MIND-BODY CONNECTION

This space is dedicated to giving you the information and tools you need to help connect your mind to your body, and to show how this is integral to your healing.

In other areas of the website we have tried to help navigate a diagnosis from a very practical standpoint. We have sections covering nutrition to help you care for your body from the inside, books to help further educate yourself, and the cancer dictionary to help figure out all these words being thrown at you. While practical advice and tools are essential to your healing process, the one piece we believe is where the magic happens is learning how to create a clear conversation between your mind and your body. This has been an ever-growing, powerful and continuous discovery for Meagan and all of us in the Love Beats All community.  


Here we share some topics to start what might be an uncomfortable conversation, only to hopefully help you discover something new to further your healing. We hope these help you find peace, healing and harmony between your body and mind.


+ What does it mean to have a mind-body connection?

At Love Beats All we have learned that maintaining a connection between mind and body is incredibly important to our health. The first step in creating that connection is to know that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitude can affect us positively or negatively. The connection can get disrupted by how your body responds to stress, especially when there’s a constant worry of job, finances, love, life, mental health, physical health and emotional health. Cancer is almost always stressful but believe it or not there are tools and practices that can help create and maintain a good mind-body connection.


+ Why do we feel it is so important to your health, especially when dealing with cancer?

When you have any sort of stress, whether it’s mental, emotional or physical, it can often affect your mind and your body. When your mind or mental health become stressed it can cause your body to fall apart. Some ways it can show up in your body are through pain, a low immune system, injury or by causing your blood levels to rise and fall. When your body becomes stressed it can cause your mind to create anxiety, depression, become emotional or unable to make any sort of decisions. This is why at Love Beats All we feel the connection is so important to maintain when dealing with cancer because it is stressful and never comfortable. Some of the tools we provide can help you combat the side effects of finding out you have cancer, having chemo or radiation.


+ Here is an example of when Meagan realized how important the mind-body connection is

Meagan's Experience:

I had been on 4 different types of chemos at once, so my doctor and nurses were cautiously watching my platelets because chemo will normally wipe you out causing you to pause or stop treatment. Within my first year of treatment and all the ups and downs mentally, emotionally and physically, there were only 2 times my platelets fell out from underneath me. We had 2 extreme situations happen within my family outside of cancer that were out of my control. I fell back into old habits of thinking I had things under control when really I didn't. When it happened for the first time 5 months into my treatment it wasn't until my platelets came back up when those stressful situations resolved that I realized how important the mind-body connection was to my health. Cancer is all around stressful but if you can try and manage the stress with tools to help instead of surrendering completely to the side effects it can give you a sense of control in what feels like an uncontrollable situation. The connection did not happen overnight for me but once I recognized what was causing my stress and in return was causing my platelets to drop I could get rid of it or avoid it in the future to protect myself and my family. For me the mind-body connection is a way for me to be in control!


Mind-body connection Tool Kit

Here are some tools to create and maintain the mind-body connection. These are some of our favorites plus some suggestions from our community. We recommend trying them all because you might find that you will prefer some over others and can get a stronger connection to keep you in control.

Mind to connect the body

Getting your mind to slow down and be in the now takes practice and patience. When you can control your thoughts your body and overall health can show so much improvement.

+ MEDITATION

Meditation basically means to quiet the mind into a state of calm. It can be as simple as taking a few moments to be mindful while the kettle boils, or watching the trees move. There are various mediation techniques such as Kundalini meditation or guided practices.

+ Breathwork

Activated breathwork floods the brain and body with oxygen. This is best practiced under supervision.

+ Spiritual and Energy Healing

  • Sound bowl healing - The frequency that each bowl plays helps to bring your body to its natural vibration to help restore your energy fields back into harmony. Bringing the body back in its natural vibration will put you into a healing state which improves sleep, your immune system and clarity.

  • Rolfing - This is used as a way to reduce pain and muscle tension that typically results from physical and emotional traumas. Rolfing can most often be slightly painful, similar to a deep-tissue massage but different because they are trying to create balance throughout the entire body rather than focusing on one area.***

  • Reiki - There are many variations of reiki and it can be used alongside other types of healings such as a massage. It’s the transfer of the energy from the practitioner’s hands to your body oftentimes without touching to increase one's life force energy.

  • Healing touch - It is an energy therapy where the practitioner uses their hands in a heart-centered and intentional way over each of your chakras to clear and balance the physical body.

+ Digital Detox

Learn to switch off from technology to remove micro stressors.

+ Hypnotherapy

It is a complementary therapy that uses hypnosis which is an altered state of consciousness. It can be used to deal with a variety of concerns and issues that may be inhibiting you from healing whether mentally or physically.

+ Emotional Writing

There are many ways to do this but if something is upsetting you, whether it be a person, place or thing, go and write about it. Don't think about what you're writing, just write. You are taking the energy that you are holding onto in your body and putting it onto paper. The key is to burn it afterwards.

+ Journaling

This is a form of expression which can allow you to clear your thoughts by getting your emotions out from sharing your deepest darkest secrets to reflecting on your journey to planning and goal setting.

+ Gratitude Lists

Write a daily list of what you are grateful for. This helps train the mind to focus on the positive aspects of life.

+ Colouring and puzzles

This can be a mindful practice that allows you to quiet your mind. This can in some ways be used as a form as meditation.


Movement to connect the Mind

Using Movement as a tool to connect the mind and body is a practice that has been used for centuries and is used all around the world as a form of “medicine” to help heal.  

+ Qi Gong or Tai Chi

This practice helps us balance our stress and energy within our bodies. It helps to move any stagnant energy within the body, preventing blocks. The slow-like movements keep the body in motion allowing your life's energy force to keep flowing. Your life’s energy force is your ability and willingness to live.

+ Restorative Yoga

This type of yoga focuses more on stretching and allowing the muscles to rest and relax. It sets up your entire nervous system and body for deep healing which in turn helps growth and repair.

+ Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)/Tapping

This involves tapping on your meridian/pressure points while releasing energy blockages that can cause negative emotions or personal struggles. It's a way to tap into your subconscious mind in order to rewire your conscious mind.

+ Forest Bathing

Walking in nature allows you to connect with the earth. Using your senses to see shapes in the trees, smell the atmosphere, listen to the birds, touch the grass and taste the air will automatically put the body into rest and digest.

+ Dancing

Put on ours or your own Love Beats All playlist and let it out. Cry, laugh, relax and workout to it. Dancing is a beautiful outlet of expression whether it's all alone, with your family or in an organized class.

+ Working out

Trust and listen to your body to know what is the right type of workout for you. For some it could be a Yoga or Pilaties class, but for others it could be as simple as doing laundry or playing with your kids.

Be sure to not only trust your body but be sure to consult with your medical team.

+ Saunas

This is a great way to mobilize and build up toxins in the body. It can get your blood flowing and can be a good alternative to a workout.

Be sure to not only trust your body but be sure to consult with your medical team.

+ Ice baths

Similar to saunas this is another way to increase blood flow and keep it flowing to your entire body. It can create faster recovery for some, boost the immune system and help increase brain function next to your chemo brain.

Be sure to not only trust your body but be sure to consult with your medical team.

+ Reflexology

This is a traditional chinese medicine technique that involves applying pressure to specific points on your feet and hands. These points can remove energy blockages from the related areas such as any of your major organs.

Be sure to not only trust your body but be sure to consult with your medical team.