10 Strategies for Better Mental and Physical Health
There’s ample evidence that mental health affects physical health and vice versa.
The combined effect has been linked with occupational disability, increased functional disability, poor quality of life and accelerated mortality.
Structural discrimination occurs when people with mental illness and physical illness are treated less thoroughly and less effectively by health services, e.g., presenting issues dismissed as part of preexisting diagnoses without investigation. Such health inequity is socially unjust and a violation of the right to health.
Improving the standards of physical care for people with mental health problems remains an important part of the role of all mental health services and practitioners, including Access Stress Support.
What can you do?
Preventive care: For example, osteoporosis screening, vaccinations, blood pressure monitoring, mammography, cholesterol monitoring, appropriate stress support, financial counselling.
Knowing your family history of mental health/chronic disease/medical illness.
Regular screening for common health problems, monitoring metabolic and cardiovascular health - every three months if taking psychotropic medication. Metabolic screening: Height; weight; Body Mass Index; waist circumference; blood pressure; fasting blood glucose levels; Lipids; liver function; urea and electrolytes; prolactin and an ECG.
Discussing sexual health concerns as a legitimate and important aspect of holistic care.
Following-up when any abnormal result is detected. This might be a specialist practitioner or service e.g., a dietitian, a diabetes educator, a podiatrist, an exercise physiologist, a cardiologist.
Activities like physical activity, healthy eating and getting enough sleep are as important to mental well-being as physical health. Exercise physiologists creatively Dietitians/nutritionists can help a person to establish a healthy eating program that works for them.
Engaging in healthy behaviors through action – a walking club, going to the gym, cooking healthy meals, shopping for good health, reading food labels and becoming aware of alternatives to processed foods, identifying ‘everyday’ and ‘sometimes’ food, engaging in social activities that are physical, etc.
Physical activity is associated with resilience, mental toughness, symptom alleviation, improved quality of life, reduced social withdrawal, increased self-esteem, reduced risk of mental illness, increased concentration and subjective well-being, improved physical health (e.g., cardiovascular fitness, less insulin resistance), redresses weight gain and improves sleep among many other benefits.
Non-traditional forms of exercise (e.g., walking to the shops, dancing), where health/fitness is a by-product and other attributes are the focus, like having fun, connecting with nature, being intellectually challenged, participating in a social interaction.
Oral health is affected by many of the other risk factors already described and is linked to other diseases like cardiovascular/respiratory disease and stroke. People with mental illness are susceptible to oral diseases because of amotivation and poor oral hygiene, cost associated with dentists, dental phobia and fear, oral side effects of medication.
Self-care includes all of this.
Get in touch with Access Stress Support for a complementary 20-minute consultation.