Action-reaction of our Thoughts

Do you know we all have the innate ability to change at any point in life – all we need to do is to THINK and make a CHOICE

A thought is an electrochemical event taking place in our nerve cells producing a cascade of physiological changes in the body. A single thought has the power to bring tremendous change in how our body works, it’s functioning, and collectively to our lives. In a day, we all have approximately 50,000 thoughts, and what we do with them is totally our choice.

How does a thought work in the body?

One single cell has thousands of receptors specific to one peptide. When we have feelings of happiness or disgust, every emotion releases a flurry of neuropeptides. These peptides flow into the body and connect with receptors and impart molecular messages that can dramatically impact our physiological functioning at the cellular and systemic levels.

How a thought leaves its permanent impression is worth noticing. It is when the cell divides, the new cell acquires more of those receptors that match the peptide which the old cell has been exposed to the most. And thus, it will have fewer receptors for those peptides the old cell was less exposed to.

It implies, we design ourselves!!!

Whatever thought flows in our mind sculpts our brain that very way. Our emotions are not confined to our mind, these run through the body putting their impressions on body temperature, organs, heart, and even cells. Such is the magnitude of impact a thought has on us!!

How Negative emotions affect us inside? 

We have seen that emotions change us like positive emotions bring positive changes and negative bring negative impacts. Let’s say, anger. Anger is one of the most common and frequent emotion we all encounter. In anger, our body releases a kind of stress hormone known as cortisol, which provides our body with a burst of energy. The average heart rate of a person which is 80 beats per minute when angry may shoot up to 180 beats per minute. It can also raise the body’s blood pressure which on average is usually 120 over 80 jumps to 220 over 130 or higher, causing a possible heart attack or stroke.

The cortisol, the stress hormone when released too much can cause an imbalance in blood sugar; it can suppress thyroid function, and decrease bone density. It can also cause hormonal imbalances and impact the body’s immune system too. Research shows that chronic-angry people suffer from colds, flu’s infections, asthma, skin disease flare-ups, and arthritis more frequently, as compared to others. This is how the body reacts when we have negative thoughts, which can have serious impacts on us physically and mentally.

What happens when we are positive?

Even when we are positive our brain releases chemicals like endorphin, serotonin, and dopamine that keep us happy and elated. We say when we are happy we feel butterflies in our stomach, the sweet sensation. It’s the way our emotions travel from mind to the whole body in the form of neurotransmitters. 

These are positive chemicals that help our body build better resistance against diseases, make us feel rewarded, and stay motivated. 

Serotonin is our healer, found in the blood platelets, plays a big role in repairing wounds by causing arteries to narrow. Endorphin is our body’s happy pill, responsible for fighting feelings like stress and pain. Dopamine is our very own cheerleader, being the key factor in motivation and productivity. Together these make us feel good and help produce a feeling of well-being and compo-sure.

Each time we smile, a party takes place in our head. Science has shown that the mere act of smiling can lift our mood. Researchers at the University of Kansas published findings that smiling helps reduce the body’s response to stress and lower heart rate in tense situations; another study linked smiling to lower blood pressure. Smiling also produces antibodies and T-cells that boost your immune system. 

We say smiling is contagious, a study published in the journal Neuropsychologia reported that seeing an attractive, smiling face activates your orbitofrontal cortex, the region in your brain that processes sensory rewards. This suggests that when you view a person smiling, you actually feel rewarded.

The Mayo Clinic reports a number of health benefits associated with optimism, including a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular problems, less depression, and an increased lifespan.

Staying positive is not only an attitude, it is a way to change our body’s internal system. Our thoughts are our direct access to guide our cells to function properly. By simply making a commitment to change our thinking, we can see surprising outcomes!!