10 Ways Your Mind Can Help Your Body

The mind-body connection is how your mental and physical health interact. Rather than being separate issues, each can affect the other. Physical illness can increase your chances of developing anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems. Conversely, depression, anxiety, and unmanaged stress can weaken your immune system and cause physical symptoms.

Meditation can cause your brain to release endorphins, which can help reduce your pain. Focusing on something calm and quiet can also help reduce inflammation and shift your focus away from pain. 

Learning mindfulness techniques to focus on deep breathing and awareness of the present moment can help you sleep better. These techniques help you break away from anxiety-provoking thoughts and trigger your body's relaxation response so you can get to sleep faster. 

Practicing meditation may help lower your blood pressure. This effect appears to be triggered by the production of nitric oxide, which helps relax and widen your blood vessels. Meditating regularly may help your body produce more nitric oxide. 

Harnessing the power of your mind can help stay healthier by triggering your immune system's response. Meditative practices and deep breathing activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps control inflammation in your body so you can fight off diseases more effectively. 

Your mind can help you overcome anxiety and other related issues like phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Meditating produces a deep state of relaxation, helps you focus your attention, and eliminates the noisy thoughts that are causing you stress. The resulting sense of calm and peace lowers your anxiety and promotes mental and physical wellbeing. 

Relaxation and other positive coping techniques can help mitigate the effects of stress, including the feelings of tiredness and listlessness that can occur. Relaxation slows your heart rate and improves your sleep quality, which can help you wake up feeling refreshed and energetic.

Any type of stress increases your blood sugar level. Meditation and other relaxation techniques help counter this effect so your blood sugar is better controlled. Music, massages, art therapy, yoga, and deep breathing are all methods of relaxation that can give you these benefits.

The stress response inhibits your digestion. When your body is in a state of agitation, it diverts resources from digesting your food because it's preparing for "fight or flight." Activating your relaxation response can help with digestive disorders such as: 

• Acid reflux
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Stomach pain

Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center have found that relaxation can change the function and structure of your brain. Meditating for just a few minutes a day can reduce distractions and help you concentrate better. The different types of meditation that help you focus include:

• Mindfulness, which involves observing your thoughts without judgment
• Concentrative, which involves focusing on a particular point
• Moving, which involves slow, repetitive movements

Meditation has been shown to reduce anger, negativity, and aggression. It helps you become aware of your consciousness so you can change your thoughts and how you feel about frustrating situations. One method of doing this involves guided meditation, which includes four steps: 

• Physical relaxation
• Independent meditation
• Guided meditation
• Focusing on your inner voice