The Mental Component of Wellness – Most of us approach the health and wellness space for the first time with a general understanding of what we need to do to get healthy- we need to clean up our diet, start working out more, and figure out a way to stay consistent with this new lifestyle for a long period of time.
However, your physical body is not the only component of full-spectrum wellness. Mental and emotional health are crucial parts of getting and staying healthy as well, and many people neglect these areas until they’re wildly stressed, burned out, or plateauing and no longer seeing results.
Achieving full-spectrum wellness involves addressing your mental and emotional health in addition to your physical body. You will never look, feel, or perform at your best without making sure that these areas are addressed just as carefully as the components of your physical training are, and neglecting to address them at all will almost certainly lead to a collapse or a crisis at some point in your journey. Your brain and body are not machines! You’re a human being with needs and limits, and taking this into account from the beginning of your fitness journey will make all the difference in the world with how successful you ultimately turn out to be.
So, what are the emotional and mental health components that need to be considered?
Stress Management: Learning to manage stress effectively is crucial. Chronic stress can impact physical health negatively due to chronically elevated cortisol levels in the body, so learn about and practice techniques like mindfulness, meditation, and focused breathing in order to manage it as effectively as you can. Stress management can be challenging in the modern world with our busy schedules and lifestyles, but learning to manage your cortisol levels is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health and mental well-being.
Emotional Regulation: Developing skills to recognize, understand, and manage emotions is essential. This includes fostering emotional resilience and the ability to cope with life’s challenges. One of the things that I had to do in my own personal wellness journey was seek treatment for childhood trauma that I endured, and that caused cPTSD, which severely damaged my ability to regulate my emotions and deal with triggers. If this is something you struggle with as well, I would encourage you to reach out to a trauma-informed therapist and learn about EMDR therapy, which can help you reprocess triggers and subsequently lead to a dramatic increase in your ability to regulate emotionally. It’s absolutely life-changing, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Healthy Relationships: Cultivating positive, supportive relationships can significantly impact mental and emotional health. This involves communication skills, empathy, and setting boundaries. We live in one of the loneliest generations in human history, and I believe this lack of connection is one of the main drivers of problems in our world today. Relationships are important. You cannot do life alone. Take time to foster, nurture, and maintain vulnerable, emotionally intimate relationships in your adult life. Your emotional health is garbage without quality, consistent human connection.
Self-Esteem and Self-Compassion: Building a positive self-image and practicing self-compassion are vital for mental well-being. This includes challenging self-criticism and nurturing self-acceptance. Many people have an inner voice that tends to be a harsh critic when they fail, make a mistake, or do something less than perfectly. A great starting point for self-compassion is to remember that your thoughts are like clouds passing in the wind. They aren’t who you are- they’re just thoughts. You can let the negative ones sail away while you nurture and cultivate the kind, positive ones. Always talk to yourself the same way you would talk to a friend who was coming to you for advice about whatever situation you find yourself in. You deserve the same level of kindness and compassion that you would give to them.
Purpose and Meaning: Having a sense of purpose and engaging in activities that align with personal values contribute to emotional fulfillment and overall wellness. Figure out what your values are and what’s important to you, and then find hobbies, groups, or outlets that allow you to express and engage in the world in a way that supports these values. We need a purpose to give our lives meaning and to support our emotional and mental health.
Sleep and Rest: Prioritizing adequate sleep and rest is crucial for cognitive function, mood regulation, and overall health. In fact, along with stress management, this is one of the most crucial components to living a healthy and balanced life. The vast majority of people in Western countries do NOT get enough sleep. Everyone should be aiming for 7-9 hours a night. Period. The difference between a well-rested life and a chronically sleep-deprived life is incalculable. Start prioritizing sleep.
Nutrition and Exercise: Physical health is closely linked to mental and emotional health. A balanced diet and regular exercise promote well-being by boosting mood and energy levels. You can only get out of your body what you put into it, so make sure you’re keeping it hydrated, well-supplemented, and fed with real, nutrient-dense food that either swims, flies, walks, or grows out of the ground. The importance of what you put (or don’t put) into your body on a long-term basis cannot be overstated. You are what you eat- in every sense of the word.
Seeking Support: Knowing when to seek professional help from therapists, counselors, or support groups is important for addressing mental health challenges effectively. As I mentioned before, coming to terms with, seeking help for, and ultimately healing a ton of trauma and PTSD that had been keeping me stuck for years completely changed my life. I got my life BACK after many years of living with trauma symptoms. There’s no shame in admitting that you need help or need to heal something. The greatest, most gentle and most amazing warriors in this world are all covered in scars that healed because they didn’t give up, and that ultimately turned them into wiser, better and more integrated human beings.
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