Healthy Mind, Healthy Body!

Let me ask you this. Name something that could end your life. I’m sure your mind jumped to cancer, maybe a car crash? But what about mental health and a healthy body? These two factors can have serious effects on your health and your overall well-being. Many of us have no problem abusing our bodies with food, alcohol, and drugs. People think about the effect on the body, but how about our mind? We only get one body for the entirety of our lives, so why aren’t we taking more care of our mental and physical well-being? After all, neither can be replaced.

Your body. It’s where you live for your life. Abusing it truly does no good to your health and how your body functions. A study completed showed that 63% of adults are overweight. These 63% of people are more prone to fatal diseases such as diabetes, heart problems, and organ failure. With poorly functioning organs, forget about enjoying the activities you enjoy doing. Playing with your kids. Hiking or just normal activity. These activities will soon become more difficult until the point that you must give up these activities completely. So why risk this just so you can that extra bag of chips or three donuts instead of one?

Obviously, the physical effects of excessive food, alcohol, and cigarettes are clear, but what about the mental impacts? How are you expected to love yourself when you aren’t happy with the person staring back at you in the mirror? Of the 63% of people who are considered overweight, 35% of people present with symptoms of depression. It is a common misconception that being mentally healthy or not only affects your attitude, however, it strongly affects your physical health as well. It is not possible to be physically healthy when you are not mentally healthy. Conditions such as anorexia stem from a severe mental attitude that makes a person unhealthily lose weight. A person would not lose the weight if they hadn’t been mentally unwell. Extreme weight loss illnesses can have a significant effect on a person whether it be excessive loss or gain. These dangerous diseases can be prevented to keep you healthy.

It is now clear the relationship between mental and physical health, but it is hard to stop one from affecting the other. There are many ways to stop that snowball effects of losing your mental and physical stability. If you are struggling with either of these issues, ask for help. Whether it’s a family member or a psychologist, there are so many people that could assist you with your problems. Also, love yourself. When you look in the mirror, don’t focus on the negative but the positive. By simply saying what you think looks good about yourself, it is possible to change the way you think about yourself. Without a negative headset, the chances of spiralling into an unhealthy eating pattern are significantly reduced.

In our busy world, it is hard to think clearly about certain things, especially ourselves. It’s easy to put ourselves last when really it should be first. Your body is your home for the rest of your life, so you should be taking care of it: mentally and physically. When you’re having a tough day and losing perspective and you wonder who cares about my body? The answer: you should. Caring about your physical and mental well being could extend your life so that you can grow up to achieve what you want to in life. But if you do find yourself in a hard time where you are struggling, know that there are people who will assist you to love yourself once again.