Did you know that your mood can change how you experience physical pain?

And physical pain can change your mood? That's right.

The two feed off each other, and it can be a difficult cycle to break.

You see, there's a real connection between what your brain thinks and what your body feels. Experts call this a feedback loop.

If you think, feel, and expect positive things, your brain produces chemicals that help you with pain and strengthen your immune system. These chemicals help you begin to feel better and improve your mood. This is a positive feedback loop.

But if you're in a bad mood, or think bad thoughts, your brain doesn't produce these chemicals. You don't get this boost to feel better.

And that means more negative thoughts, and a negative feedback loop.

So let's take a look at what you can do to break a negative feedback loop, and turn it into a positive, healthy loop instead. Counseling called cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, can help break a negative loop. CBT involves changing your thoughts and your actions to have a more positive impact. You can take pain medicine to relieve your physical pain. Some depression medicines also help with pain, so when you take them, you're helping your pain and your mood.

And you can use daily routines, like getting good sleep and exercise.

Doing any of these can help get you out of a negative feedback loop, improve your mood, and move on to brighter days ahead.