Better mental health has come to the forefront as we adjust from the recent pandemic. Is your physical health just as important, and are the two connected? One could argue that better mental health equals better physical health when it comes to your overall health. Too many of us only emphasize the physical aspect of our health, often neglecting our mental health. So is better mental health more important?
In this age of toxic social media, cyberbullying, and a world torn apart by medical and political beliefs, exercising for better mental health is just as important as exercising for better physical health. One could argue maybe even more right now!
Let’s explore the idea of better mental health versus better physical health.
Is Better Mental Health or Better Physical Health More Important?
The connection between physical and mental health is not easy to compare, let alone place one above the other, but the answer is simple when you think about it. Your body needs both better mental health and better physical health to function properly and let you live a happy and healthy life. There’s no other answer here. You need them both equally to thrive from a health perspective.
Let us dig a little deeper into the mental health side of things. Mental health is foundational when it comes to our happiness and healthiness in life. It’s integral to our overall well-being. On the matter of overall health, doesn’t the mind come before the body when it comes to decisions like working out? While I still feel physical health and mental health are equally important, better mental health, in my opinion, comes first because we base so many of our physical decisions on motivation, which comes from the mental health side.
When societally we place equal importance on both, I feel then and only then will we see some of society’s major problems decrease such as depression, suicide, mass shootings, and so many other mental health setbacks in society.
Mental Health Directly Affects Physical Health
When you compare physical health to mental health, you start to see and realize that mental health has a direct correlation to better physical health. Symptoms of poor mental health can include: negative thoughts, low energy levels, changes in behavior and overall happiness, feeling alone, being unable to cope with stress, changes in eating or sleep patterns, negative self-talk, and feeling blue or depressed.
So just how bad can mental health affect your physical health? Your mental health can affect more than just your head and brain, it can also affect your behavior and body in many ways. Poor mental health can impact your ability to make smart and healthy decisions. It also can create a situation where you’re at risk of a weakened immune system, obesity, heart issues, and deadly chronic disease that can be present, in addition, due to poor mental health and its effects.
So, as you can see, having better mental health is as important as better physical health if not more as it can affect so many things in your physical life.
Which Do I Need To Be Focusing On?
This question is tough to answer as they are so interrelated to one another. On one hand, we all want to be physically fit, we want others to be inspired by our desires to look and feel healthy. On the other hand, we strive for mental peace and a stress-free environment to thrive. An overall good place where better mental health and better physical health are in synergy.
The reality is you can have both. Your body feeds off being in good physical shape. Physical exercise releases feel-good chemicals in your brain that helps improve your mood and keeps you smiling. Don’t believe me? Read our article What Happens When You Exercise Every Day which discusses these feel-good chemicals of the brain! Yep, it’s true you can have both.
On the other side of the coin, if you want to start on your mental health first, a good book and dose of personal development not only helps you be in a good head space mentally, but it will help your motivation to do things like exercising. Your physical and mental health can work in harmony when you put in the work to improve them both simultaneously. One book that you may want to start with on your personal development journey is The Magic Of Thinking Big.
Conclusion
There isn’t a secret formula here, no equation that will help you accomplish both better mental health, and better physical health. However, what you can springboard from, is the power of both happiness and fitness. You just need to make a conscious effort to make both work in unison. It is possible, and millions of people do this every day!
Strive for mental and physical synergy. Once you embrace achieving both better mental health and better physical health, you will begin to see just how synergistic they both are!
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