By: Tara Belizaire

For many years, mental health has been stigmatized while physical wellness has been continuously promoted. However, many people fail to recognize that you cannot have one without the other. You cannot have a happy and healthy life if you prioritize one above the other. Assessing mental and physical health in more depth reveals how they are intertwined. How Does Mental Health Affect Your Physical? Lack of a healthy way to release stress can have detrimental effects on your body and lead to a variety of illnesses, including:

• PTSD
• IBS
• Anxiety
• Heart disease 
• Depression     
• Insomnia
• High blood pressure

All these challenges, and more, can be brought on by poor mental health. Depression and anxiety can result in numbness throughout the body, inability to move, and a sense of being stuck for weeks or months at a time.

• Depression can trigger your stress hormones, which can raise your heart rate and blood pressure putting long-term strain on your heart. 

• People with depression have a higher risk of developing heart disease. 

• It can also weaken your immune system, making you more vulnerable to infections.

• Depression can cause eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. 

• Eating well becomes harder but more important during depressive episodes.

• Depression can lead to trouble sleeping or oversleeping and may increase risk of neurological conditions.

As you can see, maintaining your mental health is crucial. Prioritizing and sustaining body well-being requires both mental and physical well-being. Your physical health suffers greatly when your mental state is unstable, and it may eventually result in severe illnesses. 

How Does Physical Health Affect Your Mental Health?

Most of us know the importance of physical health and eating right, as most of us are aware, eating well and maintaining physical health are important; after all, “an apple a day keeps the doctors away.” Frequent exercise, either twice or four times a week, can help lower stress levels, improve motivation and fatigue levels throughout the day, and increase self-esteem. Consistent exercise increases mind-body connection and provides an enjoyable release after a stressful day. A 2012 survey of 5,000 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 15 by the Economic and Social Research Council showed that those who adopted unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, and junk food were considerably less happy than those who led more stable, healthy lives. The study continued by demonstrating that those who participated in sports on a weekly basis were significantly happier. Good physical health will also make a positive impact on your sleep giving you better sleep quality. 

If you are dealing with your mental or physical health, do not be ashamed to seek help. Even if not, everyone admits it, we all have times in our lives when we need someone to talk to or someone to give us the boost we need.  Ask for help when you feel overwhelmed or know something isn’t right because we are all human and nobody is perfect. Don’t wait until you’re at your breaking point.  We must pay attention to what our bodies are telling us because sometimes they can tell us what we need before we even realize it.  Both physical and mental well-being are vital to existence.