Dr. Nileesha Chitre

So you love you job and don't mind working after-hours every once in a while. Are you plagued by hypertension, stomach disorder and sleeplessness often? It's probably about time that you started paying more attention to the dual functioning of your body and mind. Straining on one while neglecting the other will only bear dire consequences in the near future and render your body weak and your mind restless. 

The regulation of the mind-body dualism is the most integral aspect of your being. Your mind has the potential of affecting your health in more ways than one. Having a better outlook towards life helps deal with health issues such as depression, headaches, pain and stress. The dual functioning of mind and body is bound to have greater implications on your health and one needs to be well aware of the facet of it:

Your mind reflects what your health has to say!
The brain creates gamma globulin and endorphins which toughen your immunity and serve as natural painkillers, respectively. The production of these substances depends significantly on how you're feeling at the moment. Having a positive outlook even when you're down with fever, pain or stress enables your body to create better regulatory hormones which accelerate healing. On the other hand, if you're being too hard on yourself as a result of work overload, emotional crisis or any personal mishap, and adopt a negative perspective towards most things, your body will know and slow down its mechanism for creating endorphins and gamma globulin. This means you'll take longer to regain normalcy.

What you're doing to your body affects how your brain works?
On the flipside, if your body is under extreme pressure to perform and as a result you're missing out on your regular healthy regime, your mind is guaranteed to function differently. Eating differently, losing sleep, exercising less, and burn-outs will affect your mental well-being, mostly negatively. The fight-or-flight reaction and blood pressure levels are considerably influenced by how you're feeling and how you are dealing with things in life. As a result, you might feel depressed, moody, restless or sick. 

Therapies to increase the mind - body functioning!
Practicing therapy and exercising to improve the dual functioning of your brain and body are therefore indispensible for keeping well. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) suggests some integrative measures that are sure to have a positive impact on your over-all well being:

1. Meditation
2. Cognitive-behavioral management
3. Yoga and relaxation
4. Proper diet and regular physical exercise
5. Active involvement in music, art or dance
6. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle

Despite everything else, if you're still willing to work beyond your deadline, at least don't forget to eat the salad that you had packed for lunch! If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychologist.