Mind, Body, Health
Something that it is important to realize in our quest for health and well-being, is that health isn’t just purely physical. Just as we are not only our bodies but also our consciousness or mind as well. So then our health is made up of both of these aspects functioning well. Of course, there is some overlap between the two. But often mental health can be overlooked in terms of the functioning of the body. However, It is important to be aware of mental health issues and what can be done about them to ensure our well-being is maintained. Read on to find out more.
Anxiety
What is anxiety? Well to most people it’s a mental health condition when you get a bit worked up or worried about certain things. But for someone that suffers from a serious anxiety disorder like GAD, or Panic Disorder is a clear, and very present alarm bell clanging in their minds.
In fact, anxiety is a perfect example of how the mind and body work together. This is because once it has been a triggered, their are many physical processes that happen as well. For instance, a suffers heart rate will increase, they can feel short of breath, as well as muddled in the head. It can cause their stomach and bowels to react by trying to evacuate as well.
Of course, if this is happening multiple time day, it’s not much fun, and can leave you exhausted and despondent. But there is help out there for anxiety sufferers. For one, many people with these disorders use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to challenge the process that occurs when their anxiety is triggered.
This means that they are gradually re-teaching their brain to not react to such an extent when something happens. Other folks use medication to control anxiety. Although recently the abuse of tranquilizers means many professionals are no longer recommending this route.
Another way of coping with anxiety that has become more popular recently is mindfulness techniques. This is where we learn through mediation to not judge our international or extra reactions os much. This is because be judging them we often react by trying to suppress them. Which is very hard work and also just end up reforming the anxiety process.
Addiction
Another important condition that has roots in the physical and mental realm is substance dependence. People can be addicted to all sorts of things such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco and even food.
Things that are addicting usually trigger a dopamine response to the user. That is, they trigger a pleasure response, and that is why this behavior is continued over and over again. Even when the surfer can see that it is detrimental to their health in the long term.
It is this dopamine response that makes addiction so hard to break. But there is hope for people suffering from this condition.
In particular, there are medical interventions available that are designed to help people wean themselves off addictive substances. As well as break the connection between pleasure and using them. For example, heroin addicts are often given methadone to substitute the more dangerous addiction. Which gives them a chance to break the cycle of using.
However, there are many in the mental health field that suggests it is not enough to just break the physical addiction to a substance. But the underlying issue of why the sufferer in gets in this position in the first place, is something that needs to be addressed.
That is why attending an inpatient, addiction treatment center can be such an essential step in breaking out of substance dependence. This is because they work on the physical aspect of substance abuse. As well as help the sufferer to realize what is in their life that has become too much to cope with. That has caused them turn to using drugs or alcohol in the first place.
Depression
Lastly, another psychological condition that can be serious as any purely physical illness is depression. Depression is a cruel condition, and it affects millions of people all over the world.
There are different types of depression. Some folks experience a total lack of feeling either positive or negative called anhedonia. For others, there are crushing tiredness all of the time, and their body is filled with aches and pains. They can’t sleep or sleep too much and their eating habits and day to day life becomes disordered.
Still, others have to survive cascades of extremely negative thoughts that suggest there is no hope in life. That can even lead them to think it is better to end their life that continue on.
Fortunately, medicine is becoming a lot more aware of depression and its effect on people, and there is plenty of help for people out there if they need it.
If they are in a crisis situation and are considering ending their life, there are suicide prevention line and chats that you can contact here.
Or if they are not at this stage but still struggling many people get advice, support and solace from online chat rooms. As there are others there going through similar experiences.
Of course, this is no replacement for proper medical treatment. So, if you are concerned about a loved one that is showing sign of depression, then it’s important that you convince them to see a doctor.
Then their medical professional will be able to establish the severity of their disorder. As well as prescribe medications and counseling or psychotherapy that can help them cope with what is going on.
It is important to note also that while depression can seem like a life sentence, it doesn’t have to be. Plenty of folks does make a full recovery by looking after themselves physically and by taking the meds and doing their counseling. So remember that whether it’s your or someone you care about going through a dark time, there is hope at the end of that tunnel.
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