Our bodies are more linked than we often realize. Instead of looking at different parts of our health separately, the team at Integrity Urgent Care wants to treat our patients, community, and friends in their entirety. By considering the connections between mental health and physical health, we can do a better job at identifying problems and working at solving them, together.
Long Term Ailments
When you are experiencing illness or having long term issues with certain conditions, you may experience issues with your overall mental wellbeing. Even something like psoriasis, with the flair ups of skin issues, can impact your mental wellbeing with pain and frustration at what is happening. Additionally, stress you are experiencing in your life can cause the psoriasis to worsen, leading to a spiral of negative effects. Psoriasis is not the only condition where this may be the case. Injuries, chronic conditions, and terminal illness can cause mental strife as you wonder about everything from how to treat the concern to how will your life be impacted to what your prognosis might be. Further, some mental health issues, like schizophrenia, can impact your physical being with researchers seeing an increase of three times the likelihood of death from respiratory disease and twice the likelihood of death from heart disease.
Physical Activity
While physical activity may be the last thing you want to do under the best conditions, it may be especially difficult when you are struggling with mental issues, whether it is something that can be diagnosed or simply a period of feeling a little down. That being said, physical activity and exercise is even more important to improve your overall mental health. According to mentalhealth.org, “research shows that doing exercise influences the release and uptake of feel-good chemicals called endorphins in the brain.” By taking the time to work out you are improving both your mental and physical health. You can choose the best form of exercise for you – not everyone needs to run, do CrossFit, or join some sort of league sport. Instead, find something you can commit to and do regularly, targeting 20-30 minutes every day.
Overall Intake
What we take into our bodies is just as important for our overall mental health. We have cited this a number of times, but if you are smoking, now is the time to stop. Nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes can impact the normal functioning of naturally occurring chemicals in our brains and lead to an increase in mental health issues. Added to that, those with diagnosable mental health issues are more likely to smoke than the general population, causing extra links between mental health issues and physical health issues.
Instead of smoking, focus on eating healthier and balancing the food, vitamins, and nutrients you take into your body. By paying attention to complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, and essential fats, you will give your body the fuel it needs to function and improve every day. More research is being done to show an improvement in mental health issues like Alzheimer’s and depression by regulating your diet.
To learn more about your overall wellbeing and health, to check out an ongoing issue, or to get medical care, come see our team at Integrity Urgent Care. We are open every day from 8am to 8pm and accept a number of health insurance providers with competitive self-pay options for those who choose.
