Many of us might disagree with the above mentioned question which is also the title of my new blog post. But I truly feel that physical and mental health are deeply inter-connected. Poor mental health can gradually lead us to deteriorating physical health. Fatigue and stress are the trigger points which gets into our physical health from mental health. People with serious mental conditions/illness always tend to have poor health conditions. Having said that, I’m not saying that all are physically or mentally unfit.
Reasons behind mental health affecting physical health:
There are numerous reasons behind it, and here are some of them:
A) Genetically we can inherit mental health conditions from our parents or grandparents. We tend to overlook this, but this could be a good reason to look into.
B) Low motivation can lead us to develop low self-esteem and that can make us feel mentally disturbed or depressed. That can make humans feel tired and can also suffer from loss of appetite.
C) Lack of support from your near and dear ones might lead you to suffer from lack of confidence and self-acceptance. At this point of time, one needs to discuss the mental conditions to your confidante. Everyone might not get into the same page with you.
D) Many at times, doctors can treat your physical issues and can assure that within a given period of time, you might recover, but rarely they investigate your mental side.
How can you improve your mental health to get better?
Now the million dollar question is how do we take care of our mental health to improve our physical health. There’s no shortcut to get better quickly. It’s a time taking process and you cannot skip steps. You need to walk yourself through step by step and have to develop patience to see the positive results within few days or weeks. Some might need months to get better, but that doesn’t mean they are not working or they are slow in making progress. Mental Health Organisation of UK clearly saying that if you are treating your mental health first, you will definitely feel physically better. Here are some tips and tricks to get better on your own.
1. Regular exercises by doing some physical activity will always help you. You will gain physical strength and endurance; and can also feel energised. Exercises are mood enhancer’s too.
2. Eating healthy is another good way to keep your physical and mental health in good shape. If you are eating junk food or less nutritious food, then you will have digestion issues. That will lead you to groggy and irritable mood and physically you will feel less energetic.
3. Stop smoking if you do it. Smoking will damage your lungs and heart first and will take a deep toll on your mental health. People majorly suffer from depression and anxiety find smoking as stress buster to them.
4. Stop drinking alcohol if you do it. Many might say red wine is good for your heart health and skin or rum can warm up your body in cold countries. But believe me or not, alcohol damages your body slowly. It’s like a slow poison for you. One of my friends, recently had to be admitted to a hospital with high fever, high blood pressure and breathing issues as he drinks every weekend.
5. Medications can also play a huge role here. There are various medicines which have side effects and make you feel anxious or agitated. You need to avoid taking such medicines if you consume, or you need to consult it with your physician before start consuming it. For some people some medicine components can work for some may not work.
6. Meditation is another wonderful method which can help you to calm down. It controls your breathing, anxiety and thought process which can definitely make you feel better. One must start meditating everyday with few minutes and eventually you can increase the duration. You can also learn various types of meditation from experienced teachers.
7. Sleeping for 7-8 hours/day will definitely help you to elevate your happy hormones. “Early to bed and early to rise” is not at all a myth. It really works if followed by heart. When you take proper 7-8 hours of sleep you release dopamine (one of the happy hormones) and you instantly feel energetic and positive to work and organise your rest of the day. Less hours of sleep will not only make you sluggish, but also damages your brain cells day by day slowly and by the time you realise it, its already late by years.
Get better today
So instead of thinking about how to get better, you must start putting the efforts. Start with baby steps and grow slowly. With one simple step you can help yourself and your loved ones. If you are seeing someone suffer mentally and physically in your family or among your friends, suggest them these simple tips which they can start applying at home today. Helping the needy ones with simple tips is not an obligation. It will help you to spread awareness and create a happy and healthy community around you.