Mental health and physical health are very closely connected, with each referring to the overall psychological well-being of an individual. It can include the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships, your ability to manage your feelings, and dealing with difficulties. Issues with mental health can have many different symptoms, just like issues with physical health. Questions can be asked, and tests can be done to help assess mental health, the same as with someone’s physical health.
Mental health and physical health are very closely connected. Mental health plays a major role in your ability to maintain good physical health. Mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, affect your ability to participate in healthy behaviors. This can result in problems with physical health, such as chronic diseases, and can decrease a person’s ability to participate in treatment and recovery.
For physical problems, most people go to the doctor and get a check-up. They have their blood pressure, temperature, and weight measured. They have blood drawn to check for issues with cholesterol, blood sugars, thyroid, iron levels, electrolytes, and any other conditions that are wanting to be checked. However, most people do not go to a mental health professional for a mental health exam. In many cases, people only seek out a mental health professional after a crisis has occurred. Understanding the links between mind and body is the first step in developing strategies to reduce the percentage of co-existing conditions and support those already living with mental illnesses and chronic physical conditions.
Ways To Ensure A Strong Mental Health
Emotional health is one of the most important parts of your life. It is what allows you to realize your true potential in many ways. With a strong mental health, you are able to more easily work productively and also cope with the many various stresses that are nearly inevitable in everyday life. It also plays a big role in helping you work with other people and contribute to society.
A strong mental health also affects your physical health. Research has proven that there is a direct link between a strong and positive mental state and the signs of physical good health. Having strong mental and physical health, of course, helps your body in many ways, such as lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, and being able to maintain a healthy weight gain.
There are many other ways to improve or maintain good and strong emotional health, including:
- Take care of your physical health,
Your physical health can affect your emotional health. Exercise regularly, eat healthy meals, and get enough sleep. No drug or alcohol abuse.
- Manage stress,
Try to change situations causing you to stress. Learn relaxation methods to cope with stress. These could include deep breathing, meditation, and exercise.
- Be aware of your emotions and reactions,
Notice what in your life makes you sad, frustrated, or angry. Try to address or change those things.
- Connect with others,
Human beings are naturally very social. We need positive connections with other people. Make time of things like lunch dates, joining a group, and saying hi to strangers while seeing your friends and family regularly.
- Stay positive,
Focus on the good things in your life. Forgive yourself for making mistakes, and forgive others. Spend time with healthy, positive people.
- Thinking before you act,
Emotions often can be very powerful and can potentially alter any situation. Give yourself time to think, and be calm before you say or do something you might regret.
Being emotionally healthy does not mean you are nothing but happy all the time. It means you are aware of your emotions. You can deal with them, whether they are positive or negative. Of course, even emotionally healthy people still feel stress, anger, and sadness. But they know how to manage their negative feelings. They can tell when a problem is more than they can handle on their own. They also know when to seek help from their doctor.
Caring For Your Mental Health Is Important!
The state of your mental well-being impacts nearly everything in your life. It impacts your family and relationships. It affects your professional life. It affects your job performance. Not to mention, it has a huge influence on your overall physical health. If you feel like you struggle with mental health, the best thing you can do is be proactive in your recovery and start to reach out and seek answers. Your doctor may tell you to implement a few new lifestyle changes to see if they help before turning to medication. However, medication is necessary for some people, which is perfectly fine. There is no universal treatment that automatically works with everyone, so it is about finding what is best for you.
The first step toward recovery is a medical exam to assess your physical health. After all, your body and brain’s biochemical balance will have a big impact on your treatment’s effectiveness. If things are out of balance, the “prescription” can include anything from basic nutrition to advanced intravenous infusion therapy. Regardless of how insurmountable the obstacles may seem, within every situation, there is always a way to move forward. Even when the problems seem beyond repair, there is hope. There is a light in the darkness that can become brighter. At Tres Vistas Recovery, we believe in miracles.
