I use wonder does the mind control the body or does the body control the mind? Turns out it is a two way street – the body can react to the mind and the mind can react to the body. Which makes a lot of sense really, when you think about it. Feelings such a stress and anxiety which begin in the mind can cause issues in the body and conditions such as what I am experiencing ITP (Immune Thrombocypenia) which beings in the body has the ability to affect my mind with depression #mindblown
I have learned much over the years and one thing that has been the biggest obstacle however has honestly made the biggest impact for me when dealing with my chronic illness is the power of positive thoughts.
Yes, I have become a believer of positive thinking and I do believe that positive thoughts are a great way for the mind and body to communicate.
Not only is positive thinking a fantastic mindset technique it also plays a very important role for one’s immune system. You see when we feel negative emotions like anger, danger, stress etc. Our immune system recognizes these emotions as threatening and launches an immune response. Therefore seeming as my condition is an immune system malfunction where my immune system is already in overdrive I have found it to be wise not to add fuel to the flames.
So what are my top tips for a positive mindset?
Breathe – When I feel anxious, angry or negative I need to take a moment for myself and take deep breaths to calm down.
Be grateful – they say the best way to look past stress is to focus on gratitude and my goodness this actually works. Whenever I am feeling stressed I focus my energy on things that I am grateful for and it helps me focus on the positive things in my life.
Exercise – now I know I talk about exercise a fare bit and trust me if you could see this naked you would know I do not have the bod of a person whom exercises a lot. I guess you could say I am one of those people who likes to exercise (maybe once or twice a week) however; I also like to eat cake. I tell myself it is all about the balance. Although, I do enjoy the aftermath of exercise and nothing clears the mind better than a nice long jog.
Replace the negative with positive – granted this is not an easy journey and my mind wants to bully my body continuously with things such as “what’s wrong with you?”, “get your shit together” and “why have you done this to me?” However although my relationship between my mind and body is not always going to be perfect I still need to remember that my mind and body need to work as a team so whenever I hear a negative thought I try to replace it with a positive one.
Let it be – this has been the hardest one of all and one I am still working towards - let things go. Some things are totally out of my control and worry or stress is not going to solve the problem therefore I have to just let things be. Come what come may, as Shakespeare would say.