7 TIPS FOR WELLNESS & HEALTH LIVING
by: Remie Longbrake | published: June 20, 2022
Physical and mental health are essential to our overall health and well-being. There are a number of factors that can affect our physical and mental health including our diet, stress level, our fitness, mood, and outside factors like our jobs and our environment.
Follow these tips to improve your overall health and wellbeing.
1. Prioritize Physical and Mental Health
When you think about your life, what comes to your mind? People think naturally about their physical health. In today’s world, it is common for people to focus on our stress and inadequacies in comparison to others. However, focusing one our own positive traits and placing priority on mental health is much more appropriate. We have all heard the saying, “a healthy body is a healthy mind”, and it is important for people to work to strengthen their mental and spiritual health beyond their physical health. Therefore, finding the right balance between body and mind will help us to live happier and healthier lives.
2. Diet and Exercise
Although diet and exercise play an important role in our physical health, studies have shown that those factors have a profound effect on how we feel and how we function mentally and emotionally. A few symptoms related to poor mental health such as fatigue, weakness, stress, anxiety, and poor physical appearance, can greatly benefit from a healthy diet and exercise.
Diet and exercise are very important when it comes to preventing and controlling chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and more. Maintaining your physical health can help you avoid or reduce the risk of physical illness, as well as support your mental health. Conversely, poor physical health can increase the risk of mental illness such as depression.
3. Food and Nutrition
Time and again, we have seen the positive effect that nutritious food has on a person’s physical and mental health. A nutritious diet helps the body maintain a healthy weight, controls the stress, and energy needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Additionally, the brain needs proper nutrition to function properly, and many brain functions such as hormonal control, sleep, and concentration may affect human moods. Whether you know it or not, all brain functions involve a series of chemical processes and impulses. The ingredients for those processes and impulses are found in structures that include proteins, complex carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals, all of which are essential for keeping the brain healthy.
Studies have shown that a Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, and healthy fats, is associated with a reduction in the risk of depression. Although, the deteriorating diet intake of high-fat processed foods, sugar, and sodium is associated with an increase in mental illness. Certain mental illnesses can also affect food. For example, people with depression often notice changes in their eating habits as they eat too much or too little. Some may notice an increase in craving for sugary foods and simple carbohydrates, which can lead to “diabetes” and weight gain. The relationship between mental health and diet is complex and both can be very intertwined.
4. Fitness and Exercise
We all know that exercise brings several benefits to the body including increased blood pressure, improved metabolism, and the body’s ability to use oxygen more efficiently. This directly affects the health and fitness of the whole body, but did you know that these features also benefit the brain and all the sensory functions it performs as well?
Exercise has a profound effect on stress management, as well as symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, and sleep problems. In particular, aerobic exercise such as running, cycling, and swimming, can help alleviate anxiety and boost your mood. In fact, regular exercise is highly recommended for those who are at risk of depression as exercise will help reduce negative symptoms. Studies show that exercise releases serotonin which is the same neurotransmitter in the brain targeted by many antidepressants, as well as endorphins that help relieve pain and reduce stress.
Regular exercise can greatly strengthen the immune system as it increases white blood cells and fights infections. It is also effective in lowering the levels of cytokines, a type of antibody that can trigger stress. It is obvious that exercise has a profound effect on physical and mental health, but how does one really benefit mentally? Exercise can build confidence, help people set goals and meet goals, and help people participate in their community.
5. Get Good Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to maintaining good physical and mental health. Sleep helps people feel alert and refreshed, increases their ability to concentrate and perform complex physical and mental functions, and plays a vital role in controlling stress.
In addition, sleep is important for the proper functioning of the brain, and it is closely related to serotonin and melatonin, which are directly related to the human condition. If you do not get a good night’s sleep, you will soon see results. Your mood and mood will suffer as you are more likely to feel overwhelmed, drowsy, and irritable, as well as a lack of concentration and concentration in activities. Think of a child who is tired; the results are the same for adults, and no one wants that! Physically, your body function will also suffer from impaired memory and lack of attention and focusing ability.
In terms of the body, the body performs important repair and maintenance work during sleep such as tissue repair, cell regeneration, and the brain regulating important chemicals to allow for body, tissue, and organ growth.
Additionally, sleep deprivation puts the body under a lot of stress, which negatively affects the function of your immune system, and in turn, makes you more vulnerable to colds, flus, and infections. A sleep deprived immune system will make you more susceptible to serious diseases including high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
A lack of sleep can take a huge toll on you physically, mentally, emotionally, and professionally, which can in turn affect your work, family, and relationships. Therefore, it is important for adults to attain 7 or more hours of sleep at night.
6. Stress Management
Whether it is for happy times like the promotion or the birth of a child, or the unexpected and tragic moments such as illness or loss of employment, it is inevitable that everyone will experience periods of stress throughout his or her life. Depression can even occur in small everyday situations. The important thing is to establish healthy ways to manage your stress.
Depression has a profound effect on your physical and mental health. In the body, stress can cause high blood pressure, stomach cramps, aches and pains, and insomnia. Mentally, depression may trigger anxiety, irritability, and negative emotions. In addition, depression may be associated with a number of other symptoms, including sleep disorders such as sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and changes in appetite.
One of the main dangers of depression is that it is often linked to unhealthy coping strategies. People who suffer from severe depression may be neglecting their eating habits, skipping exercise routines, going to bed at night, smoking, or drinking too much alcohol. These factors should be used to help deal with stress, however, they may be overlooked if someone is in a poor and depressed mood. Therefore, when stressful situations arise, it is important to work at controlling your stress level.
Here are some ways to help deal with stress:
- Sustain good habits
- Have a good diet
- Exercise in some fasion daily. Yoga.
- Sleep sufficiently
- Learn to relax. Do deep breathing and visualization
- Have better balance in your roles and responsibilities. Try to establish boundaries and time limits.
- Learn about stress management through workshops, books, online sources, and a professional therapist. many of which your healthcare provider can recommend.
- Journaling can also help put your thoughts on paper and can offer some relief
- Talk it out. Share what is going on with loved ones, friends, and those who can offer support
7. Associate with Wellness
One of the ways we can help be mindful and be healthy, is not only to live a healthy lifestyle but be around others who lead a healthy lifestyle too. You’ve probably heard many times over that we are who we associate with. Essentially, that’s a true statement. Our environment, including our co-workers, bosses, friends, family and those we interact with, do have impact on our own well-being. Of course, this is not always easy, and we can’t necessarily choose our family, but we can manage our time and try our best to improve our situation. And essentially to improve our circumstances, we need support from those who can offer it without judgement.
In closing
I hope this article helps you better understand the relationship between physical and mental health, and provides you with ways to strengthen your health and well-being. Understand that everything worthwhile takes time, so have patience and persistence.