It’s Not All in Your Head: How Your Mental and Physical Health Interact

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Many people notice that as they deal with mental struggles, their physical well-being also suffers. These two human health components were primarily thought of as separate entities, but modern medical professionals and researchers understand more about how they are connected. Knowing the synchronous relationship between these parts of your health allows you to recognize when to address your mental health as a way to treat your physical symptoms.

The Symptoms

The Mayo Clinic estimates that 1 in 5 adults experiences mental illness in a year, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Many of the resulting mental health symptoms are incorrectly labeled as psychosomatic or internally manifested. But, poor mental health symptoms can cause real physical symptoms. These physical symptoms lead to more mental distress and furthers a vicious cycle that can be hard to break if only the physical symptoms are treated and the mental symptoms ignored or overlooked.  

If left untreated, symptoms of mental health disorders such as insomnia, brain fog, fatigue, headaches, tension, or chronic pain can evolve into more serious health complications such as:

  • Hypertension or heart disease
  • Weakened immunity 
  • Respiratory diseases and asthma
  • Weight issues, diabetes, and obesity
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Premature death

Addressing your mental health helps prevent or lessen emerging physical symptoms before they worsen or further decrease your quality of life. 

The Treatment

In addition to being mindful of giving your body appropriate exercise and rest and following a healthful diet, the most productive way to address negative physical symptoms is first to treat your mental health. At Faithfully Guided, we do this through counseling and brain health strategies.  Counseling by licensed professionals gives you the tools necessary to better cope with stresses and process unresolved or chronic trauma that can otherwise derail your health.

Prioritizing your spiritual health has positive impacts on your mental and physical health as well. Your body needs care that considers your spirit, mind, and body’s symbiotic nature.  Studies show that integrating spiritual health can optimize mental and physical health outcomes.

Further, imbalances between your brain’s two hemispheres, even if minor, can cause disparities in your functional abilities. Brain health assessments examine behavioral symptoms and allow providers to use evidence-based treatment strategies to target your unique brain. Rather than merely prescribing an umbrella medication or treatment, treating each brain for the individual, unique organ it is in each person allows for effective brain balance and peak performance. 

Faithfully Guided Keeps the Whole You Healthy

When you experience adverse mental and physical health symptoms, you need a team to treat all of you – rather than just looking at the most obvious signs but not the underlying causes. At Faithfully Guided, we understand how your spiritual, mental, and physical health work together and affect your well-being. Our collaborative, individualized approach to counseling and wellness allows us to create custom health plans that address your individual concerns. Our caring, knowledgeable team and comprehensive health services, including counseling and brain health strategies, help you feel your best and equip you to handle whatever life brings your way more confidently. Contact us to find out how our services can help you live more healthily – starting now. 

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