Mental health: a healthy mind affects overall health

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Living with depression or anxiety can have a major impact on your body. Both mental and physical well-being are connected; poor mental health can result in poor physical health, and vice versa. Poor mental health may also keep you from achieving desirable lifestyle goals, such as trying to eat a healthier diet, exercising, working less, quitting smoking, or following treatment guidelines, if you are ill.

Whether your anxiety, stress, or depression comes from grief, illness, job loss, or the break-up of a relationship, learning how to manage these feelings, can help you live your life with greater satisfaction and meet your personal goals. Here are some tips:

Positive thinking

The power of positive thinking has been getting a lot of press in recent years - and with good reason. It may not always be easy to see the bright side or to think positively about your circumstances, but people are finding that this approach can make a difference on their outlook on life, and consequently their mood. Rather than concentrating on the worst that could happen, positive thinking re-focuses on potentially positive outcomes, as well as the positives of what is actually happening in the here and now.

Learn how to be happier through positive psychology >

Meditation

Meditation and mindfulness are also becoming increasingly popular. Mindfulness is being focused on what to pay attention to if we want to be happier, live better, and feel less stressed overall. By taking time to meditate or practice mindfulness, you are allowing your brain, your thoughts and your body to relax, diminishing the stressful and anxious feelings. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to calm yourself.

Discover ways to improve your mental health >

Healthy relationships

Being part of a healthy relationship can go a long way toward improving or maintaining your mental health. A good friendship with someone, with whom you can be open and share things, can be invaluable – and improve your mental health! Good relationships with immediate family members may also help you through a crisis. Although scheduling time with friends and making time for your significant other can be challenging with the demands of work and life, by cultivating these relationships in good times, you may have a lifesaver when you hit troubled waters. You can assess the quality of your relationship by downloading our app, and taking the My Relationship Meter quiz!

Therapy

There are different types of counselling and therapy approaches, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This type of therapy teaches you how to improve your control over anxious thoughts, and to create more realistic, positive ones. In addition to CBT, a therapist may suggest meditation and mindfulness exercises, to help you relax and reduce stress.

Therapy may also offer strategies on how to communicate better with others, thus helping you enjoy healthier relationships, which in turn promotes improved mental health and overall well-being.

Learn how to combat stress and anxiety with our online Stress Coach Connects program >  

Working on your mental health is just as important as improving your physical health – and both are connected. You’ve only got one body and one mind – help keep them healthy and working together.

Read more on the link between mental and physical health here >