Santé
Optimal Health
Mental Health
Weekend- Make the Mind/Body Connection!
As mental
health awareness week draws to a close this weekend, let’s take the opportunity
to experience the strong connection between the mind and body for our own
mental health.
We may have
had a week where we experienced instances of frustration, anger, a deadline
hanging over our heads like a weight, family, friends and work pulling us in
many different directions, or just the exhaustion of completing another week full
of work. All of these feelings can create an actual physical response in our
bodies that builds up and is commonly referred to as stress. In order to
relieve this stress, our mind is trained to seek pleasure at the expense of the
body. The way we deal with stress may be through indulging in some guilty
pleasure that we feel we deserve; however, this is a temporary solution that
only feeds the mind and does not provide an outlet for the physical build-up
our bodies are experiencing.
Physical
activity can serve as the pressure valve that relieves stress and restores the balance
between the mind and body. Exercise will increase blood circulation, raise your
heart rate as well as stimulate all kinds of chemical activity in muscles that
will help repair the wear and tear from the work week. Our bodies were designed
to move and work best when engaging in regular physical activity, so becoming
active will help bring back the balance between the mind and body.
If you
haven’t been active, start slow and listen to your body; check with your doctor
if you need to but remember that it is important to start moving. Walking is
the simplest and easiest way to start; get out and walk around your
neighborhood, walk to the market or visit one of the many amazing parks in
Atlantic Canada. If you are regularly active, try adding an extra 10-15 minutes
of activity to your routine and see if you can elicit the rebound effect of the
deep state of relaxation that comes after exercise. When you finish your
exercise and have time to reflect; you will have felt a connection between your
mind and body and taken a step toward improving your mental health!
This
weekend, massage your mind through your body by moving it.
Our health professionals can guide you to
Optimal Health!
Contact us at: (506) 855-6784 or e-mail: ttoner@santeoptimalhealth.ca
There is a strong Mind/Body connection and that is why we need to keep moving!
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