Is there a connection between your mental health and physical health?

Is there a connection between your mental health and physical health?

The simple answer is YES. Your mental health can directly impact your physical health, just as your physical health can impact how you’re doing mentally. Think about when you’re stressed or anxious. How have you felt? Oftentimes, stress or anxiety causes physical symptoms including headaches, tension in the shoulders, stomach aches or cramps, trouble sleeping, restlessness, an inability to think clearly, changes in appetite, and so on.

The same can be said if we reverse it. How does the way you physically take care of yourself affect your mental health? Think about the times you haven’t been eating well, haven’t gotten enough sleep, scroll through social media for hours.. Odds are your stress and anxiety begin to increase. When you start to connect the mental and physical aspects of your day-to-day life, it all makes a little more sense. It’s not just a coincidence!

So, what can you do to improve your physical and mental health? Consider getting more sleep, putting the phone down earlier, eating more fruits and vegetables, and going on a daily walk or finding another way to become more active. Ultimately, though, you have to know yourself, listen to your own body, and provide for it what it needs.

These are just a few of many ways to improve both your mental and physical states. Usually, when you take care of one, the other should follow. How will you improve your physical and mental health this week?

- Michaela Gibson