How Poor Mental Health Can Affect Your Physical Health?

There is a definite link between mental health and physical health that we often fail to understand.  It is often told to us that our physical health is important to maintain a healthy body but no one tells us about the importance of mental health. When was the last time that you did something about your mental health?

It is crucial to understand that physical health and mental health work together for our overall well-being. WHO defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

A lot of us are unaware of the proneness and potency of mental illnesses. According to industry research, about one in five adults has mental health issues in any given year. Depression is not the only problem. There are a lot of issues spanning from ones that affect the mood to those that affect behavior and cognition. Few examples are:

• Anxiety
• Eating Disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Addictive Behaviors
• Autism

How does Mind Affect the Body?

You might be wondering how does mental health affect physiological health? Neglecting your mental health can lead to serious complications like:

• High blood pressure
• Heart diseases
• Asthma
• Obesity
• Compromised immune system

Poor mental health can also affect the ability to make informed and healthy decisions and fight off serious illnesses. 

In fact, depression alone can cause insomnia, fatigues and increase sensitivity to aches and pains due to abnormal brain function. Taking care of mental health is crucial.

Tips on Maintaining Healthy Mind and Body

Mental health and physical health work in synergy. Hence, taking care of one won’t benefit much. You need to take care of both. If physical health is not up to the mark, then mental health will suffer and vice versa. Below are few tips to take care of your overall well-being:

• Exercise

Exercising is a foolproof way to enhance your mental health and physical health. It releases good hormones in the body like endorphins and serotonin, which can help you to feel good and ease anxiety and depression. These hormones have the potential to make you work for a higher purpose. HIIT or yoga, the choice is yours. 

• Keeping Track of Your Mental Health

Like we keep track of our BMI, cholesterol levels, vitamin levels etc. It is important to regularly assess our mental health. There are various screening tools available online. There’s one website called HappiMynd. They offer customized screenings, which is great because it is exactly what you need. If there’s an issue, you will get to know and therefore, take immediate action. 

• Using Self-Improvement and Management Tools

Self-improvement and management tools can help you take care of your mental health daily. We all work on thriving and getting better each day but do not how much progress have we made. Such tools are a great way to keep track and manage mental health anywhere and anytime. 

• Maintain a Schedule

Maintaining a daily schedule is very important, especially with the commencement of lockdown. We all are home and without a schedule, it is easy to feel aimless. Hence, it is crucial to do daily activities on time, like eating, working, exercising, sleeping, etc. Sleeping well for seven or more hours is recommended. Not getting enough sleep can lead to depression, stress and anxiety. Avoid using the phone one hour before sleeping and after waking up. It can affect your sleep quality. 

• Don’t Wait to Get Help

In a lot of cases, people start seeking help once the crisis has occurred. According to a study by the Columbia University Medical Center, less than a third of American adults who screened positive for depression received treatment for their symptoms. Getting help as soon as you sense something wrong can prevent serious conditions.

HappiMynd provides affordable, reliable and confidential services for various emotional health conditions. They offer self-improvement and management tool that can help you thrive and maintain your emotional health. It’s a safe and secure place where you can also vent your feelings and seek help from a team of experienced psychologists as per your need. It is a great option for people who are seeking emotional support without compromising on their confidentiality.