Did you know that our mental health and physical health are like… super linked to each other? Okay, you probably did know that.
But do you know HOW much they’re linked?
And do you know that when we’re trying to heal from depression or anxiety or other mental conditions, often targeting our physical health is a great place to start?
When you think about the symptoms of depression, you might notice that a lot of the symptoms are physical.
Fatigue, poor appetite, sleep issues, feelings of tension, headaches, digestive issues, back pain, weight changes, low libido and so much more, are all physical symptoms of depression and anxiety.
When our mental health is poor, it leads to poor physical health. And guess what poor physical health does? It leads to poor mental health. See how vicious of a cycle this is?
That’s why treating depression is often viewed as a whole body approach. Yes, talk therapy and reflection and working through trauma are all extremely important for healing. But so many people neglect the physical aspect of it.
Let’s chat about the ways you can check in on your physical health that will also help you improve your mental health (especially anxiety and depression).
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally would use or do currently use. Please read full disclosure for more information.
All the tips in the post are for education purposes only and are not intended to replace medical advice from a medical professional.
1. Meet your basic needs- and meet them every day.
Often for those of us who struggle with mental health, basic needs can go unmet. We tend to skip meals, or binge eat unhealthy meals, go days without drinking water, spend a lot of time laying around and neglecting physical activity, foregoing hygiene, and keeping poor sleep habits.
And to be fair, there’s nothing to be ashamed of here. Depression is a terrible, debilitating beast that can leave us feeling unable to do even the most basic things. There are days that I can barely get out of bed, let alone drink 100 oz of water and make myself healthy meals.
But by continuing to not meet our own basic needs, we could be worsening the depression, or at least the symptoms.
In my 60-Day Anti-Depression Workbook, I talk about how sometimes we have to view our depression symptoms like babies crying out- the answers aren’t always obvious so we have to try and figure out the basic cause.
For example, if you’re feeling irritable, it likely isn’t just because of depression, but rather because a basic need isn’t being met. Maybe you’re hungry for something whole and healthy, maybe you’re dehydrated, maybe your body needs rest, maybe you’re feeling burnt out.
By working to meet our basic needs as much as possible, we are addressing the root of our symptoms and allowing ourselves more room to focus on bigger issues that need to be addressed.
I get that depression can still stop us from taking care of even the small things, so start where you can. Try to drink an extra glass of water each day, or commit to doing 5 minutes of stretching, or setting a more consistent bed time.
Meet your basic needs and both your body and mind will be better for it.
Action step: Pick 1 simple way that you can better meet your basic needs for the next week and try to make it a habit.
2. Check your levels.
Most people don’t realize how chemical mental health conditions can be. For some, depression can have deeper causes, but for a lot of people, the symptoms can be caused by something as simple as being deficient in vitamins or having a hormonal imbalance.
An easy way to check this is to get blood work done. Talk to your doctor and let them know that you’d like to get some blood work to check vitamin levels, or hormone levels, or whatever else you would like to get checked.
I know this can seem scary, but (most) doctors want what is best for you and will not hesitate at all to order these labs.
For example, being deficient in Vitamin D can create or exacerbate depression symptoms. Being deficient in Vitamin B12 can cause fatigue. Having low (or even high) iron can affect sleep patterns, worsen anxiety, and cause severe fatigue.
And having a hormonal imbalance can cause all kinds of symptoms that can either look like depression, or worsen already existing depression.
I recently found out that I have low estrogen levels, which can contribute to mood disorders and fatigue, which definitely is not helping my mental state any.
Once you get these levels checked, you can then get any issues addressed and fixed (even sometimes as simply as starting to take a daily vitamin), which can make a huge difference in your life.
Action step: Ask your doctor to get some labwork/blood tests done to check your levels!
3. Our bodies keep track.
Have you ever heard about how our bodies keep the score of our mental histories? Our trauma, our experiences, our memories, are all held in not only our minds, but our bodies too.
I know this can sound a little weird, but hear me out. Think of all the times that you’ve been stressed and have noticed that your body is tense.
Poor mental health can lead to a variety of physical issues- high blood pressure (from stress, obvi), obesity, poor immune system, sleep problems, digestive problems, and chronic pain.
When we are in extended periods of mental anguish, our bodies end up paying the price.
Action step: Spend 20 minutes in a quiet area, and focus on your body. How does it feel? What issues have you been experiencing lately with physical well-being. Next, try to reflect on if any of these could be caused by any stressors or mental health conditions.
4. A little physical activity can have a huge impact.
Depression can absolutely drain our physical energy.
Most of us know that exercising can boost our moods, but it can be so hard when the thing we are trying to heal (our depression) is the thing that’s causing us to feel so low on energy, and therefore make it feel impossible to do any exercise.
