What is the mind-body connection and how does it relate to pain and other symptoms?
We all know intuitively that emotional stress can be expressed in physical sensations and symptoms.
Some common examples are:
You have a big deadline at work and you get a stomach ache in reaction to the stress.
Or you have a big fight with a loved one and you wind up getting a headache from the fight.
Or you watch a scary movie and your shoulders get so tight from the fear that you have a stiff neck at the end of watching it.
These are all examples of physical reactions to mental and emotional stress. In each of these examples, the mind perceives something as stressful, and the body reacts.
That, in a nutshell, is the mind-body connection. And I haven’t told you anything that you don’t already know. Like I said, this stuff is intuitive. But in a culture where we’re encouraged to ignore our stress so that we can keep working and being productive, we don’t tend to talk or think about it a lot.
So how do we start paying attention to the mind-body connection? There are an unlimited number of different ways to do this. So, I’m just going to share one of my favorite tools, which is starting a verbal dialogue between your mind and your body through expressive writing.
And here are some conversation starters that you can try as journaling prompts: Here are the prompts:
👉 Dear symptom, what emotions are you feeling right now? (List them all out. If you need help with this, you could try scanning the Nonviolent Communication list of feelings .)
👉 Dear emotion, what do you need to feel honored?
👉 Dear emotion, is there a boundary that you need me to set?
👉 Dear emotion, do you need me to assert myself through self-expression, following my heart, or speaking up?
👉 Dear emotion, do you need support from allies or peers? And if so, who should I reach out to?
👉 Dear emotion, do you need rest, nurturing or soothing?
If you try these out, I'd love to hear how it goes!
For more support with chronic symptoms, find me at:
www.annaholtzman.com
IG @anna_holtzman
