Meditation and Mind-Body Connection

 

Mental illnesses are common in the United States. Nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (51.5 million in 2019). Mental illnesses include many different conditions that vary in degree of severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe. 

The mental health of so many teens, especially in college, has been getting worse and worse as the years go on. 

In today’s modern world, stress seems to be a normal part of everyday life. But several adverse health effects have been associated with stress, including an increased risk of headaches, muscle pain or tension, fatigue, changes in sex drive, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, and sleep difficulty. Uncontrollable stress can also increase the risk of chronic health problems, like heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.

Meditation helps ease mental health conditions like depression and anxiety—so much so, that some clinicians are trying it as a course of treatment before turning to medication. I fully believe that every single person can benefit from meditation to lead a more healthy and happier life.  

Meditation is similar to physical exercise in that we are practicing a skill. The more we practice the skill, the more capable we get at using it. For that reason, it’s best to meditate daily if you can. Unlike with exercise, you won’t feel sore afterward, so there is no need for days off. If you’re not able to meditate daily it’s important to be gentle with yourself and not beat yourself up for having “inadequate discipline.” 

Everything that evolved around you –the beliefs you hold of yourself, your emotions, memories, environment, and habits—can influence your mental and physical health. The connections between what is going on in your mind and what is happening in your body form the psycho-emotional roots of health and illness. 

The mind-body connection happens on both a physical and chemical level. The brain is the hardware that allows you to experience mental states that are labeled the “mind.” This concept of the “mind” encompasses mental states including thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and emotions. 

Recognizing how the mind and body overlap allows us to treat all kinds of health issues more effectively. I’ll give you an example. Studies show that people with heart disease experience more cardiac symptoms, both in number and severity, when they feel under stress. So, treating physical causes and symptoms is only half the job. Patients also need emotional support to help them cope with the burden of illness.