Body Movement on Mental Health

There is no denying that exercise is beneficial for our physical health. But there are benefits of body movement on our mental health as well. For some, when we hear that body movement is important for our health, we automatically think of going to the gym five times a week, overextending ourselves physically, and then quickly becoming burnt out by the rapid change we made in an attempt to see improvements in our physical and mental well being. But it does not need to be that in order to reap the benefits from it.

If you need convincing, there has been extensive research stating that body movement has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression while simultaneously increasing self esteem and brain function. It also hits other areas in our life that affects our mental health, such as sleep and stress. Regular body movement can improve sleep quality, decrease stress, and increase energy.

Now, how does body movement hit the brain in such a way that it improves mental health that much? When you are engaging in some type of body movement, there is an increased supply of oxygen and nutrients to the hippocampus, which is an area of the brain that is responsible for emotional regulation. The more body movement implemented throughout the week, the less we feel anxiety and depression. Fun fact: a study conducted by Harvard showed that at least 15 minutes of steady body movement per day can reduce risk of depression by 26% (Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health).

What can be considered body movement? Since everyone’s physical abilities vary, below we have listed a few ways to get more body movement in your week.

• Walking - this can be outside, on a treadmill, around your house, around your office, walking down the aisles of the grocery store, etc.

• Swimming

• Biking

• Cleaning the House

• Weight Lifting/Strength Training

• Jump Roping

• Yoga

• Dance

There should never be a time where getting body movement in is causing us more emotional conflict. If you find that you are becoming overwhelmed with trying to fit body movement in, taking a step back and go back to the basics, which can allow a decrease in that stress. Simply taking a casual walk can provide improvements in our mental health. For individuals who have experienced trauma, walking can be a form of EMDR due to the creation of a bilateral stimulation within the brain by moving your legs, reducing the negative affects of the trauma.

If you are finding difficulty in adding in body movement because of the time constraint, a way to combat that is to break it down into 5 or 10 minute intervals throughout the day. Body movement is not all or nothing. Fit it in when you realistically can and understand that it is not always possible to do so and that is ok.

Willow Wellness Counseling has extended therapy services to include a Walk and Talk Therapy option. If you are in the Lee County, Florida area and are interested in seeing if you are a candidate for Walk and Talk Therapy, please reach out via phone at 904-712-9393 or via email to katie@willowwellnesscounseling.com.

How Unresolved Trauma Can Affect Your Relationship

Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes and is a different experience for each individual. Trauma can be defined as an emotional response to an event that can have lasting effects such as flashbacks, nightmares, unpredictable emotions, anxiety, depression, panic, and being easily triggered. Among all of the areas in someone’s life that trauma can affect, one area in particular that it can have a negative impact on is relationships.

When someone has unresolved trauma, there is more than likely triggers that can cause emotionally driven responses and behaviors, or isolation, depending on their bodies defense mechanism. When we experience trauma, our body defers to it’s protective response. There are four types of responses: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.

1. Fight - this response signals to one’s body that it is time to fight back. Signs of being in a fight response include urge to physically fight, feelings of anger, teeth grinding, attacking the source of danger, and feelings of tenseness in the body. The fight response in relationships can look like lashing out on your partner, rage, attack, contempt, and blame.

2. Flight - this response forces one to flee danger. Signs of being in a flight response include restless body, fidgeting, anxiety, feeling trapped, dilated eyes, and feeling numb. The flight response in relationships can look like avoidance, panic, impulsivity, physically removing self from the situation, and lack of communication.

3. Freeze - this response signals to your body that you cannot fight or flight, so it will freeze up in place. Signs of being in freeze response include pale skin, fast heartbeat, feeling stiff, and sense of dread. The freeze response in relationship can look like disconnection from your partner, silence, and feelings of hopelessness.

4. Fawn - this response is almost like your body’s last ditch effort in safety. After utilizing either a fight or flight response, the body will shut down to the fawn response if the aforementioned were unsuccessful. Signs of the fawn response include people pleasing, overly accepting, agreeing, and being easily controlled. This type of response is usually associated with abuse and will cause the victim to do whatever the abuser wants in order to make them happy and avoid conflict with them.

