The overlap between your mental and your physical
When most people picture “Healthy Living”, they tend to focus more on the physical benefits and rarely consider the benefits to your mental health from looking after your physical health.
Medication and psychotherapy play a huge part in reducing psychological disorder symptoms however changing bad habits and modifying to a healthier lifestyle can also help reduce some strain.
Lack of physical activity can lead to further consequences for people with serious mental illness. Psychological disorders that fall into this category not only include Bipolar Disorder and Major depression disorder, but also Schizophrenia.
Metabolic syndrome has five factors that involve the body's system in regulating dietary intake. These are elevated "Bad" cholesterol, higher than desirable triglycerides (fatty cells in the blood), high blood pressure just short of hypertension, high glucose levels just short of diabetes, and a waist circumference bordering on obesity. Having just 3 out of 5 of these make up this syndrome and put you at risk for serious health conditions but as someone with serious mental illness, it can have further consequences. Metabolic syndrome can lead to reactions from the medications required for these serious mental illnesses. Antipsychotic medications, mood stabilizers, and antidepressants can all lead to weight gain. If a person doesn't take care of their physical health, taking care of their mental health can contribute to poor health. Behaviors to eliminate here would be to stop smoking and exercise more.
It is important to figure out if your poor physical health is due to your poor mental health or if your poor mental health led to poor physical health to understand where to seek your motivation from. It is also important to realize that you don't need anything fancy like gyms or personal trainers to reverse your poor health behaviors. You can try to save money by making batch meals for the week and packing portioned meals, and you can exercise in your house or neighborhood, or wherever you’re most comfortable.
If you're seeing a therapist or a psychiatrist, you can talk to them about your physically unhealthy lifestyle and have them incorporate physical fitness into your treatment plan. It can be a hard cycle to break but with their help to keep you accountable, it is doable.
Sometimes, it is easier to do these things with a buddy. If you can think of someone, try to partner up with them for a bit until you're both on your way to your fit goals. Similarly, you can pair with a buddy to encourage better eating habits.
If you’re able to make physical changes by changing your lifestyle habits, you can reduce any further stress to your mental health.
You can read the article I got this information from here 
Let us know in the thread how you're going to stay on top of your physical health and your mental health!
@HopieRemi
Ahahaha!
I love the brain's gym gif, super cute!
Thank you for this post, it's a nice reminder for me to do my meditation and workout today! 
AND SLEEP as well!
Of course, sleep is important! There was so many cute images for me to choose from!
@HopieRemi
Great Share! Thanks so much for sharing this article with the HL community! You know I'm a firm believer in living a healthier lifestyle. (In whatever way that means for you). And we surely have learned along the way that Physcial, mental, emotional wellbeing ALL go hand in hand with one another for sure! Taking time to check-in with ourselves and our bodies (and our lifestyles) can help us to figure out what steps we need to take to move forwards in our wellness.
Whether that means starting small (taking a scenic walk, or swapping out less healthy foods for heathier options) etc... Or if that means connecting with a friend, family member, here at 7cups, or even with a professional to help aide you in to where you need to be or in feeling your best!
Today I taught my morning Zumba class, and ran a bunch of errands after.... and normally I get an evening walk in with my Fur-baby... But, it rained all day after my class, so, I stayed indoors the remainder of the day, rested, took time for myself, and got some work done here on 7cups as well~
Yes! I agree! There are different things that being healthy can look like. We don’t have to run marathons to be healthy. I am glad you had a good dance class and hopefully you get to go on that walk tomorrow!
I have been worn down mentally and physically for 3+ years. My mother died suddenly in 2018 - I was the one who found her. I cared for my father until he died in 2020. A month later, I had a massive heart attack.
To say I was “down” after all that would be an understatement.
The mental component (depression, anxiety & PTSD) manifested itself in the form of chronic insomnia. Doctor-recommended supplements did nothing. As a result, I was constantly exhausted.
My sleep patterns have have improved recently. My physical discomfort still remains; as do the feelings of hopelessness.
I have another heart-related procedure coming up, but even the doctor isn’t sure if it will help.
@UberRuminator
thank you for sharing! I'm sorry to hear of everything that happened. I really hope that your procedure goes well and that they can figure something that works. Sometimes grief can break our hearts literally. How have you dealt with the losses?
@HopieRemi
How I’ve dealt with the grief depends who you ask.
I haven’t done anything to deal with it other than let it run its course. Given my feelings of depression and hopelessness, I would say I’m not dealing with it very well.
If you ask other people, they might say I’m doing amazingly well - all things considered...
I can get that. It definitely sounds to me like you haven’t been dealing with what has happened. Everyone definitely grieves in their own way. It is completely possible given your situation that your depression and hopelessness is a direct result of your losses and your situation. I am glad you are getting these physical procedures done but I also think you need to work towards fixing your emotional and spiritual heart. I’m not saying don’t be sad. What you experienced is sad. You can feel all this but coping skills can help. What are some things that help get your mind off of things?
@HopieRemi
Part of my depression is due to the loss of my parents and part is due to my health issues.
The hopelessness is 100% the result of my deteriorating health.
@UberRuminator
I see! I am sorry to hear about how your health status has led to your hopelessness but I can definitely get how it would, if it is deteriorating. It sounds like the causes to your depression are comorbid which makes it harder to tackle. So I want to make sure that I understand, all you have tried is supplements that didnt help? Have you tried therapy for the mental struggle while you deal with your physical health?
@HopieRemi
The supplements were recommended by my physician in an attempt to address the insomnia.
I did look into seeing someone in terms of therapy. I found a list of providers in my area that accept my insurance. It was a long list and I had no information on which to base a selection.
I asked nurses, physicians, friends and coworkers for recommendations. They pretty much had none. Nurses at the hospital recommended the director of their behavioral health department, but admitted they didn’t really have any knowledge of her.
I also had no idea which type of person would be best to see (psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed counselor, marriage and family therapist, licensed clinical social worker, etc.). I became overwhelmed and frustrated.
Without any other information to go on, I did call the director of the hospital’s behavioral health department. We ended up playing phone tag for over a month. At that point, I just gave up...
@UberRuminator
That sounds like an exhausting process and I can understand how you would have given up after that. I am sorry to hear that none of the professionals could be helpful in providing you a recommendation or referral to a professional to help you. It sounds like you tried for a while to get help. Do you still have the list of therapists? When it comes to grief and with dealing with your hopelessness, sometimes a therapist can be helpful. I don't think the other ones are as needed. It sounds more like you need to get things off your chest and also start to feel better physically to feel better mentally.
@HopieRemi
Hello! Definitely doing some workouts, breathing exercises, and eating healthier will improve both our physical and mental health!
@Nerdtastic01
i agree all of that will be perfect to help overall health
@HopieRemi
it is really good to stretch first thing in the morning and meditation throughout the day
@Sighna
definitely!
Great post! I think it's important to bring up -- while some will argue that physical health is more important than mental, or vice versa, but both of them work hand-in-hand. I've been focusing more on my mental health lately, but this was a nice reminder to incorporate my fitness goals again. Thank you :)
@sunflower026
You're welcome!