We depend on our body, yet in reality, our body depends on us. Obtaining optimal physical and mental health is up to us. What you may not realize, however, is the strong connection between our mental and physical health and how we have the power over such.
Below, you will discover the clear connections between the physical and mental aspects of our bodies.
Hormones
As much as we want to blame our “unlucky” hormones directly for the physical aspects of our body like an increase in acne, weight gain, and the like, sometimes it’s actually our mental health that is negatively impacting our hormones, thus triggering the latter symptoms.
In fact, anxiety is one of the most common reasons for hormone imbalances, not necessarily the reverse. High levels of cortisol and high blood pressure, which is associated with mental health issues, can lead to a plethora of other hormone issues as well.
Body Weight
Due to an imbalance of hormones that often coexist with mental health issues, along with unhealthy coping mechanisms like stress-eating, it isn’t uncommon for one to experience an increase in body weight as well.
When dealing with a mental health crisis, one may struggle to lose or maintain weight, even with effort. Other times, they may refuse to put effort into their physical body due to a decline in motivation, decreased energy levels, or self-sabotage, which are associated with mental health struggles. However, regularly working out is actually great for one’s mental health.
Heart Health
One’s heart health can most definitely have an impact on their mental health as well, and vice versa. Experiencing heart-related symptoms like palpitations, angina, or high blood pressure, for instance, can trigger anxiety. The reverse is also true: that anxiety can cause heart issues or trigger heart-related symptoms, even symptoms that aren’t necessarily dangerous on their own.
While poor mental health does not automatically mean poor heart health, what’s critical to understand is that chronic mental health issues can increase one’s risk of heart issues with time. Arrhythmia, coronary heart disease, heart failure, valve disease, and heart attack are all more common in those with mental health struggles such as anxiety.
Reproduction
Since mental health struggles can shift our hormones for the worse, it’s no surprise that reproduction issues may also arise as a result. Apart from hormone imbalances, stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems may decrease performance in the bedroom and cause a low libido.
While it’s true that the state of our mental health can have an impact on our physical health as well, the good news is, mental health treatment may be able to improve us in both areas.
Conclusion
Maintaining good health can be a challenge for many. In a perfect world, having great physical and mental health would be a breeze. But it can actually be difficult, especially considering that our mental health and physical health can have connections. When one is suffering, the other typically suffers too.
