Humans are complex beings, and their welfare is an equally complex interplay of different aspects of their life, such as mental, physical, and social. The body houses our physical health and the ability to function without difficulty. Likewise, the mind shelters our spirit, emotions, and motivation to live.

While governing the well-being of a person, the mind and body must not be considered separate from one another. They work in unison to ensure our overall well-being. Our physical condition affects our mental integrity, and our mental state equally impacts our physical health. The feelings we experience do not only exist in the abstract world of our minds. They often escape those confines and take physical shape, as is evident by the headaches you experience under stress or butterflies in the stomach before going onstage. That is why mind-body integration is crucial in psychology and the medical field since one can not function optimally if the other is on a decline.

Stigma and taboos clouded mental health illnesses for decades. Even today, they are not considered worthy of acknowledgment or discussion in many parts of the world.  However, to find a path forward and address physical and mental health concerns, it is necessary to shed light on mental health discussion topics and find harmony between our bodies and mind. Here are some examples which might help you understand the connection our physical and mental health share.

1.     Impact of Mental Health on Your Gut:

The impact of mental health on the gut is something we all have experienced at different levels. It is the first victim whenever our anxiety peaks. Did you ever have knots of anxiety in your stomach before an exam or big event? Or have you ever thrown up or been unable to eat anything due to constant pressure or stress of something? If yes, you already know how much your mental state and gut are interrelated. It is because your body releases hormones and chemicals that directly affect the microorganisms residing in your gut. They help in digestion and keep in check your antibody production. A disturbance in the gut microbiome causes a chemical imbalance, which results in gastrointestinal disorders.

2.     Exercise:

While the positive outcomes of exercise on physical health are well-known, its anti-depressive effect and mood-boosting ability are still underrated.  After you hit the jogging track or finish an intense exercise session, you may experience a euphoric feeling known as a runner’s high. Your body might be exhausted, but a calmness will settle over your nerves post-run. It is because exercise increases the production of certain biochemical substances that promote short-term psychoactive effects, such as calmness and reduced anxiety. In the long term, a daily workout routine sparks the reformation of blood vessels in your brain, which keeps it nourished. It also prevents cognitive decline. So, work out consistently and ensure both your physical and mental well-being.

3.     Sleep:

Getting the required amount of rest for your body is necessary to wear off both physical and mental exhaustion. Have you ever felt exhausted or irritable after a night of tossing and turning on your bed? Anger and frustration also intensify the following day, which makes handling the small stresses of daily life difficult. While these are only the short-term consequences of the lack of sleep, heart diseases, diabetes, and depression can surface in the long run. Lack of sleep can also exacerbate mental and physical health issues that are already present.

4.     Socializing:

Man is a social animal and remains part of different social groups from the cradle to the grave. This element is an unremovable part of our lives and plays a primary role in shaping our identities and health. We are naturally compassionate beings, and receiving the same empathy and care helps put our problems in perspective and see the world with renewed hope. Considering this aspect of our nature, socializing with the right people positively impacts both our physical and mental health.  Social contact with the people important to you releases a cascade of neurotransmitters in the brain, which regulates your response to stress and difficulties in life. In other words, it makes you more resilient. Having a good laugh, shaking hands, or giving a high-five also releases a hormone known as oxytocin and lowers cortisol, ultimately reducing stress. Reduced stress and anxiety ultimately promote physical health and lessens the chances of chronic diseases.

5.     Impact of Positive Emotions on Your Physical Health:

Have you ever noticed that a piece of good news or excitement about an upcoming event can make you forget the physical pain you had been struggling with before? Although chronic physical pain can land a person in depression and intensify the severity of their disease, positive emotions can have the opposite effect. Positive feelings such as happiness, excitement, and peacefulness lower the pain perception, making a person more resilient and tolerant of it. That is why doctors strongly recommend keeping grief away from patients suffering from terminal illnesses and doing whatever makes them happy. In this case, positive emotions directly impact the longevity of the patients. The momentary happiness people experience is a breath of fresh air and breaks their vicious cycle of pain and stress.

6.     Diet:

Your daily diet plays a crucial role in shaping your physical and mental health. A healthy diet that nourishes your body also flourishes your mind. The close relation between the two stems from the close connection of our brain and gastrointestinal tract, also known as the ‘second brain.’ It is so called because our GI tract, which houses millions of bacteria, effect the release of neurotransmitters. These are the chemical messengers carrying the messages from our gut to the brain.

A healthy diet promotes the growth of these bacteria and positively influences the release of neurotransmitters, which reflect on your mood. However, if you are on a constant diet of junk food, the growth is hampered and increases inflammation. Sticking to a healthy diet means fewer mood fluctuations, a healthy body, and a happier outlook.

Conclusion:

Our overall welfare is the teamwork of our body and mind. If one is compromised, it can bring the other down with it. You need to focus on the well-being of both since one can be a limiting factor in the proper functioning of the other. To achieve this compatibility of body and mind, you need to understand their connection and work on harmonizing them accordingly.