In our previous post, we touched on the mind-body connection, in terms of the effects of your mind on your body and the gut, specifically.
In this installment, we explore the bi-directional relationship: how your body affects your mind and what you can do about it.
How your Body Posture Impacts your Brain
In her Ted talk, which has been viewed over 46 million times, Amy Cuddy, author of Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, shows how our body language influences our emotions.
In her experiment, participants assumed high-power and low-power poses, for two minutes. The difference in poses accounted for significant variance in tolerating risks, cortisol levels (connected to stress) and more.
“Two minutes lead to these hormonal changes that configure your brain to basically be either assertive, confident and comfortable, or really stress-reactive, and feeling sort of shut down,” says Cuddy.
What you can do to Improve your Mental State
There’s a lot you can do to improve your mental state, through altering what you do with your body. Here are some basics:
- Exercise, for example has been shown to improve memory, stress levels, focus and mood.
- Nutrition is fuel. Eat right and reap the benefits from head to toe. Here’s a list of foods that impact your brain functioning, memory, stress and anxiety levels, mood and more.
- Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your mind. Researchers claim that it clears your brain from waste, assists with learning and remembering, and helps you regulate your mood.
Each one of these topics deserves to be explored at length. But, for now, keep in mind – or in body – that much of your mental state might be in your hands.
Do you ever notice a difference in your mental state, based on bodily functions?
Please share in the comments below.