The mind-body connection is a continuous loop that greatly impacts your quality of life.

So I have this friend, we’ll call her Nicole, and I want to tell you a little bit about her. Don’t worry — she’s given me permission to share her story. 

She’s an incredible woman! And to an outsider, she seems to have her life in order. She seems to have it all. She’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, has a supportive group of friends, is married to a sweet loving man and has three adorable kiddos.

It sounds like the perfect life, right?

Well, the truth is, she’s really struggling with her mind-body connection right now.

→ Working long hours

→ Staying up too late

→ Feeling constantly stressed 

She’s stressed because as much as she loves her job, there are a thousand balls to juggle, and she’s only one person. She’s also feeling pressure because she needs to make money, but she wants more time at home with her kids. 

It’s such a challenge to balance it all. 

I think we all experience this in one way or another. Maybe you aren’t working on balancing work and home life, but it could be home life and self-care. Or work life and your marriage?

The struggle is real, and the balance is haaard!

Nicole and I sat on my couch with a cup of tea, talking about how overwhelmed she was. She shared that she stays up late on her computer, gets up early, skips breakfast and sometimes is too busy to eat lunch. So we’re talking about one meal a day. In an office all day — no fresh air, no sunshine.

This conversation with Nicole got me thinking. So I had to share a little about the mind-body connection and how it can affect your overall health and well-being. 

What Is the Mind-Body Connection?

The mind-body connection refers to how your physical body is connected to your mind (your mental health).

When your body’s feeling out of whack, your mind usually is too.

In other words, what we feel — like stress and overwhelm — can affect the way we eat, how tired we are, our sleep patterns and even our posture.

And vice versa — the way you eat, your sleep patterns and how much sunshine you absorb all affect your thoughts, clarity and stress levels.

Basically, it’s all tied together…

→ The way you think influences how you feel

→ How you feel influences the way you think

So my friend Nicole is stressed, and because of that, she’s not eating well or taking care of her physical body the way it needs to be cared for.

Because she’s not taking care of her body — sleeping, skipping screens before bed, eating healthy, drinking water, exercising and sunshine exposure — her mind is deprived and stressed.

It’s a vicious cycle!

Since the mind-body connection affects us all, let’s focus on why it’s essential to maintain. 

Why Is the Mind-Body Connection So Important?

Besides the fact that we all want to be happy and feel good, the mind-body connection is essential because there can be long-term effects from living a stressful life every day for many years.

Did you know that prolonged stress can increase the risk of hypertension, heart attack and strokes because of elevated stress hormones and blood pressure levels?

This is the perfect example of how something mental (stress) can affect your physical body. 

Let’s dig into how stress impacts your immune system a bit more.

Stress and Your Immune System

When you’re stressed, your body produces a hormone called cortisol which, in short spurts, can boost your immunity by limiting inflammation. 

So short-term stress is actually good for you — like the stress of a quiz you need to study for tomorrow or an upcoming job promotion.

But when you experience this stress long-term with no relief, your body gets used to having too much cortisol in your blood over time. This paves the way for even more inflammation and can eventually suppress your immune system's ability to fight off invaders.

Invaders would be those nasty bugs and viruses. We’re exposed to so many of them daily, but when you have a strong immune system, your body can exterminate those bad boys before you even get a sniffle. 

But when your immune system is inflamed and unable to fight anything off, you get sick with one thing after another. The good news is that there are ways to help yourself get on the right mind-body path.

How to Balance the Mind-Body Connection

Now that you understand how your mind and body are intertwined, let’s talk about what to do if you’re knee-deep in an unhealthy loop between the two.

It takes a little bit of work because if you’re stressed out and dealing with anxiety, you’re not going to feel like whipping up a healthy meal in your kitchen. Or if you’re eating a bunch of processed foods full of sugar, you won’t feel like taking a walk every evening, right?

I get it! But to make a positive adjustment in your health, you have to break the cycle! You must throw a wrench in there to shift your course and see real changes.

I suggest addressing your body first:

• Get 8-10 hours of sleep every night. Make it a priority. Getting good quality sleep is the pinnacle of overall optimal health.

• Limit screens 1-2 hours before bed. Exposing yourself to screens right before bed can affect your quality of sleep — which means even if you sleep 8 hours, you could still wake up not rested.

• Eat 3 healthy meals a day. Try your hardest not to skip meals! Your body needs those nutrients and calories to function properly. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Check out my recipe blog here for quick and easy ideas.

• Take 1 walk a day. Get outside, breathe in that fresh air, skip the sunglasses and let your body absorb vitamin D naturally. Low vitamin D is associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety.

• Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water each day. Water is crucial for your cells to function properly. Did you know that when you feel thirsty, your body is already getting dehydrated? It’s better to be ahead of the game and start drinking water as soon as you wake up! Headaches, brain fog and joint pain are all linked to dehydration.

• Boost your immune system. If you’ve been experiencing prolonged stress, consider giving your body a little help when restoring your immune system. Try taking a simple dose of organic elderberry syrup every morning, along with your cup of water and a nutritious breakfast. See what a difference it can make!

Then, start these practices to get a healthier mind:

• Start a gratitude journal. Did you know that writing 3 things you're grateful for in a journal every morning can drastically impact your mindset? It’s incredible how powerful this practice truly is.

• Pray or meditate. Take a few moments to just breathe in and out slowly. Calm your mind and either pray, spend time with God or meditate. Think about people or places that bring you joy and peace.

• Seek counseling. If you have something heavy weighing on you, I encourage you to seek professional help. Connect with someone and let them guide you into the path of healing. A healthy mind means addressing deeper issues that could be impacting your overall health.

Take it one step at a time. You don’t have to accomplish all these practices today or next week. 

Just focus on one area and do your best. Then move on to the next step. Baby steps! Give yourself grace and pull in friends and family to encourage you on this journey.

Your brain will start to rewire as you instill these practices, and these mind-body habits will become second nature sooner than you think.

Love Your Life

My passion here at Elderberry Queen is to help you love your life! Whether it’s through using my elderberry syrup to stay healthy, exploring essential oils to live more naturally or learning tips and tricks from my health blog — I want you and your family to thrive!

Be sure to check out my recipe blog here for easy and quick immune-boosting recipes as well.

💜 I’m so excited to support you on your health journey!