Lately, we regularly hear about the powerful mind-body connection. Think of the mind as a powerful vessel that can become filled by its dominant thoughts and emotions. As it fills to the brim, it figuratively overflows. When it overflows, it can manifest in our lives as reality.
Our emotions have a powerful influence over our state of health, even though the emotional aspects of life are often overlooked by medical practitioners when examining the causes of most illnesses. But several studies have proven the undeniable link between negative emotions and physical illnesses.
In 2018, Medical News Today reported that researchers have found that chronic stress has a negative impact on memory; and that constant exposure to feelings of distress can subject a person to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases like stroke.
Specialists from the Pennsylvania State University recently found that negative moods have a great tendency to exacerbate inflammation, interfering with the normal immune responses of the body. The mind and body are so closely connected that if we do not become mindful of our own thoughts and emotions, it can cause damage to our physical health.
There is a book called “The Healing Power of Mindfulness” by scientist and mindfulness proponent Jon Kabat-Zinn, who explores how cultivating mindfulness as a regular practice could lead to a whole new and better relationship with an individual’s mind and body.
He says, “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of the present-moment reality.”
Where Mindfulness Comes In
Cultivating mindfulness in the midst of daily life provides several beneficial aspects that directly link to our health. These include fortifying benefits to the immune system, redefining the DNA, reducing blood pressure, normalizing emotions during stress, increasing stamina, reducing pain, and boosting moods.
The practice of mindfulness can redirect our lives towards better health and change our world for the better.
Here’s proof of some of the most positive effects of mindfulness and how it can dramatically help in the healing and prevention of many health problems today.
Mindfulness Reduces Stress
Regularly practicing mindfulness effectively reduces stress reactivity in the body. The presence of constant or chronic stress poses a great health risk. Upper respiratory infection or gastrointestinal irritability is regularly caused by stress.
Mindfulness can mitigate inflammation so it becomes an added protection against chronic illnesses and autoimmune diseases – that are widely caused by stress.
Mindfulness Can Help in the Early Diagnosis of a Potential Health Risk
Not only is mindfulness particularly beneficial for healing, but cultivating it as a regular practice is profoundly life-changing as it can aid in the early detection of a potential health risk. Most of the time, people are not really in harmony with their bodies. This disconnect makes it easier for diseases to thrive, than if they are detected much earlier and could still be prevented from worsening.
Mindfulness Promotes a More Conscious and Healthy Way of Living
Mindfulness can help lead to a greater connection with one’s body. This promotes more mindful eating habits and a more conscious and healthy way of living. As cliché as it sounds, prevention is still so much better than cure, and with a mindful way of life, prevention is far more likely.
Mindfulness Keeps the Mind Healthier
When a person is undergoing some treatments, cultivating a healthy relationship with the mind is very important. For many critical illness survivors, their mental state played a key role in enhancing their health and helping them survive what would otherwise be a fatal disease.
Practicing mindfulness is the key to unlocking this mental state; an attitude of greater self-compassion and a sense of compassion for the people around can ease the burden inside and naturally help with healing. When the mind is healthy, a person’s chances of survival become greater.
Mindfulness Decreases the Inflammatory Responses
Mindfulness, specifically mindfulness meditation, can dramatically improve health and promote better wellbeing for those who practice it regularly. Mindfulness incites some brain circuit changes that enable inflammatory responses to become more manageable and normal.
While inflammation is a natural body mechanism, too much of it can lead to many illnesses, which is why chronic stress has to be managed well. One great way of managing the daily stresses of life is to cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness not only heals; it can also be a preventive strategy.
