ways. Conversely, once you realize the power your mind has over you and your body, it's easy to control your emotions and strengthen your mental health.

Credit: David Cassolato | Source: Pexels

ADVERTISEMENT

Several different mechanisms explain how our minds affect our physical health. One of them is known as the "anticipation theory." Basically, this simply means that you can't control your current emotions unless you learn how to calm down quicker and deal with your stress better than before. In the past, there has been much research done on physical and mental health, but little attention has been focused on how our thoughts affect our health. It was previously believed that emotions were simply the result of chemical reactions in our brain.

But now we know that it is just as important to understand why we have these emotional reactions as well as what we can do about them. Many of us tend to take for granted that if we're thinking about something negative, then our mood must be affected by it. But the reality is that we often react this way even when our mind is on something completely unrelated. For example, you can be in a great mood and feeling energized, but if you start thinking about your job or some other task that you have to complete later that day, suddenly you may find yourself overwhelmed and depressed because of it.

ADVERTISEMENT

It's vital to understand how we think and why we think the way we do if we want to make changes in our lives. When you're having trouble sleeping at night or having a tough time waking up in the morning, it's not because of any deficiencies in your diet. It's because your thoughts are consuming your mind and preventing it from resting properly on a physical level. In this situation, you can either just push through and suffer through the day or learn to change your thinking so you will naturally be able to sleep better and feel more refreshed by the morning.

The chemistry between our brain and body affects our mental health as much as it affects our physical health. When we are experiencing negative emotions, we must understand that they will not simply disappear on their own. Instead, they must be dealt with and managed properly in order to restore a healthy life balance.

Credit: Inzman Khan | Source: Pexels

ADVERTISEMENT

Negative thoughts don't just affect how we act towards others – they can also lead to other serious problems such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, drug addiction, etc. It's important to understand how our emotions can affect us in such a negative way. When you think of your mind as an instrument, it is easy to manipulate its state. Unfortunately, we often don't realize that we can make it work better by rethinking our thoughts and changing some of the ways we process information. The key to improving our mental health is to learn how to take control of your mind, think positively and live a healthier life.

These are only a few of the ways that our minds affect us:

• We feel happy when we receive compliments from others and upset when someone criticizes us or tells us that something about ourselves isn't what they had expected.

• We feel like we must eat the most expensive meal on the menu even though we hate the taste of lobster.

• We get upset when our spouse doesn't call us during the day when they said they would or when someone parks in our parking place at work.

• We feel energized and motivated to work out when we listen to inspiring music at the gym but feel like giving up because we don't want to go through it.

• We can talk all day about how much we want more money and a better job but are too lazy to make changes that could improve our life.

Our minds can either help us succeed or they can hold us back from living a healthier, more successful life.