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Last Updated: Jan 10, 2023
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5 Reasons To Pay Attention to Your Mental Health As You Do To Your Physical Health!
Dr. Srinivasa Sastry MalladiPsychiatrist • 29 Years Exp.MBBS, MRCPsych (UK), CCST (General Adult Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry)
A healthy mind in a healthy body! We have all heard the saying, but do we actually live by it. Though we try to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and practice an overall healthy lifestyle to keep ourselves physically fit, but do we pay enough attention to keeping our mind healthy? The answer would be, not really. Here are a few compelling reasons that will drive us to do so:
- To deal with troubles in your personal life: Whether it's an accident or a life loss of someone close to you, or any other strong personal issue, it may not affect your physical health but leaves a deep cut on your mental health. People often try and keep such things to themselves without realising that this would worsen the situation further. It is, however, best to seek help from mental health professionals or talk to someone close to you. If left unattended, these troubles may leave you isolated and detached, leading to problems in personal life.
- To prevent damaging your physical health: There is a strong connection between the body and the mind. If body suffers the mind bears it effects and vice-versa the other will bear its effects. Often suffering from depression, anxiety and stress for long leads to heart attacks or strokes and sometimes even disrupts the immune function of the body. Sleep disorders, digestion issues that can impair your physical health are often the result of poor mental health.
- To retain your productivity and functionality: Believe it or not, when you fail to nourish your mental health, it also reduces your productivity by making you lethargic and less inclined to participate in any physical activities. Being stressed or depressed due to the issues in life can significantly affect your productivity and functionality at work.
- To stop yourself from developing unhealthy addictions: Poor mental health leads to developing unhealthy habits. From smoking excessively to becoming an alcoholic or taking drugs, people often engage in these practices to cope with mental issues. However, if you care about your mental health, you may be in better position to judge the harmful effects of these habits and therefore refrain from developing them.
- To lead a happy and long life with friends and family: Various studies have shown that compared to people with mild mental issues and troubled emotional states, it is people with happy lives and sound mental health that live longer. It is advised to care for your mental health as the ignorance of the same may result in anxiety, stress and depression. This will not only hamper your communication with your family and friends but leave you disconnected from others and yearning for loneliness.
Remember, good health can only be achieved when there's a perfect balance between the mental health and the physical health. When any of these conditions get compromised, the overall health starts to deteriorate. Therefore, stay physically and mentally healthy to ensure over-all well-being.