The body does what the mind tells it to do.
© Dr Shrikant Kulange, Psychologist
When we get up in the morning, our bodies wake up, and so does a part of our minds. “Today there is breathlessness.” “Today there is no mood.” “Now it is not possible for me.” The body reacts to these thoughts by following the orders, which is funny. Psychology says that the mind and body are not separate things; they are always talking to each other.
We hear someone say, “You look old,” or “What do you want?” as we walk. Your mind starts to move when you talk to other people or to yourself. Even if we are in our fifties, this kind of talk makes our brains think we are old. If we stay around young people and they remind us of when we were young, our bodies and minds will also feel young.
A self-image is how we see ourselves. Some people feel tired, weak, or like they don’t matter all the time. When you think this way, you walk slower, you don’t have the courage to make decisions, and your body stays in the same limits. On the other hand, someone who thinks of themselves as active, useful, and learning is naturally more open to new things, more communicative, and more mobile.
And it doesn’t just end with the mind. Everything, from sleep to appetite to energy to digestion to muscle tension, is connected to how you feel. If someone is always worried, they will have trouble sleeping, their digestion will get worse, and they will feel more tired. But if the mind is calm and stable, the body works more evenly.
In our daily lives, we see this happen a lot. If a doctor tells someone, “You need to be very careful,” that person will feel sick right away. It walks carefully, doesn’t move too much, and always remembers to be afraid. The mind’s fear can sometimes hold the body back more than the disease itself. Some people, on the other hand, think they can handle the illness, take care of themselves, and keep living. They are also getting better fairly quickly.
Society also gives us some rules to follow. We unconsciously accept that a certain age means knowing what to do and what not to do, when energy levels drop, and when risks should not be taken. Psychology says that a person starts to live by the story they tell themselves. The story changes, which changes the behaviour, and the behaviour changes, which changes the body’s habits.
This doesn’t mean that just thinking positively will make all physical problems go away. Denying reality is not good for you. But as the way you talk to yourself gets better, more understanding, and more hopeful, the messages you send to your body also get better. The words we say to ourselves are the same ones that the brain hears the body.
In the end, the question is, what do we tell ourselves every day? A story like “I’m tired, I’m not,” or “I’m learning, I’m going slowly”? The body goes where the mind goes. So, mental health isn’t just about getting rid of problems; it’s also about being more aware of and positive about how you interact with yourself and being more in touch with reality. The body starts to respond as the mind gets stronger.
Manaswi_Mental Health and Psychology
7758942278