We are all living life that mostly revolves around balancing personal and professional life. With personal life, it depends on how we handle our relationships with family and friends. With professional life, things become easy because of automated processes and optimized schedules to an extent.
But are these enough to take care of in our life? What about optimizing health? What about striking a balance in the health sector of life between mental and physical health? If something hampers our health, all the other activities are affected.
It is a long lasting debate as to which is more important – physical or mental health?
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health, also referred to as emotional health comprehensively includes our overall psychological well-being. It can consist of the way you feel about yourself, the essence of your relationships and your capacity to manage your feelings and face the difficulties.
Mental health includes social, psychological, and emotional well-being. It influences how we feel, think, and how we behave from day to day — the ability to handle stress, emotions, and how you socialize with others.
All in all, we cannot neglect the fact that the state of our mental health profoundly influences the physical ability of ours to do the day to day tasks appropriately.
For example, conditions like depression and anxiety can play a significant role in affecting your ability to participate in daily activities.
Chronic diseases are another set of conditions that might come in the way of a healthy life when mental health is neglected. Just like issues with physical health, problems with mental health can have many different symptoms too.
Why Should One Pay Attention To Mental Health?
Since the past, humans have only given importance to physical well-being. Even Spartans and Barbarians only trained themselves with their physical strength to win wars and to survive. But in the contemporary world, our mental health is just as important as physical health.
It cannot be balanced if we only concentrate on our physical health, overlooking our psychological state. If you wish to live a life where you excel in all the areas extraordinarily, then it is important to consider mental health equally.
1) Mental Health Can Affect Our Physical State
There is a secure link between your body and mind. Your mental health affects your physical health and vice-versa. Similarly, when you are not in a good mental state, you will not be able to concentrate well on these activities.
For instance, if you are physically injured, you might not be able to accommodate daily in your professional or personal engagements. But this can also weaken the state of your mind, manifesting itself in cases such as stress, anxiety, or depression.
The opposite is exact as well. According to research, mental health issues can cause your physical health to worsen. For example, if you have depression and chronic anxiety, you may have trouble sleeping; thus, your physical health is at risk.
Not just that, science has also proven that people who have mental illness tend to have lower immunity, which can be the cause of their falling sick quickly and frequently.
Doctors have identified that when the mental health problems are addressed, many patients progressed with growth in their physical health.
So remember, if one is physically weak, it can affect the mental health too. At the same time mental weakness affects your physical health too. Your mental health and physical health are directly proportional to each other.
2) Your Mental Health Affects Your Financial Security
Most people are not aware that how helpful their mental fitness can be. It can affect the financial status of a person. If you are mentally unwell you can make wrong financial decisions which can affect your financial health. Also the work efficiency reduces with deprived mental health.
According to research by the American Journal of Psychiatry, people who had mental illness earned 40 percent less when compared to people in proper mental condition. The study has also found that folks with unaddressed mental illness make up one-third of the overall homeless population, which is about 16%.
Mental health problems can also kill productivity. The World Health Organization(WHO) once reported that over 200 million workdays are gone each year due to depression. Psychological health problems in the world cause almost half of the top 10 causes of disability.
In familiar cases, individuals who have mental illness are more likely to take medical leaves more often. Even when at work, they won’t be seen to focus on their tasks either entirely.
So don’t take your mental health lightly. Treat it as important as your physical health.
3) Your Mental Health Can Affect Your Family
Another essential reason why mental health is crucial is because it can affect one’s own family.
Children of people with mental health conditions tend to suffer big time.
Below are the reasons for same
- They do not have a family to go and talk and hence keep themselves isolated
- They face bullying, neglecting and also various emotional and mental challenges at school, college, and even office level
Imagine what his wife and 4 children will go through. It’s your loved one who has to face most of the impact of your mental health right from financial instability, joblessness, stress, depression or any other problem which is caused by the same.
It’s loved ones who have to face the most impact from financial instability, joblessness, stress, and other problems brought due to mental health problems.
It is also necessary that chronic illnesses related to depression and anxiety, run in the family. You might not have gone through any traumatic or depressing experience, but the mere fact that one of your family members had it, heightens the risk of you having the condition too.
Due to this, healing for the entire family is at times considered so that everyone can get cured and move on.
4) If Untreated, Extremes Of Mental Illness Or Instability May Lead To Major Health Risks
There has been some discussion over untreated mental illness and its connection with the act of violence. There’s also the issue with the use of drugs and alcohol, causing individuals with existing mental health problems to experience further distress. But perhaps a more critical concern is how folks with psychiatric conditions are usually the victims of a violent offense.
While studies are still been performed as to the link between violence and untreated, chronic mental issues, individuals with such problems, unfortunately, become the targets of abuse or mistreatment.
Psychiatric Services in North Carolina has found that patients with severe mental problems, who were not under any medication, were 2.7 times more likely to be the chump of violence acts.
