How Mental Health Affects Our Physical Health
Sep 05, 2024
“I can’t lose weight. I’m doing all of the right things but I don’t see the results.”
A friend confessed that she was frustrated. She’d been to the doctor and he had no solutions either since she was in fact doing everything he would recommend. He could offer medication but he didn’t recommend it in her case.
One thing he didn’t ask about was her mental health. He didn’t ask about the stress she’s endured lately (and she’s had a lot going on outside of her control). Even with all of the research that has been done, we still forget how intricately connected mental and physical health are. You can’t separate the two. Sometimes, I wish we didn’t have separate names for them. It’s ALL health and well-being.
Here’s what we DO know about stress and physical health.
Stress increases cortisol. Cortisol has short term benefits to help us with stress but high cortisol for long periods of time is damaging to your physical body.
Some effects include:
*Increased appetite
*Slower metabolism
*Decreased muscle mass
*Fat accumulation (especially around the abdomen)
I reminded my friend that cortisol CAUSES our bodies to store extra pounds. She doesn’t need to push harder and keep trying harder. Maybe instead, she could focus on doing things that will help reduce cortisol. Even if she can’t change the situation, she can focus her energy on nurturing herself.
I know it can seem hard…givers are more comfortable with giving than receiving, caretakers are more comfortable with taking care of others but not themselves.
Even though, when we started the conversation, she said, “I don’t know what to do!”, as she talked, she said, “I know I need to focus on getting better sleep.” YES! She really did know what she needed.
I think we forget that too. We forget to trust our own intuition. We forget that, a lot of times, we already know the answer. Sometimes we just need someone to be our sounding board.
If you find yourself struggling in an area that’s considered “mental health”, I encourage you to look at the physical side…What are you putting in your body? Are you getting enough rest? Are you exercising? Are you having pain or discomfort that you’ve been ignoring?
And on the flip side, if you’re struggling with your “physical health”, I encourage you to consider the mental side…What stressors are there in your life? Have you gone through any major life changes? Have you experienced loss? Are you holding on to old traumas?
My dream is that one day, we will all think of our health holistically. We will look at all aspects when we consider our well-being. We won’t be ok with focusing only on physical health but overlooking our mental health because we will see that there truly is no difference. Emotions affect the performance of our bodies and our bodies affect our emotional state….always.
You deserve the joy and peace you desire! I’m cheering you on!
All my love,
Stacey