With 1 in 5 US adults living with mental illness and 1 in 25 living with a serious mental illness that dramatically impacts their quality of life, it’s becoming just as vital to maintaining your physical health as it is to maintain your physical and mental health.
The importance of your mental health
Mental health is critical to our quality of life in so many ways and goes well beyond having a singular effect on the sufferer. Mental health problems are often genetic and affect both the patient and those around them, who are sometimes at a loss as to how to help their struggling loved one. Pushing a mental health issue to the background has the potential to become a later barrier to relationships, daily life, and even employment.
Benefits of taking care of your physical and mental health
When you take steps to maintain both your physical and mental health, you will surely see the benefits quickly. Being mentally healthy means you are easily able to deal with life’s stresses, downturns, or disasters with resilience and grace. Mental health has also been proven to have a strong effect on our physical health, with the power of positivity and hope well documented in the medical community as a huge, albeit mysterious, factor in healing.
Tips to make it happen
Engaging the help of a psychiatrist or therapist is a great way to maintain your mental health, and overcome emotional obstacles to your success. But there are also several things you can do at home, at no cost to you, to help maintain great mental and physical health, simultaneously.
. Take care of your body
Tune into your body and take stock of how you could be healthier. Your overall physical health is linked closely with your state of mind, so remember that life’s daily aches and pains, not to mention illnesses or diseases, will affect your peace of mind.
- Eat a well-balanced, nutritional diet
Eating well will give you more physical and emotional energy to take on any challenges that might present themselves. Some new dieters complain of flu-like SIBO Symptoms at the start of a new diet routine. These symptoms are simply the toxins dying off in your body due to your health-first changes. Keep up with your diet and you’ll surely feel great in a few days.
- Exercise
Taking time each day to workout means your body is healthier, and you have time to think, relax and wind down physically and mentally. For extra motivation, consider putting together a fun playlist or listen to a health-focused podcast as your exercise. Exercise will also help you sleep more fitfully and wake with more energy and joy each new day.
- Create and follow a sleep routine
Adults need between 6-9 hours of sleep per night. Take some time to map out the optimal bedtime and work towards ensuring that you are resting, free from electronics or television, after your bedtime. Getting the appropriate amount of sleep per night is proven to keep your mind clearer and sharper during waking hours.
- Learn how to deal with stress
Not dealing with stressors is an easy way to fall victim to mental health issues like depression or anxiety. First, it’s important to ensure that you only worry about things you have control over. Many doctors or therapists recommend mediation or breathing exercises to lessen the effects of stress on the body.
- Set realistic goals
Setting impossible goals is the easiest way to fail on your journey to better mental health. No healthy plan can survive if you don’t make room for being human. Set realistic health and exercise goals, and be kind to yourself if you need a day off, or don’t meet all your goals.
- Practice mental health exercises
Mental health exercises like journaling or meditating are great ways to center yourself and focus on your mental health for an extended period of time. The more time you spend getting in touch with your feelings and sorting through the day, the more peaceful you will feel before sleep and in quiet moments when stress can creep up and seep in.
- Spend some time in natural sunlight
Sunlight has many healthy properties that are great for your skin, body, and mind. Make time daily to get outside and spend some time in the sun, as exposure to sunlight means higher serotonin levels, and less stress, anxiety, and depression.
Physical and mental health go hand in hand, meaning everything you do has an effect on your body as a whole. Today is the day to plan out your new strategy for better mental and physical health in 2022.
