Blog #1: Mindbody

The concept of mindbody is simple: the mind and the body are integrated systems that work with and rely on each other to function. In other words, they are not simply two separate entities, as the mind and the body are apart of one another. An example of this concept is that the chemical serotonin (which is responsible for emotional regulation, satisfaction, and pleasure) is initially found and created in the gut (about 90% in the digestive system, and only about 10% of it in the central nervous system). In order to produce a good amount of serotonin, a person must have a digestive system that works efficiently enough so that they can create it. When you eat healthy foods, and your body and gut feels good with what you eat, enough seretonin is created so that your mind feels good too. This explains why when we eat fast food like McDonalds, that we usually feel somewhat depressed afterwards, since the food at McDonalds is high in fat which makes it harder to digest and get rid of.

In relation to my capstone, I will be diving into the concept of emotional attachment, and how that affects us physically, mentally, and emotionally in regards to health (i.e. the mindbody). As I had mentioned on my Capstone Form, emotions are like clouds: they linger, but they are also fleeting and non-stationary. In my piece, I want to express how learning to let go of these emotions can be extremely liberating. When we are tied to them and defined by them, we are almost limiting our own self and capabilities. We end up with lower self-esteem and self-efficacy. Just like the mindbody work as an integrated system, clinging on to our emotions will only detriment aspects of our health in all areas.