Numerous studies have shown that stable and loving relationships can significantly influence your ability to manage stress and help decrease anxiety, depression and a range of other mental illnesses. So, when considering your mental health, it is essential to look at your level of social connectedness and your efforts at developing and nurturing stable and loving long-term relationships.

Love has been defined in different ways - a deep feeling of affection, a state of intimate connection, a safe sanctuary giving protection, trust, hope and resilience. Loving relationships include romantic relationships between partners, platonic relationships between friends, deep connections between family members, caring relationships between humans and animals, and even a profound link between humans and the Divine.

For centuries love has found a noble place in people's hearts and has been celebrated worldwide.

Now there is a deeper understanding of the biology and chemistry of love, and science has begun to realize the positive health benefits of this beautiful concept. When you understand the value and importance of sustaining caring relationships and embrace them in your heart, you will realize the benefits of love for your mental health.

Here are some of its powerful positive effects!

1) Coping better with stress
The ability to cope well with stress, stress management is a protective factor against mental illness. Stress, especially chronic stress, sets in motion the fight or flight response. The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. It activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or flee. Overly frequent, intense, or inappropriate activation of the fight or flight response affects various clinical conditions, including most anxiety disorders.

On the other hand, love helps you activate the relaxation response because we feel secure, safe, and peaceful when we feel love. The relaxation response occurs when the body is no longer in perceived danger, and the autonomic nervous system returns to normal. Simply put, the relaxation response is the opposite of your body's stress response—your "off switch" to your body's tendency toward fight or flight.

2) Accepting you just the way you are
A large part of mental illness stems from not feeling good enough and constantly needing to prove your worth. Such a feeling pushes you to become an extremely high achiever, and you work hard for decades to prove yourself for someone who was sceptical about you and constantly judged you. You might crave money, status and success to find acceptance. This can cause you to break down, become exhausted and feel like a warrior who has fought a long and losing battle.

When you find love, be it romantic or otherwise, with someone who does not judge you, but instead accepts you for who you are, slowly you start to heal. You begin to believe that you can be loved without prizes and without needing to impress. It is a powerful healing that happens when you realize that you are not valued for what you have achieved, but instead because you just exist!

3) Liberation from Isolation
Depression and anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders globally, and numerous studies show that social isolation is linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety. Isolation makes us feel weaker, have lower self-esteem and also lower levels of confidence.

It has been demonstrated that getting married and staying married reduces depression in both men and women. Research in physical health has shown that high levels of social support may improve prognosis in such conditions as cancer and myocardial infarctions, by reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression that are often associated with these illnesses.

The more isolated you feel, the weaker your immune system will become. Love lets you feel less isolated, making you feel connected and cared for. This significantly improves your immune system and also has a positive impact on your self-worth.

4) Sex, the magic pill
Numerous studies have revealed that regular sexual activity can provide significant psychological and emotional benefits. Like exercise, sex can help reduce stress and anxiety and increase happiness.

Frequent sexual activity can make you look younger. This is partially due to the release of estrogen during sex. Researchers have found a correlation between regular sexual activity and looking significantly younger (between seven and twelve years younger). This can be a significant confidence booster and elevate self-confidence and self-worth!

Sex can also help you connect to your partner, thanks to the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin can play a role in developing relationships. You may find that consistent and mutual sexual pleasure helps with bonding within a relationship.

Coupled partners often have increased relationship satisfaction when they fulfil one another's sexual desires. You may find positive growth in your relationship when you can express yourself and your sexual desires.

Insomnia is a common symptom of many mental health disorders. But you may sleep better after sex. This is because the hormone prolactin is released after sex, which makes us feel relaxed and sleepy.

All these factors will have very positive consequences on your mental health, especially in reducing stress, anxiety, depression and other similar disorders.

Stable and healthy relationships based on love and care provide a sanctuary to explore sexuality safely and openly. This is why finding romantic love can be a magic pill for your mental wellbeing.

