Mind over matter

Having completed my fourth half-marathon this past weekend, I'm feeling very accomplished at setting a new personal best of 1:57. I will admit the mental game had kicked in around 15k and almost got the best of me. I found myself very focused on physical pain and unable to focus on the finish line.

The power of the mind over the body is immense and often under-estimated. Being able to push through 21.1 kilometres, let alone 42.2, is physical only to a certain extent. Can this be said about any physical symptom, then? I often recommend mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques to help people combat all of the negative physical impacts of living in this century, and always with positive results. Whether it's anxiety, high blood pressure, IBS, headaches, or any other stress-related condition (physical or not), tapping into the power of the mind over the body and being present and mindful of what the body is telling you can bring about relief of many conditions. Or, just push you through your next race!