Being flexible – or why it is so important to take care of the body

If you really want to feel good in your life, it is about everything. Once one area of your life is out of balance, it is likely to influence your whole life. Like when you had a fight with someone, it might influence your whole day, your work performance, even your health by giving you headache or neck pain. Well-being is not just a mindset, it is a wholesome experience. If you want to really feel good, you have to be flexible, in your body, mind and soul. And in this article, I am going to explain to you how physical tension effects your mental well-being, and vice versa.

What exactly effects your body?

The answer is quite simple: everything. There is literally nothing that does not effect your body. Every movement has an impact on your body, if you sleep (well) or not has an impact on your body. But it goes even further, every thought you have impacts your body, and last but not least, even the way you are thinking will influence the well-being of your body. Think about it: if you are looking for a parking spot, and the very moment you find one, someone else is taking it, it might make you feel bad for an instant.

No worries, that is not a big impact and nothing will happen if you happen to have one negative thought once in a while. If this is your normal way of thinking, it will though. Negative thoughts are like a drop of poison that you give to your body, every time you have them. With every negative thought you have, your body will release adrenaline and cortisol, commonly known as stress hormones. That is great if you have to escape a tiger, because for this limited time, your body is able to push you to even outreach your limits. If this happens for an extended period, it’s poison.

How does the body show you that it has too much stress?

If you had these negative thoughts for an extended period, your body is likely to show symptoms. Very commonly is weight fluctuation. Some react with too much bowl movement and cannot really take in food, others cannot lose weight even though they follow a strict regime. Yes you heard right: if you want to successfully lose weight, reducing stress is essential. Other common symptoms are headaches, depression, sleeping distress, dizziness or chronic pain, just to name a few. If these symptoms are already present, but the negative flow of thoughts does not stop, it might over time result in serious diseases.

What can you do to stop this negative cycle?

First of all, it’s great to know that you can flip this around and make it work in your favor. Because just as everything that concerns the mind impacts the body, this works the other way around too. Take the fact that once you complete a sports training, you feel great. Why? Because your body produces endorphins when you exercise, commonly known as happiness hormones. So a great way to stop the negative flow of thinking is to just take your running shoes and do some exercise. One tip: don’t indulge in an activity where you compare yourself to others. Competition will only raise stress hormones. So if you find yourself comparing yourself in the gym, and maybe also dissing yourself for not being able to lift like your neighbor, find an alternative activity and do that instead. And if there is nothing else but walking around the block, do this.

Are there any other positive effects of physical movement?

The list of positive side effects of physical movement is long, but to keep it simple, let me just name something connected to your mental well-being: if you spend most of your time in a seated position, you are very likely to have some tension and stiffness in your joints, like your shoulders, your hips, or you experience lower back pain. Once you get moving, you help your body release these areas. And by releasing tension in your body, you will also let go of some tension in your mind.

The most significant example of this vice-versa effect is rheumatism. Many patients suffering from rheumatic arthritis are extremely narrow-minded, or stiff in their mind if you want so. And this stiffness is a mirror of their bodies. For most of them, adding some light exercise will help them release pain and get the stiff joints to be more flexible again. And this slowly has an effect on their minds.

What can you do to improve your flexibility?

Simple: for one fact, get moving. No matter what you do, do it. And be very aware that you have fun, and don’t stress when engaging in movement. Another great way of getting more flexible is meditation. Letting go of what does not serve you any longer, and be aware that nothing else exists but the present moment. And that all worries of the past and the future are nothing else but imaginations of a story that is not happening right now. So every day, take a moment to just breathe – in and out. And enjoy the lightness of not worrying at all. The beautiful freedom of the mind and the spirit. As long as it takes.

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