Minding the Body

Your physical body can have profound positive influences on your mind and your mood. This positive feedback loop is largely under your conscious control if you decide to take conscious control. I don't know why we think of the mind and body as being separate entities. Our brains are part of our physical bodies, after all.

Ancient healing wisdom and modern-day scientific research both say that our emotional and physical states are intertwined. Emotions are often experienced as sensations in the body. You know how it feels to have a knot in your stomach or a lump in your throat, and who hasn't experienced feeling weak in the knees?

In turn, physical states can drag us down or lift us up. Rest and nutrition are two basic bodily needs that can wreak havoc if they are neglected. We all know that a small child in need of a nap becomes cranky. By contrast, we know how it feels to wake up without an alarm after a great night's sleep. Yet, as adults, we frequently sacrifice sleep in order to get more done.

I fully intend to take a nap later, not because I'm lazy, but because last night my sleep was cut short. This is just one simple way I can take care of my emotional state by caring for my physical body.

Food, or the lack of it, can create pain, fatigue, and or weakness. I dearly love foods that are made with wheat. But I know if I eat them, I'm likely to suffer belly pain and other unpleasant effects. You may be sensitive to dairy, or artificial sweeteners, or certain types of sugars.

Cutting those items out of your diet can lead to elevated moods, simply because your physical body is much more comfortable and in a state of equilibrium. Adding in more good things like fruits and vegetables and high quality protein can help you feel better, both physically and emotionally. Rest and nutrition are two major factors that are within your conscious choice and control.

Catch Your Breath

But there are other elements that might not come immediately to mind when you think of physical factors that can make you feel happier. One of these elements is your breath. When we're afraid or stressed, our breathing automatically becomes faster and shallower.

Deliberately slowing your breathing is a well-known practice to become calmer. But experimenting with your breath can help you find what works best for you. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

For example, there are lots of smartphone apps like Calm and Fitbit that offer breathing exercises. These are supposed to be relaxing. But I have yet to find one that doesn't actually make me feel more anxious, because they encourage me to breathe faster than the rate that feels most soothing to me.

Don't automatically assume that you're doing it wrong if it doesn't make you feel better. Try paying conscious attention to and experimenting with other elements of your breathing as well. Some breath exercises encourage breathing in to a count of four or five, and then breathing out to a count that's double that number.

I recently learned this works because different parts of the nervous system are activated during the inhale and the exhale phases. I find that if I consciously adopt this breathing pattern when I go to bed at night, I'm able to relax and drop off to sleep more easily. Breathing is of course a rhythmic activity, and engaging your body in other kinds of rhythmic activity can help you to feel more centered, more energized, and more optimistic.

Feel the Rhythm

The simplest of these is walking. It's well known that going for a walk can help clear your mind, and there are factors to explore within this practice as well. If you feel frustrated or upset about something, it may help to walk at a fairly fast clip. That clears the adrenaline from your system and helps you burn off some excess energy.

Conversely, when you are mentally fatigued and feeling drained, a fast walk can help you feel refreshed and invigorated. Any kind of motion involving rhythm can have those effects, whether it's riding a bicycle, using a cardio machine at the gym, or dancing.

If you are feeling sad or discouraged, a gentle stroll might be all you can manage, but even that will be beneficial. Walking in nature can elevate your mood, and making the conscious choice to focus on the beauty of the natural world can make that effect even stronger. Making the decision to become mindful of your surroundings, your actions, or your internal sensations can elevate any experience, especially if you incorporate even a moment or two of gratitude.

I know, practicing gratitude has all but become a cliché, but what it lacks in originality is more than made up for by its effectiveness. If you are mindful, you can find opportunities for mitigating stress by using rhythmic action all through your day. It doesn't have to be a big deal.

You don't even have to leave the house. Slicing vegetables for dinner or rocking in a chair count when you pay attention to them. Every time you decide to notice the rhythms in your life, you find an opportunity to feel calmer and more in control.

One of the most powerful rhythmic influences I have found is music. When I exercise, I usually have music playing because it helps me find my pace and to keep me motivated. But even when I'm sitting still, music can have a powerful positive influence on my mood.

This may not seem like a physical factor at first glance, but our physical bodies do respond to the beat of music. You've experienced this if you've ever found yourself involuntarily tapping your foot to a lively tune. And even children who are too young to walk will react to music by moving their bodies. If there is music that makes you happy, please let yourself listen to it as often as you can.

Use Your Senses

There are many powerful environmental influences that we perceive using our physical senses. We are taught as children that we have five senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. But those senses are not individual or isolated from one another.

Think of how you experience sunshine. Yesterday, I sat outside and soaked up some rays, wearing sunscreen like a responsible adult, but reveling in the warmth on my skin like a child. A bright day can reliably lift my mood in any season.

You may be as sensitive to sunlight as I am, or there may be other experiences that your senses find comforting or uplifting. Again, you are an individual unlike any other, and it's up to you to decide to look for, to notice, and to practice the activities that make you feel physically and emotionally strong.

Now, if you know me at all, you know I am not advocating using substances to dull or to numb emotional pain. I am advocating being physically present in the world and allowing your heart and your spirit to respond to the things that make you feel alive.

One more thought before we leave the topic of the physical body. I sometimes struggle, as we all do, to make the right decision. When that happens, it helps me to remember to check in with my body. I visualize choosing one option and see how my body feels. Is my neck tight? Am I frowning? Does my stomach feel queasy? Then I picture choosing the other options, one at a time, and check to see how my body feels.

This method does not always work. I don't always find an option that makes me sigh with relief or that feels right down to my bones. But when I do, I feel confident I know which way to go. My body has wisdom in it if I pay attention to it. Yours does, too.

One of my strongest recommendations for when you're starting to feel discouraged, overly anxious, or even depressed is to get your body moving. Feel the rhythm of your muscles moving. Put on some music and dance like no one is watching, especially when no one is. Feel your breath moving into and out of your body. Be aware of your senses. Fully inhabit your amazing human body.

Your mind and your body are not disconnected. They are intertwined in a never-ending circle of wholeness. Changing one changes the other, for better or for worse. It's up to you to decide.