There can be a tendency for us to neglect or minimise the impact of our physical state on our mental health. This could be through joking that someone is ‘hangry,’ saying we are ‘just tired’ when emotional, or alluding to it being ‘that time of the month.’ Yet hunger, fatigue, pain and hormones can all have an impact on our mood, thoughts and coping, thus why we can refer to these factors as ‘biological vulnerabilities to emotion.’ This term is a fancy way of saying that if we’re hungry, in pain, fatigued or hormonal that our emotions can feel amplified, making it difficult for us to cope. Read on to learn about the physical health states that can impact our capacity to handle difficult feelings, as well as tips on how to manage this.
Types of biological vulnerabilities to emotions
It’s useful to be aware of the different physical states that can impact our mood. Whilst sometimes it might be very obvious to us if we’re tired or hungry, we can also be distracted or desensitised to this information from our body. Some types of physical stress that affect mood are:
Fatigue
We tend to be good at identifying the effect of fatigue on mood in young children, with parents frequently identifying that their child is tired and thus moody. As adults, our culture tends to expect us to power on when tired even though we may feel moodier and struggle with impulse control and motivation.
Being fatigued can make it difficult to concentrate, as well as lead us to be more vulnerable to negative thinking. Fatigue also contributes to reduced productivity which can in turn lead to more stress (which you might stay up late worrying about, making you more tired!).
Time of day and being out of sync with our sleep schedule can also impact mood, thus why night shift and jet-lag are known to be difficult experiences.
Hunger
Being hungry can feel like a minor annoyance but might actually make us more vulnerable to difficult emotions and impact our ability to think clearly and make good decisions. There’s a reason the term ‘hangry’ exists and while it’s often used in a humourous way there is research showing that being hungry can make us more prone to difficult emotions.
Pain
It’s hard to be in a good mood if we are experiencing significant pain. Even minor levels of pain can make us more reactive and influence our ability to think clearly. Pain can have a particularly big impact on mental health when it is chronic, with research suggesting a bidirectional relationship between mood disorders and chronic pain.
Discomfort
Feeling uncomfortable in some way can make you feel irritable or anxious. This may especially be the case if you have sensory sensitivities, which might mean you are somone who is more affected by strong sounds, textures or lights. Temperature can also impact mood and behaviour, with studies even showing that there are more violent crimes in warmer weather.
The amount of sensory information we have around us can also impact mood. Both sensory deprivation and overstimulation have the potential to impact our emotions in ways that may feel pleasant, or difficult and overwhelming.
Hormones
Hormones are well known to impact mood and this can be at varying times across the lifespan (from puberty to pregnancy, menopause, as we age etc.). Hormonal impacts on mood are being increasingly recognised with conditions like Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder becoming more well known. Men can also experience an effect of hormones on their mood. While hormones are often associated with more difficult mood states (e.g., the classic irritability and weepiness of PMS), they can also be involved in experiences of positive mood and feeling energised (e.g.,can happen around ovulation). The effects of hormones on mental health can vary between individuals and across time, and can also be difficult to pinpoint when surrounding factors like stress exist.
Impacts on our mental health
As discussed, biological vulnerabilities to emotion can make us feel more emotional, as well as impact cognitive functions (e.g., less able to concentrate,have reduced impulse control). We may also be more reactive which may affect our relationships with others. The flow on effects of this can be that we experience heightened stress or negative outcomes which may cause us to neglect self-care and perpetuate the underlying vulnerabilities (so we continue to not get enough sleep, to eat poorly etc.)
Ways to Limit Biological Vulnerabilities to Emotion
There are steps we can take to minimise the impact of adverse physical states on our mental health. These include:
Be Aware of Biological Vulnerabilities and Avoid Them Where Possible
The first step to addressing the impact of biological vulnerabilities to emotions is to recognise when they are present. This involves learning to tune in to your body and emotional world. If you have been chronically tired or eating irregularly you may have reduced ability to recognise these factors. Slowly boosting and adding regularity to your sleep and diet can assist you to experience the difference between being fed and rested and being under-nourished and fatigued.
Recording your experience of your body and mood can also help you to track patterns and see effects on mood. Useful apps exist for this purpose. As much as possible, it is best to avoid being fatigued, hungry or in pain. Practising self-monitoring and appropriate self care can assist with this. You may also like to see your GP for assistance in managing sleep issues or pain, and in ruling out potential illness or deficiencies (e.g., low iron) that may be contributing to your physical state. Reducing substances (like caffeine or alcohol) that can alter our nervous system, can also be advisable.
Monitor Biological Vulnerabilities and Adjust as Needed
Once you are able to recognise that you are tired, hungry, in pain, uncomfortable or hormonal, you can monitor your wellbeing and observe patterns. This can help you adjust your expectations of yourself and pace your activities in proportion to your capacity. So if you know you’ve had a bad sleep you might reduce your To Do list for the day, or if you are aware that you struggle with premenstrual syndrome then planning to complete stressful tasks before this period may be useful. This pacing could also be applicable if you ever feel excessively energised. Purposely reigning in goal-directed activity at this time (and anticipating this) could assist you in ensuring you don’t over exert yourself.
Use radical acceptance, change the framing
Sometimes we are unable to change biological vulnerabilities to emotion, for example if we have pain that is difficult to manage or we are unwell. It can be hard not to become disheartened when this is the case. The way we view our physical health can make a difference in how we experience it emotionally. If we view our discomfort as something unfair and try to battle against it, we will feel worse. Consciously trying to feel compassion towards yourself and your physical and mental pain can foster improved mental health. Seeing times of reduced functioning as natural and a sign to rest can enhance wellbeing.
Communicate and ask for help
Sharing with others that we are feeling vulnerable to strong emotions can help us share our experiences, as well as let people know we may need extra support (whether this be emotional or practical). Asking for help in managing our physical health, responsibilities or emotions can also improve our ability to cope.
In summary, our physical state can impact our mental health, making us more likely to feel strong emotions. Being aware of how our energy levels affect our mood can enhance our ability to self regulate through the use of pacing, self-care and compassion, communication, and help-seeking. Much as we might look for biological causes for an infant’s distress (are they tired, hungry, uncomfortable, in pain?), we should learn to identify and manage these factors in ourselves. This is an area many people struggle with and if you’d like to see one of our team to assist with identifying and managing your mental health you can book online or call us on: 3185 5636.