What is the mind-body connection and how does it relate to pain and other symptoms?

We all know intuitively that emotional stress can be expressed in physical sensations and symptoms.⁠⁠

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Some common examples are:⁠⁠

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You have a big deadline at work and you get a stomach ache in reaction to the stress.

Or you have a big fight with a loved one and you wind up getting a headache from the fight. ⁠⁠

Or you watch a scary movie and your shoulders get so tight from the fear that you have a stiff neck at the end of watching it. ⁠⁠

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These are all examples of physical reactions to mental and emotional stress. In each of these examples, the mind perceives something as stressful, and the body reacts.

That, in a nutshell, is the mind-body connection. And I haven’t told you anything that you don’t already know. Like I said, this stuff is intuitive. But in a culture where we’re encouraged to ignore our stress so that we can keep working and being productive, we don’t tend to talk or think about it a lot.

So how do we start paying attention to the mind-body connection? There are an unlimited number of different ways to do this. So, I’m just going to share one of my favorite tools, which is starting a verbal dialogue between your mind and your body through expressive writing.

And here are some conversation starters that you can try as journaling prompts: Here are the prompts:

👉 Dear symptom, what emotions are you feeling right now? (List them all out. If you need help with this, you could try scanning the Nonviolent Communication list of feelings .)

👉 Dear emotion, what do you need to feel honored?

👉 Dear emotion, is there a boundary that you need me to set?⁠

👉 Dear emotion, do you need me to assert myself through self-expression, following my heart, or speaking up?⁠

👉 Dear emotion, do you need support from allies  or peers? And if so, who should I reach out to?

👉 Dear emotion, do you need rest, nurturing or soothing?

If you try these out, I'd love to hear how it goes!

For more support with chronic symptoms, find me at:

www.annaholtzman.com

IG @anna_holtzman