The mind and body are connected, and therefore one affects the other. If we aim to improve our mental or physical health, it will directly influence the other. How we are physically accounts for up to 85% of our mental health, which is a significant number. This makes it a very important place to start when striving to reach our baseline happiness.
When assessing our physical bodies, we must consider three different aspects of health, which I will explain in more detail below. I will also provide tips on how to begin making changes to help you feel better.
1. Better Nutrition Improving Mental Health
You might have heard the saying, "We are what we eat," but do we truly understand what this means? The food we choose to nourish ourselves with determines our overall health. We all have a relationship with food, some more challenging than others. There are many issues we can face with food, one of which is eating disorders. If you feel you have a difficult relationship with food, seeking therapy to understand and change this may be worth considering. Our relationship with food influences what we eat, when we eat, and how much we eat— all of which affect us. Our bodies use food as fuel to power us day by day, so making the right food choices is crucial.
The first step here is information: How much do you know about the foods you eat? Gaining knowledge about different food types and how they fuel our bodies will help us make better meal choices and therefore better mental health.
Also, understanding how different foods affect the body can help us make informed decisions about what we eat. A balanced diet is best; our bodies require various minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients, which we get from a variety of foods.
It might be a good idea to keep a food diary. After a couple of weeks, review it to see what needs to change. Is your diet balanced? Are all the food groups represented? How do you feel about what you find? How has your body reacted to these foods, and importantly, how have your energy levels been? You can then make small, steady changes week by week, one at a time. This approach will help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and allow you to fine-tune your diet to meet your body’s
specific needs.
2. Exercise for Self Care
Next, let’s consider exercise. First, assess your physical ability and go from there. Not everyone can run, for example, and that’s okay. What works for you might differ from someone else, or perhaps you simply don’t enjoy going to the gym. That’s perfectly fine. This understanding will help you find the fitness plan that’s right for you.
Being mindful of your resistance to exercise is key. You want to work with what you enjoy, not what you feel you should be doing. Once you know what you enjoy, you can start exploring different types of exercise and how you might incorporate them into your routine. Do you prefer group activities, or do you work better alone? This focus is a way of caring for self so make it personal for you and what you like.
It’s about moving your body—start with what feels good and what you feel you can stick to. If you’re busy, committing to 1.5 hours a week might be too much, so try starting with once a week for 20 minutes, or a daily 10-minute session. There’s no wrong way to do it—work with yourself, set small goals, and gradually increase the intensity or frequency.
3. Better Sleep = Better Mental Health
Finally, let’s talk about sleep. Sleep is crucial for both our minds and bodies. When we sleep, we heal. In addition to healing our bodies, sleep also helps balance our hormones. That’s why it’s vital to get quality, restorative sleep to allow our bodies to carry out these processes efficiently.
There may be a number of reasons why we struggle to get enough sleep or face issues sleeping. Again, this might be something to explore in therapy. Stress, for instance, can have a devastating impact on sleep quality, which in turn can affect our mental health. Identifying what’s affecting our sleep patterns is crucial to finding a solution. These solutions might involve experimenting with various methods until sleep improves.
Bear in mind that all three of the above areas—nutrition, exercise, and sleep—are interconnected. What you eat and when you eat can affect your sleep. Your exercise routine can impact both your eating habits and sleep quality, and so on. If one area is lacking, the balance between all three becomes disrupted. Keep this in mind when making changes, and track your progress to see what works and what doesn’t.
By examining and implementing small changes in these areas, you can better your mental health without necessarily seeking professional help. Achieving a baseline of happiness is possible, and once you’ve reached that point, you might feel content or realise that you still need additional support. If that’s the case, you may want to reach out for further assistance.
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