More and more people are discovering the connection between mind and body. Something that in the past was hard to believe, more evidence is being found that proves otherwise. One easy way to see how the mind and the body are connected is when we experience stress. When a stressful situation happens, your body responds by releasing hormones like cortisol to prepare you for an emergency.  

In prehistoric times when a person was in danger, the body responded by fighting, fleeing, or freezing. This was an innate response that helped humans to survive, especially when they were in grave danger like being chased by a big animal that might want to eat them. The body makes many physiological changes like shallow breathing, increased heart rate, and blood pressure to react quickly to the threat. At the same time, it slows down your immune system, digestive system, and your reproductive system.  This helps conserve energy and send it to where is needed.  

How can something that helped us survive for such a long time now be the cause of some many illnesses when left unchecked? Even though the body is extremely smart in so many ways and does so many essential functions on its own, it can’t distinguish between a real threat and just a regular stressor. The body reacts the same way when it is being chased by an animal as it does when it is just stuck in traffic. It engages and disengages all the same functions.  If the body stays in a stressful state, this can cause illnesses since the immune system gets depleted of the energy it needs to function. 

The nervous system is regulated by the sympathetic system and the parasympathetic system. The sympathetic system is the one that tells the body to accelerate, and the parasympathetic system is the one that tells the body to brake. This helps the brain engage and disengage during a crisis  

Why is it important to be aware, especially in a stressful situation? Being aware helps people to see if the habit that they are practicing helps them or hurts them. When the body experiences stressors, it tends to deal with them the same way it did in the past. Some of the things that the body might do to alleviate the discomfort or stress are to smoke, use substances, become a workaholic, or just stay busy. This can be detrimental not only for the body but also for the mind. The more aware you are, the better you can deal with life’s stressors in a healthy manner that will produce the desired results. The more a person practices mindfulness, the easier it will be to spot if the stressor comes from a real life and death situation, or if it comes from day-to-day life like traffic or other things that might be irritating but not necessarily life threatening.   

One way to practice mindfulness is by using grounding. The grounding technique engages the five senses and helps a person feel calmer and stay in the present moment. You start by:  

Looking for five things that you can see 

Next look for four things that you can touch 

Next look for three things that you can hear 

Next look for two things that you can smell 

Last, look for one thing that you can taste.  

By the end of this exercise, your body should feel more at peace. This grounding technique helps when you are feeling anxious, or when life stressors feel like they are getting out of hand. By engaging your five senses, this technique helps to bring you back to the present moment and make you realize that you are safe and that everything is alright.  

For more information, please check the following resource.  

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2019). A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook. New Harbinger Publications, Inc.