5) The healing power of loyalty
At the heart of many mental traumas is an early experience of abandonment or betrayal. When you badly needed the support of someone, they either abandoned you or, worse, betrayed you. These moments of despair form the basis for many mental health disorders, making it hard to trust and depend on others in adult life, making it harder to seek help.

However, trust slowly grows when you have a loving companion with whom you develop a mature, sustained and stable relationship. Their loyalty allows you to realize that you have someone who will hold you, support you and care for you. This can be powerful medicine for your traumas.

Considering all these things, it is essential to welcome love into your life for your overall psychological wellbeing. Whether it is romantic love or love of any other kind, there are only excellent reasons to engage with it! So don't fear love! Embrace it in your heart!

It is imperative to note that the relationship you seek must be an appropriate one, based on love and not on attachment or codependency. At first glance, love and attachment can seem very similar but they are actually very different. Love is a feeling directed toward the “other” (the other person, place or thing) while attachment is self-centred based on fulfilling your own need. Love is elevating and pure while attachment very often turns toxic. The latter will not only not be helpful, but they will also make the traumas worse. So be careful in opening the doors of your heart. Let it be to someone special, and not just anyone!

Namaste!

Please note: This article is written for educational purposes only and is based on the personal opinion of the author. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Rather, it is meant for reflective self guidance purposes only. We strongly recommend that you always follow your intution in deciding what is best for you!

References:
1) https://blog.virtunus.com/how-to-stop-dissociating/
2) https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-relaxation-response-3145145
3) https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/mood-disorders/the-positive-effects-of-love-on-mental-health/
4) https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/love-sex/healing-power-of-love-surprising-health-benefits-of-being-in-love/photostory/70191444.cms
5) https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sex-health-benefits6) https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/the-role-of-love-in-mental-health/

We are thrilled to announce a new course for July 2021 titled Embrace Your Heart! -The Power of meditation in expressing your intimate feelings!

The purpose of this seminar is to assist you to master your mind through profound meditation practices from the Viniyoga tradition. The practices taught will incorporate some of its holistic range of tools including simple body movements (Āsana) conscious breath regulation (Prāṇāyāma) repetition of oral sounds (Mantra) visualizations (Bhāvanā) gestures (Nyāsa) and guided meditation (Dhyānam). For more information on the event or to sign up click the button below!

There are many ways you can seek help to deal with mental health issues. Psychotherapy, Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis are the more conventional approaches. However, there are other methods like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) that can also be an effective treatment. However, treatment of mental health needs a holistic approach and should include changes in nutrition, lifestyle etc.

Yoga Therapy has also come to be recognised as an effective complementary treatment to support those with mental health issues. Meditation is among one of the more effective tools of Yoga to strengthen the mind and help alleviate many of the symptoms of mental health issues.

Choose a method that is most suitable to you and that which is easily accessible. No matter which line of healing you choose to pursue, it is important that you don’t delay seeking treatment. Also please note that you are not alone in this journey and there is appropriate help available if you seek it!

Dr. Kausthub Desikachar also assists many clients in their healing journey that includes mental health issues. He offers insightful mentoring through private consultations, which can be taken either face-to-face or online . To book a session with him, kindly visit his private consultations page by clicking here>

Dr. Kausthub Desikachar is the successor and current lineage holder of the classical Yoga tradition of T Krishnamacharya & TKV Desikachar. He is an acclaimed yoga teacher, yoga therapist, healer and spiritual adviser. His objectives include the sharing of the authentic teachings of Yoga to the modern era, as well as building bridges between different healing modalities to promote physical, emotional social and spiritual health.

For more information on his work and teachings, kindly visit http://www.viniyoga.com.sg or http://www.khyf.net or http://www.kausthub.com

Apart from Yoga Teaching, Kausthub is also an avid photographer, inspirational writer and poet. To view, some of his inspirations, visit the website www.kausthubdesikachar.com

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