When your body feels good, your mind will tend to follow - and, equally, when your mindset is on point, you’re more likely to reap the benefits of healthy choices and positive energy. That’s the beauty of the mind-body wellness connection - but, especially for busy mums trying to keep a lot of plates spinning, it is easy to slip into survival mode, where wellness doesn’t totally vacate the area but does take a back seat.
When this happens, the good news is that you don’t need a complete overhaul: by understanding how your mental and physical health support one another, you can create a positive feedback loop. This wellness cycle works for rather than against you.
The Mind-Body Wellness Loop: What it is and why it matters
Your mental and physical health are like two sides of the same coin. Movement boosts mood, good sleep increases resilience, and a calm mind leads to better decisions on food, exercise, and other key considerations. This is known as the virtuous circle, where one positive choice feeds another.
A vicious circle arises when you are burned out or overwhelmed, and it goes the other way. Stress leads to skipped meals or comfort food, which leads to less energy and more difficulty getting up and going. It is important to learn how to stop a downward spiral and to get things moving in the right direction again.
Start small: The power of tiny habits
When you’re stuck in a rut, it can feel like you need big changes - but a complete lifestyle change is both hard to achieve and not the point. Instead, it is entirely reasonable to start small: in fact, start tiny. Take a few minutes of fresh air in the morning, drink a single glass of water before your coffee, and stretch out while the kettle boils. They’re small actions, and they may not seem like much, but they work as a mood shift and help move your self-perception.
Some people recommend habit stacking, which involves pairing a new habit with something you already do. Maybe you do five squats while you brush your teeth, as you’re already pinned in place. Or you can take three deep breaths before starting the car. These micro-habits are designed to build momentum. It’s infinitely preferable to going all-in right away and burning out if you don’t immediately feel better.
Moving to clear the mind: Exercise as a mental reset
Movement is one of the most powerful and essential tools for mental clarity. You don’t need to run long distances or even join a gym to benefit. A walk around the block listening to a podcast, or a ten-minute dance routine with the kids, or even just a few stretches between chores, can make a big difference, and all are valuable ways to get yourself moving.
Yoga is particularly beneficial in this regard. It helps you to reconnect with your body and calm your busy mind all at once. Also, the bar to entry is low: you don’t need to be especially fit or flexible; just have a little space, a couple of yoga mats, and a soft surface. Having those accoutrements creates a mental cue that says “Time for yoga!”. It can be sun salutations or even just lying down in stillness; the key is the movement to get there, which helps you to reset and refocus.
Fuelling the Mind-Body Wellness Cycle: Nutrition and rest
Wellness is a holistic concept: it’s about more than just what you do. It’s also important to consider how you restore. Relaxation, hydration, and nourishment are quiet underpinnings of the mind-body loop. They’re also among the things that can start the slide when things get hectic. One patchy night of sleep or a missed breakfast can pull at a loose thread, so this is when you get in there and snip it.
Again, we’re talking about small steps to begin with. Keep a water bottle visible on the kitchen counter. Choose one veggie that you can sneak into lunch - a bit of onion is a good idea. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual. The small wins add up. And remember, rest isn’t a nice little extra; it is an essential. A well-rested brain makes clearer decisions and has more bandwidth for dealing with stuff. Even a decent night’s sleep can be enough to move the loop back in motion - in the right direction.
When you fall off: Bouncing back with compassion
The problem with an all-or-nothing approach to wellness is that “all” is just about impossible to maintain, so there are going to be spells of “nothing”. And life happens, so you can’t treat any wobbles as being the end of the world. Sometimes there are demands on your time. Sometimes you need to be there for someone else. If that draws you away from a routine for a day, it’s normal.
Don’t treat yourself like a failure when this happens. Think how you would speak to a friend who’d fallen off the wellness wagon. Would you say “you’ve ruined everything, might as well give up”? Hopefully not: more likely, you’d say “It’s OK, it happens, just start again tomorrow”. It has the advantage of being good advice, so apply it to yourself. Don’t withhold the compassion that you’d have in spades for another person.
Progress is not a road that always runs in the same direction. Sometimes there will be reverses. Accept this, head back towards your goal, and bank the experience for a later date. Because it won’t be the last time you have a setback, hopefully, next time you’ll bear it with even more equanimity.
You deserve to feel good, and you’re not meant to run on fumes. When your mind and body are working in sync, you will feel stronger, calmer, and more connected to yourself and your family. That’s not just good for you; it’s good for everyone around you (and if that’s what it takes to get you to buy in, then that’s what it takes!). Most importantly of all, it doesn’t demand big, dramatic changes. Just one little choice at a time, building a loop that will lift you up again and again.
