Mental Health As Important As Physical Health!

Hitting the gym and shedding a few pounds does good for health. Indeed, a person needs to do some exercise, in the gym or outside, to stay fit. But does that make a person completely healthy?

Health is a wholesome combination of physical and mental health. One needs to stay fit mentally as well as physically to stay completely healthy. Physical health and mental health are closely connected. In fact, good mental health can go a long way in ensuring good physical health.

Mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, etc. can affect the ability to participate in various social events. This can, in turn, give rise to various chronic diseases, and also bring down one's ability to recover from diseases. In a way, mental health is no less important than physical health. Satisfying emotional needs and cravings is also important, since that keeps the mental health strong.

One needs to attend to emotional needs. If a person doesn’t do that, the quality of life can suffer. A setback in quality of life can precipitate setbacks at work, as well as relationships.

All this can drag a person down in a spiral of emotional and consequent physical suffering.

What Is Implied by Mental Health?

Mental health refers to the overall psychological well-being of a person. It includes the way one feels about himself, the quality of his relationships, how he deals with difficulties as well as his ability to manage emotions and feelings.

Is Mental Health A Lesser Evil?

Mental health is not a lesser evil. The problem with mental health is that people usually take it for granted. The physical manifestation of a heart attack or a broken arm compels people to visit the doctor or get admission to a hospital. However, mental health problems rarely have such sudden emergency manifestations. There are symptoms, but people rarely ascribe an element of emergency to such symptoms. People don’t often recognize symptoms of mental health problems unless they are accompanied by physical symptoms.

Common Mental Health Problems with Physical Manifestations

Some mental health problems may show up as physical health problems. Problems like depression, stress, anxiety, etc. often give rise to fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, heartburn, stomach aches, lack of appetite, heart palpitations, insomnia, etc. Nevertheless, people often tend to disregard their emotional problems.

The Biggest Challenge

The biggest challenge is acknowledging the problem. Unfortunately, even at this age and time, mental health problems are associated with social stigma. This makes it difficult for people to acknowledge the problem and seek help to resolve it. In fact, people tend to interpret their own emotional problems as their weakness. This leads many people to seek solace and emotional well-being elsewhere. Most often their pursuit leads them to take alcohol and stay away from the problem. Little do they realize that alcohol cannot solve any problem, but can certainly lead to an increase in physical problems. The person needs to visit a psychologist to treat his mental health and not try to gulp down his feelings with glasses of alcohol.

Conclusion

Mental health is as important as physical health. This is why in case a person experiences any symptoms, he/she should immediately consult a counselor.