Your brain is an incredible organ, more complex and powerful than any supercomputer. Every thought and emotion sends signals through your body that can either heal or harm. Let’s break down just how deeply connected your mind and body truly are.
How Your Thoughts Affect Your Brain Chemistry
Every thought you have triggers a chemical reaction in your brain. These chemicals, called neurotransmitters, act as messengers, carrying signals from one neuron to another.
When you think positively, your brain releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters contribute to feelings of happiness, motivation, and overall well-being.
On the flip side, negative thoughts cause stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to release. We need these hormones when we are in danger. They put our bodies in a fight-or-flight response. While helpful in short bursts when we are in danger (i.e. a bear is chasing you), an ongoing stress response leads to tension in your body and can eventually turn into chronic illness.
How Your Thoughts Affect Your Physical Body
So, your thoughts don’t just affect your mood; they influence your physical health as well. Chronic stress, fueled by negative thinking, can lead to a host of problems, including:
- Weakened immune system: This makes you more susceptible to colds, flu, and other illnesses.
- Digestive issues: Stress causes your digestive system to misfire. When you’re in a chronic state of stress, your body puts aside the need for digestion so it can focus on more immediate health needs. This can end up leading to problems like heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, and ulcers.
- Heart problems: High blood pressure, a common result of chronic stress, increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Sleep disturbances: Stress can make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, or achieve restful sleep. And when you’re not getting enough restful sleep, your body can not repair itself or heal itself from emotional or physical trauma.
- Muscle tension and pain: Chronic stress can lead to headaches, back pain, and muscle tension. Again, this can make sleep difficult and can make exercise (a great stress reliever) more uncomfortable.
The book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle is a good resource for helping you live in the present moment and improve the mental and physical effects of stress. Tolle goes into more detail about how our thoughts and mindset impact our overall well-being.
Your body listens to every word your mind says and responds accordingly.
The Role of the Subconscious Mind in Your Overall Health
Your subconscious mind (those deep inner beliefs that we aren’t always conscious about) is a powerful force that operates beneath the surface, influencing your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
It’s like an iceberg, with a small portion visible above water (your conscious mind) and a massive, hidden part (your subconscious) below.
Your subconscious stores memories, beliefs, and experiences, shaping your worldview and guiding your actions.
Negative beliefs deeply rooted in your subconscious can create self-sabotaging patterns and limit your potential.
However, the good news is that you can reprogram your subconscious mind through techniques like affirmations, visualization, and deeply focused meditations.
The book You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay explores how powerful affirmations and changing negative thought patterns can be emotional and physical healing.
Another tool that has helped a lot of people is shadow work.
It is a great supplement to a positive mindset. Affirmations and gratitude are much more effective when we connect with our subconscious beliefs that are ultimately causing the negative mindset.
As Carl Jung, the psychiatrist who coined the term “shadow work,” stated, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness visible.”
These practices involve repeatedly exposing your mind to positive suggestions, allowing new neural pathways to form and replace old, limiting beliefs.
The Impact Your Brain Has on Chronic Illness
Chronic illness is physically and emotionally draining, and negative thinking can exacerbate these challenges. When faced with a chronic condition, it’s easy to focus on limitations and what you can’t do.
However, cultivating a positive mindset can significantly improve your quality of life. By focusing on gratitude, setting achievable goals, and practicing self-compassion, you can reduce stress, boost your immune system, and increase your overall well-being.
The book Minding the Body, Mending the Mind by Joan Borysenko goes into more detail about the mind-body connection. It explains the impact the mind has on physical and psychological health and gives you practical tools and skills for healing the mind and body.
It’s important to remember that while a chronic illness may be a part of your life, it doesn’t define you. By adopting a positive outlook, you can find strength, resilience, and joy even in the face of adversity.
The Power of Community and Support
Humans are inherently social creatures, so strong connections with others are important for our mental and physical health. Surrounding yourself with supportive and uplifting people gives a sense of belonging, which reduces stress and boosts overall well-being.
It is often helpful to share your experiences with your community. They can offer support and encouragement.
Some choose to join Joining support groups or online communities. This connects them with people who share similar challenges, creating a safe space to express your feelings and learn from others.
Building a strong support network involves cultivating genuine relationships, practicing active listening, and offering support to others in return.
Reclaiming Power Over Your Thoughts and Beliefs
Your mind and your body work closely together and understanding that is the first step to harnessing the power of your thoughts. By cultivating positive thinking and challenging negative beliefs, you can use your thoughts for healing rather than increasing ongoing health problems.
Here are 4 ways that I help my clients focus on beliefs that serve them:
- Practice mindfulness: Pay attention to your thoughts without judgment. This helps you identify negative thought patterns.
- Challenge negative beliefs: Ask yourself. Is this true? Are my negative thoughts based on facts or assumptions?
- Cultivate gratitude: Focusing on things you are grateful for can shift your perspective and reduce stress. Make a habit of writing down three things you are grateful for every day and see how your overall outlook on life changes.
- Practice self-care: Prioritize activities that nourish your body and mind, such as exercise, eating enough whole foods, meditation, and spending time in nature.
Remember, your thoughts are incredibly powerful. You have the ability to shape your reality through the power of your mind. Thoughts and beliefs can be chosen. It just takes identifying those thoughts and learning to replace them to watch your life transform.
Grab my free resilience workshop to help you acknowledge your thoughts and focus on beliefs that serve your health and wellness goals.
