Mind-Body Connection

Reducing Stress-Anxiety through the Mind-Body Connection

Posted by Orlando Therapy Project

Jennifer Sigman  LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in marriage counseling and anxiety. Jennifer utilizes mindfulness practices to help her clients better understand and improve themselves and their relationships. For more information about worry, stress and anxiety contact Jennifer Sigman, MS, LMFT at www.OrlandoTherapyProject.com, Sigmantherapy@aol.com or telephone 407-415-9017. 

Reducing Stress-Anxiety through the Mind-Body Connection

By Jennifer Sigman LMFT

Stress is a normal response built into everyone’s brain. When our stress system is working well, it keeps us out of harm’s way.  It alerts us to changes in our environment and allows us time to assess for danger and make adjustments for comfort.  It starts with our senses; our eyes, ears, nose and skin are always inspecting our environment for changes.  The information they gather is sent to the hypothalamus (in our brain) which interprets the information. When danger is detected, it signals the pituitary and adrenal glands to action. Together they release hormones, inclusive of cortisol and epinephrine, into the blood which increase blood pressure and heart rate. They also make more energy available to fuel our body so we can fight or run away. 

This stress response is extremely helpful in countless situations. It hastens us into motion to stay on time or get out of the way of a large speeding truck. It signals us to take off a sweater when the temperature is hot and take shelter when there’s a storm. However, this stress response is meant to be resolved with an action. Our bodily systems are intended to cycle through stress-resolution cycles with rest or restorative periods in-between.

But when stress goes unresolved, for extended periods, it results in excessive demands on our body. Ultimately, stress can compromise many systems in our body and lead to gastro-intestinal issues, increased risk of cardiac disease, depression of the auto-immune system and impairment in memory function. The increased levels of cortisol and epinephrine also cause a heightened startle response, so it doesn’t take much to alarm somebody who is already stressed - becoming a vicious cycle.

Anxiety is more an emotional response with a feeling of worry or fear attached to it. The worry is usually driven by a thought or perception that we are “not safe.” It is not a message being informed by our ears, nose or eyes.  It is being informed by memories, assumptions or perceptions. The source of the fear or worry is not always known. But as our brain mulls over these thoughts, it will often trigger a stress response- by alerting our body to “danger” that may not factually exist. In turn, the body reacts with that high stress response preparing to fight or run away.  This is a physical response to an emotional situation and an example of the mind-body connection.

The mind-body connection is when the body reacts to something the mind is thinking. An example would be, if you think about a very stressful situation in your life, you can raise your heart rate. Conversely, if you think about a stress free, calm and pleasant time you can lower your heart rate; all without moving from your chair.  You can also experience this connection through sounds, smells and pictures that remind you of things that are happy/good or challenging/bad.

Without awareness, both stress and anxiety can cause various challenges to our health and emotional wellbeing. Both can get in the way of living the life we want to be living and having relationships that are better for us.  If unattended, they can cost us time, money and connections; ultimately our health and wellbeing.  Think about what stress and anxiety have cost you to date; healthy digestion, peaceful sleep, a pain free body, a job, relationship, an advanced degree? Fortunately, with education and focused attention they can be identified, controlled and managed or eliminated.

Jennifer Sigman is the Director of the Orlando Therapy Project located in Central Florida. You can follow her at www.facebook.com/JenniferSigman.OTP or http://twitter.com/OrlThrpyProject.