Mind and body link – Coping with emotions

World Mental Health Day 10/10/2020. This year’s theme is – ‘Mental Health for All’.

Mind and body link – Coping with emotions through the body. We have all been riding an emotional rollercoaster during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and continue to feel worried or scared as the second wave looms large upon us. There is confusion over social restrictions and ever changing rules. There is sadness over loss of jobs, income and relationships. We are frustrated by tighter social restrictions, not being able to meet up with families or friends. It’s more important than ever to look after our mental and emotional health and it’s equally important to keep going but also to engage in self-care.

Emotions contribute to our sense of belonging and connectedness. Emotions make us who we are – human! It is only normal to feel and experience what we are feeling. We need to express ourselves, we need to give due attention to our emotions and we need to manage our emotions in a better way. Talk to someone about how you feel, say it out loud or write down your thoughts and feelings! Journaling has been deemed as one of the most effective tools in managing thoughts and emotions. More than ever, the current situation requires us to develop emotional resilience and patience, hence it is important we deal with our emotions in a healthy way. We all can take steps to look after ourselves. By being self-compassionate and by giving due attention to what we are feeling in the moment. Allow yourself to be with your emotions. Not avoiding how we feel or falling prey to the widely believed notion that emotions are negative or bad. In fact, fear and worry have been keeping us safe from the dangers of the world around us. It’s the heightened state of anxiety that causes the ‘flight or fight’ response, which is often stimulated in challenging situations; amidst all the ups and downs of daily living!

Backed by several studies, practicing mindfulness meditation has proven beneficial to our emotional and mental health and wellbeing. Mindfulness is a state of present moment awareness, which also includes awareness of thoughts, feelings and emotions. We carry lot of emotions on our body.  And the good news is we can train ourselves to recognise these by developing self-awareness. By extending self-awareness to physical feelings, we can learn to localise the areas where you feel stress, fear or anxiety most. Once you acknowledge your feelings, you can take actions to reduce the intensity of emotions by accepting them. Acceptance brings clarity. Acknowledge -are you scared, stressed, feeling sad, or angry? By grounding and focusing your attention on the bodily sensations, you can shift the focus away from the worried or anxious mind. Our emotions evoke a variety of bodily feelings.

The mind is reflected in the body and the body is reflected in the mind. There is constant transfer of information between the two. Both are interlinked! Ever noticed how you find it impossible to move when feeling low? Or how you get super charged when feeling angry? The brain influences our thoughts, behaviours, what choices we make and how we respond. It’s the high command of decision making telling us how to live our lives. Likewise, the external factors shape our brains too. The brain has the adaptive ability in response to stimuli from the outer world. The mind and body link has been well established.

The body and mind work in unison. We just need to make ourselves aware of this bond! We sense emotions through our body. Remember the sensation of butterflies in the tummy when you are going to meet someone after several years or the gurgling noises the tummy makes just before exams or important presentation? When we are fraught with uncertainty, the brain sends signals to the body via the sympathetic nervous system resulting in pleasant such as butterflies in the tummy or somewhat unpleasant- gurgling noises we experience from time to time. We also carry stress on our body and we don’t even realise it. Ever noticed the achy shoulders, stiff neck or upper back at the end of a busy day? Body aches and pains are secondary to contracted muscles. These physical feelings are a way of body bringing our attention to day to day life stressors.

One of the ways to deal with overpowering emotions, more so in these uncertain times, where the brain may perceive everything as doom and gloom, is to bring our attention to the present moment. Sounds paradoxical right? The exterior world may seem like a very unpleasant place currently, and that’s when going internally helps tackle the situation. The body’s ‘fight, flight or freeze mode’ is switched on when the brain perceives something as a ‘threat’. It is the way we keep ourselves safe. And there is plenty going on in the current situation to evoke this response. By shifting our attention to physical feelings when awash with fear, anger or anxiety, we can reduce the intensity of our emotions and may feel less distressed.

By paying attention to what the body is telling us in that particular moment, we can understand our emotions. Just take a moment to notice body’s reaction. Are you shaky? Is there heaviness in your chest? Is the heart racing? Cold hands or feet? Dry mouth? Or perhaps your breathing is shallow? Notice the areas which are causing discomfort. Scan the body starting from top or bring your attention to the part with most dominant sensation you are experiencing. It may be your shallow breathing, rapidly beating heart, dry mouth, tummy sensations or your cold extremities. And the trick is to do this deliberately and on purpose, no matter how difficult or impossible it may seem, practice over and over. Make yourself aware of emotions and train to focus on how the body responds.

Starting now, take a moment to notice how you are feeling? What you are experiencing here and now? How is the current pandemic making you feel? Are you afraid of stepping out? Are you worried about your health or someone else’s health? Is there frustration? Now shift your attention to your body. Do you feel this emotion strongly in any part of the body? Start scanning from feet upwards to localise the area of most discomfort. Once you become aware of your discomfort, you will start noticing the difference between the areas at ease and the areas of discomfort. Thus by giving due attention to the body parts which need attention the most, you can localise and reduce the intensity of unpleasant physical sensations. Next step is to soften the areas of discomfort by breathing in to these areas. With eyes closed or by lowering your gaze, focus on your breathing – full inhale and exhale, and on the next inhale let your breath travel to the area of discomfort, bringing attention back to breathing on exhale. Repeat this for the next inhale and the next one after that. Soon you will notice the ease of discomforting feelings. It is going to be difficult in the beginning but like everything, practice makes perfect!!

Another helpful breathing technique is measured breaths – take first four breaths counting till 4 while inhaling slowly through nose and counting till 8 while exhaling slowly though the open mouth. And the next four breaths similar counting but exhaling through closed mouth.  

Secondly, merely by shifting the outlook towards stress and anxiety we can increase the coping ability of our mind. All stress is not bad. In fact, researchers have found that moderate stress experienced before the important exam or important presentation can be memory and performance enhancing. Similarly, fear and anxiety have been a saviour from our ancestors’ times. It’s a coping mechanism that keeps us safe from dangers of the world around. The vigilant attitude is what takes us through the activities of the day safely. Over the years, though, the anxiety response gets heightened due to the stressors experienced in modern living. And the brain perceives situations on which we have no control as a ‘threat’. Making us unable to cope.

Thirdly, implementing self-care and practicing self- compassion in your daily wellbeing regime. Be easy on yourself and extend kindness and caring not only to those around you but also to your inner critique as well. Treat yourself with a same degree of loving kindness as you would treat a loved one or a friend. Honed skill of self- compassion in turn will make you even more compassionate to others.

These are some of the ways to tackle with overpowering emotions in the current situation of uncertainty. Everyone will respond differently based on their own circumstances but harbour an understanding that whatever you are feeling now is perfectly ok to feel. Be kind to yourself and to your mind.

Take steps to look after your mental health just like you would treat your physical health. Make sure you are getting adequate sleep, physical exercise, looking after your nutrition and nurturing relationships. Stay safe, stay well.