In the fast-paced lifestyle we all live today, it’s hard sometimes to take a step back and evaluate our emotions and our health (both mental and physical). Keeping on top of your state of mind and overall health is vitally important, and we’re going to be explaining why in this article.

Your state of mind is directly linked to your overall health. A shift in emotions can directly correlate to ailing health within your body. Let’s start off by taking a look at what kind of events can cause a turn in your mental health, and how they affect you.

How do my emotions affect my health?

There is any number of ways that your state of mind can affect your overall health. First, let’s take a look at some of the possible causes of a shift in mood. Have any of these events occurred in your life lately?

• The death of a loved one
• Losing out on a promotion or being dismissed from your job
• Financial troubles
• Having a child
• Divorce or marriage
• Moving home or away from friends/family
• An illness or injury

We could carry on listing possible events that could cause a downturn in your mental health. It’s something that could be triggered by a vast array of reasons. How do these problems begin to affect not just your mind but your body, though?

Well, when something happens that causes your mood to shift, and you find yourself feeling down, you’ll find that your body is enormously responsive to the way you feel. Your body will show signs of the stress that is raging within your mind.

For example, if you’ve recently experienced turbulent times in a personal relationship, you might find yourself actually feeling nauseous or ill. You can develop high blood pressure or stomach ulcers simply from the stress that your body is picking up on.

It’s not a nice feeling knowing that the root cause of any physical ailments you’re experiencing could actually be your own brain. It is, however, entirely natural. Let’s take a look at some ways we can keep the mind – and therefore the body – healthy and happy.

Tips to keep your mind and body healthy

Now that you know it might actually be your mental health that’s affecting your physical health, we’re going to explore some of the ways you can improve both. Here are a few ways you can improve your state of mind and improve your overall health.

• Calming techniques – For years, people from all walks of life have turned to things like yoga, tai chi, and simple meditation techniques to help calm themselves and overcome difficult emotional times. Picking up hobbies like this can be enormously beneficial to improving your mental and physical health at the same time.
• Emotional resilience – Improving your emotional resilience is exactly what it sounds like. If you toughen up your mind and learn to deal with negative outside forces in a better way, then you can stop the physical effect they have on your body. Therapy, medication, and learning how to handle hard times are so crucial to becoming a more well-rounded person.
• Exercise – Even just a little bit of exercise every day can help you feel better. Your brain produces powerful chemicals, called endorphins, which are released during physical activity. They’ll make you feel better, and in turn, your body will begin to heal. Start off with a simple 10-minute walk if you’re not feeling up to anything particularly strenuous.
• Expressing yourself appropriately – Many people find themselves suffering with their mental health so much because they don’t have an appropriate outlet to express their feelings and emotions. Finding a place to release these pent-up emotions in the right fashion is a great step to becoming a better person. Therapy isn’t scary, and if you feel you need it, try it!
• A new diet – Eating junk food each and every day is a sure-fire way to worsen your mood and hurt your body. Sure, the occasional treat is completely fine, but if you’re gobbling down burgers every time you feel sad, maybe try switching to something healthier? Your brain and your body will thank you in the long run.
• Removing negative external factors – Last, but certainly not least, is simply removing outside factors that have a negative effect on your mental health. This could be any number of things; smoking, drinking, narcotics, hanging out with the wrong people, eating the wrong food. Isolate what is making you feel down and find a way to replace it or remove it entirely.

Once you’ve found something that works for you, you’ll soon see how quickly your mood can shift upwards and how swiftly your body follows suit. This is by no means a complete list of the many ways you can change your mood – so be sure to do some independent research of your own and find more ways to become better.

Conclusion: your mind and your body

So, we’ve demonstrated how many ways there are to fall into a negative state of mind; how easily that mood shift can affect your body; and how easy it can be to reverse the effects on both your mental and physical health.

As with all things in life, we all have different minds and different bodies, so don’t be ashamed if not everything here helps you out right away. It’s important to try new things and explore the various ways of healing yourself.

Not all of us are cut out for constant exercise, dietary changes, and even therapy sessions. That’s ok. Experiment with some of the tips we’ve listed, and you’ll find something that helps your negative state of mind and improves your overall health.

And remember, it’s not just a negative state of mind that can affect your body – keeping yourself in a positive mood and having happy thoughts throughout the day will change your body for the better. You’ll find yourself feeling fitter and healthier than ever if you’re in a positive state of mind!