Weight Management and Mental Health

Goal

Recognize the links between weight management goals and mental health.

Without realizing it, you have probably already admitted to yourself that there is a link between how you feel emotionally and how you stick to a weight management plan. Unfortunately, the link between feeling good emotionally and dedication to a plan is not one-way. Often times, when we feel better emotionally, we feel more able to stick to our plans and we are very conscious of our food choices and we may be more likely to hit our workout plans. However, when we feel unhappy or upset, it can be easy to turn to food for comfort or to skip a workout when we already feel stressed. It can go the other way, too. Sometimes, we may have been on a great streak with sticking to our goals and then, somehow, we have a change that makes the plan get off course. We may then feel discouraged and disappointed in ourselves, which can in turn make us less likely to stick to our plan in the future.

Jordan’s Story

Jordan identified with this relationship between her ability to stick to a plan and how she was feeling. She knew when she felt really stressed, her workout was one of the first things she would cut. Then, though, the next day would be rough because they would mentally beat themself up over giving up on their plan. Sometimes, she would give up on the plan then and there, because it seemed like she would never change. This would then contribute to her feeling even worse.

Your Turn:

Have you felt that way before? If so, know you are not alone and it’s not all in your head. There is a relationship between our physical well-being and our mental health. We hope that by going through this guide, you will be able to learn more to help you break this cycle in the future.

Sometimes, though, there’s more going on than just every day stress or “having a bad day.” Clinical depression can also contribute to decreased physical health and can definitely make it hard to stick to a weight management plan. Here at 7cupsoftea, we can help you with this, too. Consider visiting the Depression Self-Help Guide here on 7cups and you can always connect to a listener or the groupchat. You are empowered to manage both your weight management and depression.