How does stress affect body mind connection?
Stress can also affect your emotions. It can make you feel moody, tense, upset, or depressed. But when you are able to relax your mind and body, your body stops producing the hormones that create stress. The feelings of stress ease, and you return to a state of calm, both physically and mentally.
What is the connection between the body and the mind?
Physical health and emotional health are intimately intertwined in what’s known as the mind-body connection. Our chemistry and biology impact our mood and emotions, as well as thoughts and beliefs. With all of these factors combined, they play a major role in influencing our stress and physical health.
What happens to the brain during a stress response?
When your stress response includes a rush of dopamine, you feel optimistic about your ability to do something meaningful. Dopamine also primes the brain for physical action, making sure you don’t freeze under pressure. The attunement system is driven by the neurotransmitter serotonin.
How does the tend and befriend response affect your brain?
The best way to understand how the tend-and-befriend response does this is to look at how it affects your brain: The social caregiving system is regulated by oxytocin. When this system is activated, you feel more empathy, connection, and trust, as well as a stronger desire to bond or be close with others.
How does stress lead to courage and connection?
Stress doesn’t always lead to fight-or-flight, says Kelly McGonigal. It can also activate brain systems that help us connect with other people. To make sure we have the courage to protect our loved ones, the tend-and-befriend response must counter our basic survival instinct to avoid harm. We need fearlessness in those moments,…
How does the reward system help with stress?
Activation of the reward system increases motivation while dampening fear. When your stress response includes a rush of dopamine, you feel optimistic about your ability to do something meaningful. Dopamine also primes the brain for physical action, making sure you don’t freeze under pressure.