Why Mental Health is Just as Important as Your Physical Health

Learn Why Mental Health is Just As Important as Physical Health!

I’m sure ever since you were a child you’ve learned how important physical health is. It’s why they have PE and recess in elementary school.

And in high school, people who played football or soccer were praised by their peers.

Physical health is society’s proof of how healthy you are. Because if you’re overweight and have high blood pressure, you’re at risk for a number of health issues.

But, if you have depression this can go unnoticed for years. If you’re OCD, this is often seen as a quirk to your personality.

Since we cannot physically see mental health, we do not take it as seriously.

Even though mental health affects every single one of us, and suicide is a leading cause of death. Just like having a heart attack.

Needless to say, mental health is just as important as your physical health.

And it’s time to start treating them equally so you can have a healthy body and mind.

Your mental health affects your physical health

If you’re depressed and unwilling to get out of bed, you definitely don’t have the motivation to go to the gym for a workout.

And you most likely don’t care too much about how healthy you’re eating.

This is one of the main reasons why taking care of your mental health is so important. It affects every other thing around you.

And if you don’t know how to manage your mental health this can cause a string of negative effects.

Being in good mental health improves your quality of life

When you know how to handle tough situations, can talk to a therapist about your struggles, and don’t view mental health as a waste of time, you will live a fuller life.

Because you know just how important your mental health is to your overall well-being. Stress, anxiety, and depression are serious things.

They keep you from doing things that you normally love doing. And once you learn how to manage these things you become more resilient to what life throws at you. Lowering your stress levels and bringing you to a much calmer state of mind.

Knowing the importance of mental health can help save someone else’s life

When you take mental health seriously, you know what to look out for in other people. If you have a friend who is struggling, you could save their life.

By listening and being there for them, instead of ignoring the symptoms out of fear or denial.

When we all learn how to take the stigma out of mental health we learn how to be better support systems to the people around us.

You become more understanding and it can help the people around you in more ways than you know.

Improving your mental health improves your self-love

When you decide to make your mental health a priority, you are practicing self-love. You are choosing to put yourself first and take care of yourself.

So many people struggle to love and fully accept themselves because a lot of us aren’t taught how to as we grow up.

And society doesn’t really support you loving yourself. It’s often seen as selfish and unnecessary.

But as you practice improving your mental health you will see that self-love is just one of the many benefits that comes with it.

Working on your mental health makes you stronger from the inside out

I think it’s beneficial to have a strong body and mind. When you have both, you can conquer the world. If you only have one, it’s difficult to live a healthy life that you’re proud of.

You can have a super and healthy body while still having a negative mindset. And that becomes self-destructive after a while.

As you work on building body strength, make sure to set aside time for your mind, too. Exercising is a great way to improve your mental health but you’ll want to do other things too, like:

• Practicing mindfulness
• Talking to a therapist
• Writing your thoughts in a journal
• Unplugging from social media
• Eating right
• Avoiding alcohol/drugs
• Listening to upbeat music
• Taking time for yourself

Just as you set aside an hour each day to work out, make time for these things, too.

Working out and eating healthy isn’t always enough

Because looking your best and eating healthy is seen as such a great thing in society, it can easily turn into something destructive.

Eating disorders are formed due to trying to look your absolute best. If you work out obsessively and always track what you eat, this is actually a sign of a mental health disorder.

And it’s just another form of proof that being physically healthy isn’t always the healthiest thing.

Moving Forward

Taking care of your mental health is so important. I will say this until I sound like a broken record.

I care about this so much because it matters. I’ve struggled before with my mental health because of not knowing these things.

I used to starve myself just so I looked good in skinny jeans. And I would ignore all of my thoughts and feelings, going for a run instead.

I ignored all of it until I couldn’t any longer and I became severely depressed. I was resentful towards everyone in my life who taught me that what you look like is more important than how you feel.

So now, I want to tell you that this just isn’t true. Your mental well-being is the most important, because once you learn how to take care of your mentality then you will want to work out.
You will feel motivated to take care of yourself because you learned how to love yourself and accept who you are.