The mind and body are not separate, what affects one, affects the other!!

The term “psychosomatic” is basically a combination of two Greek words: “psyche” meaning mind and “soma” meaning body. So, in simple words, psychosomatic disorders highlight the association between the body and mind. The initial cause of these disorders is related to the mind, but they manifest through the physical symptoms. We all have experienced the physical symptoms of some of our emotions like fear, anger. Our body’s reaction to these emotions is in the form of sweating, palpitations, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeats, tense muscles, hot feeling, etc. Our body gets back to normal as these emotions subside. But sometimes, these symptoms persist for a longer time and interfere with the normal functioning of the body.

Stress is usually the most common cause behind the psychosomatic disorders. Some of these disorders resulting from stress are high blood pressure, gastrointestinal disturbances, respiratory ailments, migraines and other tension-related headaches, sleep difficulties, pains and aches, etc. Although, all these conditions are mostly physical, the real cause lies at the mind level. We all experience stress to some degree in our life. But the main difference in how it affects us lies in how we respond to this stress. When this stress is not managed properly, it leaves a long-lasting impression on our mental as well as physical well-being.

It is not easy to diagnose the psychosomatic disorders as the symptoms are similar to other physical ailments. Also, the person may have different types of symptoms at different times. So, the doctor has to be very careful about diagnosing the psychosomatic disorders. He usually first looks for any underlying physical causes for the symptoms, and in absence of any such causes, he then investigates the stressors in the life of the patient and how well he is able to manage them. This helps him to correctly find out the mental connection behind the physical symptoms.

So, now the next question arises: how to deal with the psychosomatic disorders?? Well, depending on the severity of the psychosomatic disorders you are facing, the doctor will definitely advice you to consult the psychotherapist who can help you in identifying the exact cause of stress and the ways to manage it correctly. Some of the therapies which help in treatment of psychosomatic diseases include psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, hypnotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, etc. These are of course the available and effective options used for treatment of psychosomatic disorders but as the saying ” Prevention is better than cure” goes, we can definitely work on effective management of our stress by some techniques. Let’s find out about them.

• Regular Exercise: I know, this may sound the easiest and the most mundane task to most of us but trust me it works wonders. The only problem with us is that we know the benefits and still choose to ignore it. Physical exercise is known to release the feel-good-hormones called endorphins which give us the relief from stress naturally. Although, this may seem just short-term, regular exercise regime helps us in combating most of the physical effects of stress and maintains our wellbeing.
• Create your own coping mechanisms: Stress is a very specific phenomenon. As in, a situation which is very stressful for one individual may be a routine case for other. Also, the intensity and frequency of stressful incidences and reaction given to them also varies from person to person. Therefore, although we can follow some of the general tips for stress management, we need to have our own tailor-made coping strategies when dealing with stress. It may be as simple as listening to your favorite song, cooking your comfort food or just meeting your bestie to talk it out over a cup of coffee. Whatever it is, it should be our own as who knows us better than us.
• Get a good night’s sleep: In this age of abundance, what we are actually deprived off is sleep!! For that urge of binge watching the entire web series our friend has recommended, we easily sacrifice our night sleep and then gulp down few antacid tablets to ward off the hyperacidity that we face the next morning. But the irritation that follows makes it difficult to concentrate and then to get rid of the sleep, we consume cups of tea or coffee. This cycle continues and our body clock is disturbed. To avoid all this, we need to work on our sleep schedule and try to get atleast 7-8 hours of sound sleep every night. This will definitely help to reduce most of our physical as well as mental problems.

As we have already discussed, psychosomatic diseases result due to our body’s reaction to any kind of long-term stress or other emotional disturbances. These diseases need a proper diagnosis and treatment from an expert professional but in this article, I have tried to sum up different strategies for prevention of such diseases. Because after all when our mind and body work in unison, we stay healthy, isn’t it? Always keep in mind,

“Take care of your mind, your body will thank you. Take care of your body, your mind will thank you!”

Debbie Hampton.