Sound Mind - Healthy Body: Follw These Tips

A day when you are down with cold/fever or you just had a fight with your best friend - are situations which affect your efficiency at the workplace. This shows that the body and mind are interconnected and that emotions play a big part in determining your health status. No wonder, non-physical causes like stress, bad mood and tension adversely affect the immune system, as do physical causes such as infections and diseases. The immune system is significantly linked with psychology, neurology, endocrinology, nutrition and the environment. Apart from following a good diet and exercising regularly, we need to have an amiable surrounding. Recent studies have shown that 70-80% of all physician visits are stress related. With the ever-increasing demands of a hectic lifestyle, changing roles, added responsibilities at home and work, the human body is being exposed to increasing levels of stress, which in turn lead to various physical ailments and diseases.

So, how do we make sure that we remain stress free and healthy?

A comprehensive approach to maintaining good health includes increasing self-responsibility for wellness, healthy lifestyle choices, health-promoting diet and a positive mental attitude. Several studies have shown that negative emotions suppress immune function. Research at the Institute of HeartMath (IHM), California shows negative emotions of anger, frustration and fear cause disorder in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and positive emotions of care, appreciation and love, create harmony in the ANS, increase the efficiency of the heart and boost the immune system. Cited below are a few tips that would help you have a stress-free mind and thus a healthy body:-

• Learn to deal with stress - Stress is an inevitable part of our daily life. We can't avoid it but can definitely learn how to deal with it effectively. This helps us in maintaining our mental health. Tackle mood swings- We all experience mood swings but dealing with feelings of sudden anger, sadness, joy and fear in a constructive way is the key to happiness.
  
  
• Pamper yourself - At times you feel that life is treating you in a very mechanical way. When you feel so, it is best to take an off from work and spend some time with yourself and your loved ones. Go for an outing and indulge in your favourite pastime.
  
  
• Trust your abilities - Identify your abilities and weaknesses together, accept them, build on them and do the best with what you have.

What impact do emotions have on our body?

Interestingly, it has been proven that while the feelings of hatred, jealousy, anger and frustration negatively impacts our health, feelings of love have an altogether healthy effect on our total well being. The stress response in our bodies is reversed within seconds. Some other positive effects of love on our health:-

When we love, the electromagnetic energy generated by the heart (about 2.5 watts of power) changes from a state of chaos into an ordered, harmonic pattern of waves, creating a state of peace and harmony. Many systems in our bodies that were operating independently of each other begin to function together in a state of order and harmony called entrainment when we feel or express love. The ANS that runs the unconscious functions of the body changes from a state of conflict and imbalance into an ordered, efficient and balanced state.
So, it is clear that the more we remain stress free and love our environment, the healthier would be our mind and body.