The Body-Mind Balance Connection

An interesting connection has recently been found by researchers at Tel Aviv University between physical balance and anxiety disorders. Dr. Orit Bart and her associates have analyzed children diagnosed with anxiety disorders and discovered that the majority of them also suffer from problems with balance and coordination. Moreover, Bart claims that physical therapy targeting and improving physical balance problems has been shown to also help resolve anxiety issues.

Bart's research shows that while not all children with anxiety also have balance problems, all children with balance problems do exhibit anxiety. After a twelve week sensory-motor intervention, children in Bart's research group had markedly improved balance skills. With this new balance came heightened self-esteem, and eventual return of previous anxiety to normal levels. This is a direct example of treating the mind through the body.

When the body is in balance, the mind is in balance. When we lack balance, we feel anxious about the control we may or may not have over ourselves and therefore doubt the effectiveness of our minds. But when we work to obtain greater balance, our confidence increases and we are empowered to trust our minds' abilities more. Thus we are engaged in a cycle where power begets power and struggle begets struggle.

Therefore we must work to increase our balancing ability, and we may rest assured that it is easier than we may think. This is because with the knowledge that we may use the physical realm as a means of ensuring a higher degree of mental wellness, there are a host of tools and techniques at our disposal that we can see, touch and feel. We are not limited to the abstract, or to cognitive approaches which for most can seem elusive and difficult.

Because of the power we have over the physical, we can use our own operational thinking to the advantage of our minds. For example, an operation---or action---as simple as cleaning your desk. My desk is so cluttered right now that I feel anxious about all this stuff I have to do. Everything is a mess before me and I don't know where to start. But if I take a few minutes and organize my desk, stack the papers in the right places with the most important documents on top, throw away trash, take my empty yogurt and cups to the kitchen and a quick wipe clean with a sponge, I will definitely feel more in control of the situation.

I can even make a list of what I need to do, of my priorities, and set it neatly in front of me on the desk. At that point I will know all that I need to do, and I won't have to remember it---it is right there on the list. There is no clutter clouding my vision of the tasks at hand. What can be done is done at the moment. Then I can continue to write this with a clearer mind, with more confidence, with more BALANCE. That is the connection between the physical and the mental/emotional. Between the body and the mind.

Balance is about effectiveness, and ultimately, about happiness and contentment with our selves and the world around us.

What can you do today to increase the balance of your body or of your physical world? How will this affect the state of balance in your mind? Will you feel better? Accomplish more? Have less anxiety?

A Balanced Diet

Eating a balanced diet is probably the single most important thing that you can do for yourself. When we are properly nourished, we think clearer, feel better, and can contribute more. When we are improperly nourished the effects can be severe, and sometimes we don't even recognize it.

If your body has all it needs it can function the way it's supposed to, making all of the chemicals it needs to keep you running smoothly. This sounds obvious, but at times the negative effects of less-than-ideal nutrition can accumulate subtly over time without us being fully aware of them.

Being tired, feeling depressed, not sleeping well---these can all be related to your nutrition. And it isn't even all about avoiding junk food---more often than not, we are more negatively affected by what we don't eat than what we do.

No carbs, low fat, no sugar, no dairy, no red meat, you name it. The list goes on and I'm sure that all of us at one time have been at least tempted to consider these "diets" as effective. But what they say is true---if you deny yourself, you will have cravings. These cravings are your body's way of telling you what it needs.

Our brains run on glucose, a sugar. Carbohydrates are our fuel. We need fat to make lipids, which make up the very shape of our cells. And we need the amino acids which come from protein to make up the hormones that are our body's communication system. Leave any essential components out of your diet and you are asking for trouble.

So eat balanced meals! That means a little of everything. Variety is the only way to assure you are taking in all of the essential nutrients you need to function at your optimal level. This idea of a little of everything, and everything in moderation should guide us in all of our choices in life. Balance is the key to success.