All in The Mind...?

All In The Mind…?
There is a gathering body of evidence that what we’ve all believed all along about being fit and well is true.
The indications are how the mind influences how we feel, our health, how we are.
But that doesn’t mean that our minds absolutely control our health. Any of us can be ill, regardless of how we think or feel about it. But we can influence the the chances heavily in our favour of being well and healthy.
In fact, a lot of illness, especially with today’s frantic pace, tends to start in the mind. People who are anxious, depressed, worried and fearful, have been shown to be more vulnerable to illness, more easily, more frequently. (Scientific American 19/01/2016).
Anxiety, worry, do impose a tension that directly affects posture, breathing patterns, circulation and energy levels. This weakens the immune system. Resistance to sickness is lowered. Illnesses, major and minor, tend to afflict those in states of tension and stress more often. So it can be seen that the state of mind created the physical response which disposed the person to the illness in the first place.
Even the decision to pay attention to simple remedies like good posture, breathing patterns, relaxation and general activities can create changes in the body that promote health and well-being.
As far back as the sixteenth century, Edmond Spencer wrote; “Vigorous health and its attendant high spirits are greater elements of happiness than any other thing whatever.”
As optimism and confidence seem to exude from people in robust health, it would appear that Edmond’s observation is as valid today as it was when he wrote those words.
And it’s not some vague psychosomatic effect. The changes that take place as a result of a simple decision and action, are as physical and as real as the effects they have on mind and body. You don’t need a degree in medicine to understand that.
Take a decision. Act on it. Keep it simple.
You don’t have to read acres of research,  isolate yourself on a mountain for three years, beat seven sorts of whatsit out of yourself, or even waste countless hours in analysis of the subject. You know it works. Apply the mind to the training of the body. The body responds and affects the mind. In a good way.
Start there. With yourself.
Make the most of who you are, where you are, with what you’ve got.
Start now.