By Bethan Barrett
https://noteasybeingseizy.wordpress.com/2021/06/10/mind-body-and-soul/
I study a relatively new and fairly unique combination of two branches of nursing: children and mental health. I am part of the first cohort from the University of Leicester to study an integrated Master’s degree, from the outset of my training being focused on both registrations.
Let me tell you…I’ve seen some things.
I find myself, both professionally and personally, in a position where I am acutely aware of the connection between my own mind, body and soul and therefore can see this in others. It is my ambition to promote understanding and awareness of this connection, as it is stronger and more significant than one might think.
Dr James Gordon states:
“the brain and peripheral nervous system, the endocrine and immune systems, and indeed, all the organs of our body and all the emotional responses we have, share a common chemical language and are constantly communicating with one another.”
– something I notice in myself every day.
Having depression, anxiety or another psychiatric illness gives you a higher chance of being diagnosed with another physical condition, including heart disease and diabetes. Having a chronic physical condition, gives you a higher chance of being diagnosed with a mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety and OCD (Canadian Mental Health Association).
Although my seizures have no definite trigger (except flashing lights at certain frequencies), I am aware of an ongoing dynamic at play between my anxiety and stress levels and my absence seizures. What some would call a vicious cycle, I would perhaps call a consanguinity, a symbiotic relationship where one doesn’t exist without the other. However, this does not always equate to harmony – hence perhaps, a vicious cycle.
Like the chicken and the egg, there is no way of distinguishing whether my anxiety or seizures came first. My anxiety exists as a byproduct of my seizures – a worry that they are going to happen, when they are going to happen, how severe they are going to be and how they will interfere with my day-to-day and future life. But, the more anxious I become, whether it stems from seizure activity or not, the more seizures I have, although there is no logical, scientific evidence for why this occurs. Some theories suggest stress releases hormones and neurotransmitters in the brain which may aggravate areas of the brain where seizure activity originates.
Stress = sleep disruption. If you know me, you’ll know sleep is a very important part of my wellbeing and I’m absolutely useless if I haven’t had adequate sleep, if my sleep is dysregulated or if I am tired. To look after my physical health, I don’t work night shifts for medical reasons due to the disruption to my sleep pattern, even though mentally, this causes me distress as it triggers thoughts that I am not a “proper nurse” if I don’t work night shifts (a completely irrational thought).
Mind and body constantly intertwined.
As a dual registered student nurse, I see both sectors, physical healthcare and mental healthcare, equally neglect the other, despite their importance to each other. It is my hope I can help be that step forward to bring the two together in relative harmony.
As for soul, that’s another debate entirely…
Comments