Looking after your mental health is so important.

Mental health is important at every point in your life and is just as important as your physical health. 

 

Often, people talk about the ways they’re trying to improve their physical health. This could be changing their diet, stopping smoking, having surgery or even buying their first (or one hundredth) pair of prescription glasses. People choose to embark on the journey to change, whether big or small, in order to improve the quality and longevity of their life.

But why do people put so much care and attention into their physical health, if they’re then going to neglect their mental health. That’s like keeping your car’s petrol tank filled up but driving with the handbrake on, right?

Ill mental health has been proved to be detrimental to a person’s physical health. However, since the NHS was founded in 1948, mental health and physical health care have been separated and treated as detached.

According to the Mental Health Foundation website: (https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/physical-health-and-mental-health)

Depression has been linked to:

• 67% increased risk of death from heart disease.
• 50% increased risk of death from cancer.

While schizophrenia is associated with:

• Double the risk of death from heart disease.
• Three times the risk of death from respiratory disease.

To live an authentic life, you need to take care of yourself physically and mentally, which will therefore allow you to create happiness and contentment.  According to experts, “good feelings” can enhance your ability to problem solve, deal with stress and fight illness. The more you take care of your mental health, the more the negative emotions are pushed down and taken control of, allowing positivity to radiate on the surface and beyond. This will be reflected within your relationships, friendships, career and further.

You don’t have to have a mental illness in order to take care of your mental health. 

Many people, without having a diagnosis, have therapists, councillors or life coaches, who are there to talk about emotions and problems that are hard to deal with. Receiving guidance and help when struggling mentally aids the prevention of developing a long-term mental illness and supports mental wellbeing.

Why looking after your mental health is important (in bullet points):

1. Mental health is important at every point in your life and is just as important as your physical health.
2. It improves the quality of your life.
3. Ill mental health leads to physical health problems.
4. Positive feelings can enhance your ability to problem solve, think flexibly, deal with stress and fight illness.
5. (therefore) It helps you achieve goals and succeed.
6. Aids the prevention of developing long-term mental illnesses.

(Disclaimer: Obviously this list only includes 5 reasons based on my writing and not the hundreds of other reasons you should look after your mental health!)

Allow your mind and body to work in harmony by giving your physical and mental health an equal amount of love and attention 🙂

Holly Ann.