When we experience a traumatic event, our amygdala processes the event through our senses. If we have unresolved trauma, there is a higher chance of our significant other to unknowingly trigger us through our senses (smell, touch, taste, vision, and hearing). It is our responsibility to communicate that to our partner as well as work towards resolving the sensitivity to that trigger. The trauma endured can cause one to be tense, emotionally distant, unable to communicate, and push their partner away. On the other end of the spectrum, the trauma endured can cause one to be overly dependent on their partner, fearful of abandonment, and inability to have space from their partner.

It can be difficult to understand and accept that you have unresolved trauma. Once that mountain has been climbed, the next step is to start working towards resolving that trauma. There are ways in which one can start to work on this on their own.

1. Self Soothing - Stretching, soothing imagery, relaxing smells, breathing techniques

2. Tell Your Story - Journal, speaking with a friend, partner, parent, therapist or other type of safe support person

3. Communicate Triggers - Share your trigger with your partner so they can understand how they played a part without blaming them. Utilizing “I Statements” can be very helpful with this.

4. Experience Your Feelings - Do not ignore or push away how you are feeling. Notice it, name it, set a timer for five minutes to feel it, and allow it to pass through you. Identify where in your body you are feeling these emotions.

5. Look for a Trauma Therapist - resolving trauma on your own can be very difficult and can feel lonely. Contact a trauma therapist to support you and guide you through resolving your trauma.

Don’t let the fear of turning into the storm push you to keep running from the storm. Allow yourself the opportunity to start the healing process and be able to feel the ability to be the person you want to be in life and in your relationship. If you are located in Florida and looking for someone to talk to, Willow Wellness Counseling is here with open arms ready to help you. Please contact us at 904-712-9393 or katie@willowwellnesscounseling.com.

Three Ways EMDR May Be Right For You

When Jeff** walked into my office with anxiety and triggers stemming back from when he was sexually abused as a child by one of his parents, I knew I had to give him an opportunity to learn about EMDR and how it could be beneficial for him. Jeff was desperate to feel better at this point in his adult life from the abuse he endured at such a young age, so he was happy to learn about this therapeutic approach and decided to give it a shot. After a few weeks, Jeff noticed a drastic difference in his symptoms. He noticed his anxiety had decreased, he wasn’t thinking of the abuse as often, and when he did think of the abuse, it did not affect him as it did before. Upon completing EMDR and all of its phases, Jeff exuded a new calmness he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Seeing clients transform in this way creates a drive to continue doing this work and providing EMDR for my clients who will benefit from it.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) may seem confusing or like a "magic trick,” when it comes to finding a way to feel better. Understandably so! How could just moving your eyes back and forth, listening to some clicks in your ears, or feeling buzzing in your hands make those awful feelings or symptoms lessen? Actually, there has been empirically backed research conducted to prove that EMDR is NOT confusing or some type of magic trick. Throughout my work with clients who have experienced varying degrees of trauma, EMDR has been quite the tool in their progress and feeling successful in therapy. To hear “I can’t believe I feel a lot better!” or “I actually have space to think about other things now instead of always thinking about what happened to me,” has been transformational. If you are still on the fence of deciding if you would like to try EMDR, please see three reasons below that it may be right for you.

1. YOU DO NOT NEED TO TALK ABOUT YOUR TRAUMA. If you struggle with saying what has happened to you, it is not necessary to disclose the details. EMDR will continue to work as it is reprocessing the memory in your brain through the bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tappers, listening to clicks).

2. EMDR CAN BE COMPLETED IN FEWER SESSIONS THAN TALK THERAPY. If financially you cannot afford ongoing therapeutic services but suffer from the trauma you have endured, EMDR is a great tool to utilize, as it is faster and more efficient than regular talk therapy. There is no set amount of sessions since each person and their trauma is different; however, EMDR sessions are typically significantly less in time than talk therapy.

3. EMDR CAN BE USED FOR ANXIETY, PHOBIAS, AND PANIC IN ADDITION TO TRAUMA. EMDR is not just for trauma. It can be incredibly helpful for people who deal with anxiety, phobias, or panic as well and reduce those symptoms greatly.

If you feel that you could possibly benefit from EMDR, please reach out to an EMDRIA trained clinician for further discussion. Being a clinician that utilizes EMDR with clients regularly, I have seen transformations in individuals that makes this work even more important for me knowing it is realistic, attainable, and research based. I am located in the Fort Myers, Florida (Lee County) area for in person therapy but am able to see anyone located in Florida virtually. If you believe I could be a good fit for you with this type of therapy, please do not hesitate to reach out!

**names and details have been altered to protect client’s information