How many times have you ever been getting ready to present a project in front of your class and felt your heart beating at an abnormal pace or your hands sweating? When you’re watching a horror movie do you ever feel paranoia and stress physically? When you see a puppy do you experience the rush of joy or your face flushing?
I have personally experienced these things a multitude of times and have always wondered why and how my thoughts are directly connected to the emotions I am feeling. I notice that when I get in my head and start thinking about my problems or issues my body reacts in a way that makes me feel physically sick or unwell. The act of thinking or saying positive things helps me feel better and I physically feel uplifted and happy. These occurences and experiences led me to ask myself “What role does ones thoughts play in influencing ones physiological responses?”
For my inquiry project I will be reasearching and explaining my process in answering this question. I will be touching on topics including the importance of listening to your gut, the differences between western and eastern sciences and how these differences effect societal norms and beliefs today, and the ways in which to use your thoughts to create a healthy mind and body.
Through my weekly blogs I will be sharing my research and answering my question. Thank you for reading my 1st blog and I hope you continue checking in on my reasearch!!
Hello Sarah! Thank you for sharing your inquiry question with us. Your inquiry question is both intriguing and relatable, and it’s clear that you have a personal connection to the topic. The connection between our thoughts and physiological responses is a fascinating area of study that has many ties with mental and physical well-being.
Exploring the importance of listening to your gut instincts, as well as the cultural differences between Western and Eastern perspectives on this matter, can provide valuable insight to answer this question and I am looking forward to following up on your research!
As you discover your inquiry, one question to consider might be “How can we harness the power of our thoughts and emotions to create better health and well-being in both the Western and Eastern contexts? Also, you might explore the potential applications of this understanding in fields like psychology, medicine, and stress management, which could help you understand the reason to our physiological responses.
Here are some links that can provide valuable information on the mind-body connection
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-brain-gut-connection
Good luck with your research, Sarah!
Hi Sarah!
This is an insanely interesting topic I love it. Maybe it’s just because I myself am interested in how thoughts affect ones response externally but also because the line where you said “I notice that when I get in my head and start thinking about my problems or issues my body reacts in a way that makes me feel physically sick or unwell.”
I was caught on that line because it is so relatable and made me feel very connected and intrigued by your blog post. The topics that you will be touching on such as listening to your gut is something I cannot wait for you to give insight on! In addition, here are links I found which I hope can help you in your findings.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150203142309.htm
https://www.inc.com/lee-colan/how-thinking-about-your-thoughts-can-create-a-great-life.html#:~:text=Your%20thoughts%20have%20incredible%20power,think%20is%20what%20you%20get.
In order to help you present your information, it would be great if you could also include how our thoughts are directly linked to chemicals in our body such as dopamine. I know it sounds funny but because your question touches on a lot of science based topics (with the brain, emotions, and physiology), adding some background information on it could hopefully help! If what we think in our heads truly have a significant impact on our physiological response, what are some ways we could manage that to better our daily lives? Thank you for sharing!
https://www.thedotcanada.ca/blog-mental-health-ontario-canada/how-to-free-your-mind-and-live-the-life-you-want
-Vea 🙂
Hi Sarah!
This is such an amazing blog post topic! I loved reading your blog post and I think it’s so important to know more about this. Overthinking and anxiety is so difficult to deal with and understand especially as students. Learning about the impact our thoughts have on us and how they affect us is such an important topic I want to learn about more. I can’t wait to read more and see more of your posts!
Here are some links I think you could use!
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01454/full
https://debbiewoodallcarroll.com/the-relationship-between-thoughts-feelings-and-behaviors/#:~:text=Our%20thoughts%20create%20our%20feelings,plan%20activities%20that%20include%20swimming.
Hi Sarah!
Firstly, I love your inquiry question and can’t wait to follow along with the weekly posts about it. My mother is a psych nurse at a local hospital and has always touched on different ways to help with the psychological connection between thoughts and responses. if you ever have an interest in talking to her, or anyone in the psychological medical field, please let me know and I would be happy to put you in contact with them to further your research from a different perspective.
I also found this article explaining a bit more about what emotions are liked to which emotional responses, which could be helpful.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-emotions-2795178
I can’t wait to read your next post!
Claire
Hey Sarah
I can’t wait to see your project develop, this is something that everyone can relate to. Stress and extreme emotions are quit common among teenagers, which is why this topic is perfect. I know for me when I feel guilty about something I tend to get red especially my ears. I have thought about why that happens but never really dug into it. Your post is relatable and informative. I came up with some questions that may be helpful in expanding your research if you need help with that.
Why are some peoples responses different?
What is the biologic respond behind it?
Can some physical responses be bad?
What are the positives behind a physical responses?
Here’s also a link to a website that i think could be helpful, it talk about some of the organs involved in this process and the functions.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541120/#:~:text=A%20stressful%20situation%2C%20whether%20environmental,%22fight%20or%20flight%22%20response.
-Veronica