5) Good Mental Health Can Give You A Happier And Longer Life
A study was held in 2012 British Medical Journal found that people with even mild mental health problems may have a lower life expectancy. It also discovered that those who suffered chronic psychological issues, such as depression and anxiety, increased their risk of death and the primary cause of death is heart disease to a thumping 94%.
Although one may not have extreme mental health problems, continually feeling depressed, worried, or panicked can bring severe influence and consequences aspects to one’s life.
So know to value yourself: Practice meditation, exercise regularly, and yoga, avoid cigarettes and alcohol – give yourself more reasons to smile and stay happy every single day. These are great ways to progress with your well-being and mental health.
By now you should understand that taking care of your mind and your body not only means living longer but also healthier. Hence, whenever there is a signal of mental illness, seek required medication and treatment as soon as possible. Don’t allow the problem to grow and affect your life.
For physical problems, most people go to the doctor and get a check-up done. 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 other measures.
However, most people don’t 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.
Are you one of those people? And if you are, why take care of one part of your body and not the other?
What Is Physical Health?
Physical health is the condition of being free from injury or illness. It can cover a broad range of areas including a healthy diet, healthy weight, dental health, personal hygiene, and sleep. Physical fitness is vital for overall well-being.
A regular routine with respect to exercise and diet, are the essentials to maintain physical health.
Why Should You Pay Attention To Physical Health?
Traditional definitions of physical health prior to the onset of modern medicine would have considered someone physically healthy if he or she was not stricken with a serious illness. With modern medical innovations came longer life spans, which changed the way we define physical health. Today’s definition can consider everything ranging from the absence of disease to fitness level.
While physical health consists of many components, here is a brief list of the key areas that should be addressed:
- Physical activity – includes strength, flexibility, and endurance
- Nutrition and diet – includes nutrient intake, fluid intake, and healthy digestion
- Alcohol and drugs – includes the abstinence from or reduced consumption of these substances
- Medical self-care – includes addressing minor ailments or injuries and seeking emergency care as necessary
- Rest and sleep – includes periodic rest and relaxation, along with high quality sleep
We need to add this which will help elaborate physical health and then we can talk about exercise.
1) It’s A Regular Mood Lifter
Regular physical activity can relieve stress, anxiety, depression, and anger. Do you know that “feel good sensation” you get after doing something tangible? Imagine if it as a happy pill with no side effects! Most people notice they feel better over time as physical activity becomes a regular part of their lives.
2) It Keeps You Physically Fit And Able
Without regular activity, your body slowly loses its strength, stamina, and ability to function correctly. There is an old saying: you don’t stop moving from growing old, you grow old from stopping moving. Exercise increases muscle strength, which in turn increases your ability to do other physical activities.
3) It Helps Keep The Doctor Away
Stand up when you eat your apple a day! Too much sitting and other sedentary activities can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. One study showed that adults who watch more than 4 hours of television a day had an 80% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
Being more active can help you:
- lower your blood pressure
- boost your levels of good cholesterol
- improve blood flow (circulation)
- keep your weight under control
- prevent the bone loss that can cause osteoporosis
All of this can add up to fewer medical expenses, interventions, and medications later in life.
4) It Can Help You Live Longer
It’s true, 70 is the new 60… but only if you’re healthy. People who are physically active and at a healthy weight live about seven years longer than those who are not aggressive and are obese. And the critical part is that those extra years are generally more robust years! Staying active helps to delay or prevent chronic illnesses and diseases associated with aging. So active adults maintain their quality of life and independence longer as they age.
Here are some other benefits you may get with maintaining good physical health:
- Helps you quit smoking and stay tobacco-free.
- Boosts your energy level so you can get more done.
- Helps you manage stress and tension.
- Promotes a positive attitude and outlook.
- Helps you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
- Improves your self-image and self-confidence.
- Provides fun ways to spend time with family, friends, and pets.
- Helps you spend more time outdoors or in your community.
5) Improves The Quality Of Our Sleep
In a few researches held on people with mental conditions it is established that a good sleep pattern is essential for improving mental wellbeing. If you’re active during the day, you tend to fall asleep easier and stay asleep for longer.
It also helps to combat health issues. Being physically healthy means our bodies are better equipped to fight an illness. Joining a sports team is an excellent way for people living with mental conditions to get more socialized.
You should also try your best to have a healthy diet and also add adequate amount of nutritional supplements for being physically healthy.
As mentioned before, physical and mental wellness go hand in hand. Exercise is the best way to stay physically healthy as well as enhancing the state of mind. Research has confirmed that undertaking exercise discharges endorphins to the brain, which helps in making us feel good and improves the mood.
By maintaining our physical and mental health, there are two main benefits – we boost our energy levels for better functioning, and we refrain ourselves from being affected by illnesses or diseases.
An increase in energy level means that we have more energy to do all our activities which will, in turn, increase our productivity. In order to achieve this, we must always strike a good balance between both physical and mental health.
The whole world might believe that physical health is sufficient. But mental health when ignored makes the efforts put on physical health go in vain.