But here’s the good news- physical activity, in any amount, can have a HUGE impact on our moods and overall mental state. It doesn’t have to be a full-on workout. Going for a short walk, dancing in your living room, taking a bike ride with family, or even just stretching, can make a difference.
It’s even better when you can pair this physical activity with another form of dopamine, for example, doing it with a friend, or doing it outside in nature, or while listening to music or a podcast you love.
Action step: Aim to do some sort of physical activity for at least 10 minutes, 3 times in the next week. This can be as simple as stretching or going for a short walk around your yard.
Bonus: If you want to make physical activity more enjoyable, try pairing it with a cozy hobby. Check out my recent blog post: 8 Cozy Hobbies to Embrace the Hygge Lifestyle
5. Improve your physical health with brain food.
It’s a little too cliche to say “we are what we eat”, so instead I’ll just say this: how we eat greatly influences how we feel, both physically and mentally.
Our diets are crucial to our mental state.
For example, a diet high in sugar can cause affect brain function, lead to worsened anxiety, cognitive impairment, fatigue, mood swings, impulsivity, difficulty focusing, and that ‘afternoon slump’ feeling. Overall, high sugar intake can make our brains feel foggy and ick.
Other junk foods and processed foods can cause disruptions in regulations of the neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, which are responsible for regulating our moods. They can also cause blood sugar issues, which can lead to irritability and worsened depression symptoms.
Also, in the most basic way, eating a diet consuming of mostly junk is depriving our brain of the vitamins and nutrients it needs to… ya know… do brainy things.
This isn’t to say that your diet needs to be 100% healthy and wholesome all of the time. We’re human and putting yourself on such strict standards is unhealthy and often counterproductive.
BUT aiming to decrease the amount of bad things (refined sugar, excess caffeine, the bad fats), and improve the amount of good things (water, nutrient rich foods, protein) can do wonders for your mood and for mental clarity.
Plus, eating a healthier diet will make you feel better physically, which leads you to feeling better mentally too!
Action step: Pick one meal that you can start making a healthy swap for. Maybe it’s yogurt and fruit instead of your morning honey bun, or even swapping out your sugary coffee for a healthier option like a smoothie, matcha, or tea.
6. Toxic habits = toxic mind
I was recently reading the book Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin (I highly recommend, by the way), and in it, she talks about how we all have habits- good and bad. And in times of high stress, we fall back on those habits for comfort. So if we have good habits in place, then what we fall back on is good. But if the habits we have are bad, then we are falling back on those just the same, which can be hurting us.
So simply put, the habits you have can make or break you in tough situations.
And not only that, but the habits we keep in our daily lives are the moments that are conditioning our brains. If you spend all day doing things that are bad for you, and viewing everything through a negative lens, or putting junk into your body, then that’s what life will feel like for you.
I like the image of a brain with flowers coming out of it. To me, that is so meaningful- if we take the time to nurture our brains and our lives, then the result is going to be beautiful and healthy.
So think about the habits you keep. We all have bad ones, that’s only human! The goal is to make sure you have more good habits than you have bad ones.
Action step: Read the post ‘12 Toxic Habits that Might Be Ruining Your Life’ and reflect on your own life. Which of these habits (or any more that aren’t on the list) are currently a part of your life? And think about in what ways those habits can be affecting your mental health.
Bonus: Here is a list of 75 HEALTHY habits that will improve your life in more ways than one!
7. Bonus: Try habit stacking
Improving your life can seem fun and exciting, but is also one of the most challenging things you will do. Our brains like to stay where they are comfortable. And even when our current conditions aren’t ideal (depressed, anxious, overwhelmed), our brains would often prefer to stay there in the known rather than stepping out of the comfort zone.
But making change is the absolute best thing you can do for yourself and for your happiness.
One of the best ‘hacks’ when changing your life is habit stacking.
This is exactly what it sounds like- you’re stacking habits (good ones of course) one on top of the other to essentially hit two birds with one stone.
So say you want to start doing more physical activity and also prioritizing social interaction with others. Then you can habit stack by taking a walk with a friend twice a week.
Or if you know you need to eat healthier, and also find yourself not having enough time to listen to your favorite educational podcast, then make it a goal to prepare and eat a healthy breakfast every morning while listening to an episode of that podcast!
There are so many ways to habit stack, and it’s a brilliant way to ensure maximum benefit for your and your wellbeing. It also can free up time for rest, which is extremely important for your mental health journey.
Your mental health and physical health are so intertwined that one can simply not be healthy without the other also being healthy. If you struggle with depression or anxiety, then improving your physical health is a crucial step in your healing journey.
By taking small steps like those outlined above, you can improve your physical health which can also make huge changes for your mental state.
If you’re ready to begin your depression healing journey, start today by signing up for the FREE 7-day anti-depression challenge.
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