The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a “State of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease”. When we talk about health, we can’t just focus on heart health, or liver health, or brain health, or not the whole health. We have to see the whole person.
Since 1949, Mental Health America has led observance of Mental Health awareness during the month of May and for 2018, the theme is Fitness for Mind and Body. Mental health is very much linked to key components of a healthy lifestyle as presented below:
- Diet and Nutrition:
Unhealthy diets lead to major health problems like diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer. Nearly 20% of deaths worldwide can be linked to unhealthy eating habits. Research is now linking depression to diet, where people who eat a healthy diet are up to 35% less likely to develop depression than people who eat less of these foods. One study found that 1/3 of participants with depression experienced full relief of their symptoms after improving their diet. The more people improved their diet, the more their depression improved.
- Exercise
When a person doesn’t get enough exercise, they are at increased risk for health problems such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancer (some) and metabolic syndrome. Exercise increases a variety of substances that play an important role in brain function. Exercise can help prevent mental illnesses and is an important part of treatment. Just 1 hour of exercise per week is related to lower levels of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders. For people with schizophrenia, yoga is the most effective form of exercise for reducing symptoms associated with the disorder.
Exercise does not have to be done for hours. 150 minutes of exercise per week conducted in 10 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity at a time, fifteen times a week, or 30 minutes of exercise per day for 5 days in a week will get you to the recommended amount. Muscle strengthening activities should be incorporated into your exercise routine twice week. This includes yoga, weight lifting, resistance band exercises and activities like push-ups, sit-ups and planks.
- Sleep
Your physical and emotional health depends so much on how rested you are. Sleep is fundamental to healthy body and mind and getting a good night’s sleep can make a huge difference in your overall health. Sleep affects the entire body – it plays a role in our moods, ability to learn and make memories, the health of our organs, how well our immune system works, and other functions like appetite, metabolism and hormone release. Sleep helps the body to re-energize its cells and allows fluid to flow between brain cells and clear away toxins.
When a person consistently struggles to get enough sleep, they have a higher risk for health problems like high blood pressure, health disease, diabetes, depression and obesity.
Poor quality of sleep can increase the risk of developing mental health symptoms like manic episodes, paranoia, anxiety and depression.
- Stress
Stress is a normal part of life. You can feel stress when you have too much to do or when you haven’t slept well. You can also feel stress when you worry about things like your job, money, relationships, or a friend or a family member who is struggling with illness or difficult circumstances.
When you are constantly reacting to stressful situations (Chronic stress), cells in your immune systems can cause inflammation that doesn’t go away.
Learning how to manage your stress, can be a small change with a big positive impact on your physical and mental health.