At Empower Physio and Wellness, we approach healing and wellness from the inside out–and for good reason. Your mental and physical health are more intertwined than you may realize. A study from the Biological Psychiatry Journal found that mental illness may accelerate biological aging, manifesting as increased rates of cardiovascular and other age-related diseases. And there’s a lot more research out there pointing to the link between mind and body. Let’s take a deeper look into how mental health affects physical health.
Your mental health can affect everything from how fast you recover from an injury to those pesky tension headaches you get after a long, stressful work week. At a more granular level, your mental health affects your mindset, habits, and how you carry muscle tension.
- Mindset. How you view the world and what you believe about yourself makes a huge impact on your physical well-being. Having a positive outlook on your health and aging can reduce your risk of falling and increase your heart and brain health. It also improves your recovery from injury or illness.
- Habits. Your mental health influences your ability to stick to the healthy habits you’ve formed to manage your stress, continue following a healthy nutrition plan, maintain a good sleep schedule, and exercise regularly. These habits are essential to long-term wellness.
- Muscle tension. Stress management directly affects muscle tension in the body. It’s common to carry tension from stress in the jaw, neck, and shoulders, which can lead to headaches. Others carry tension in the glutes and pelvic floor, resulting in back pain or other symptoms.
Supporting your mental health
If you want to live a long, healthy, and happy life, it’s time to start focusing on your mental health. Here’s how:
- Harness the power of breathwork and meditation. It calms the nervous system and allows you to think more clearly.
- Exercise regularly. Exercising releases endorphins (happy chemicals in the brain) which improve your mood and decrease feelings of anxiety.
- Build a strong community. This creates a sense of belonging, security, and resilience. It shows that you are not alone in your struggles and can celebrate with others when you succeed.
- Do things you enjoy! This could be baking, painting, reading, fishing, or any other activity that fills your cup. Doing what you enjoy also releases endorphins and makes you feel good.
Now you have a better understanding of how physical health affects mental health. By focusing on your mental well-being, you can feel good for the long haul. Need help managing stress or treating tight muscles as a result of chronic tension? Let’s chat.
