Mental vs Physical - which is most important?

I’m sure you’ve heard the comment about “our health being the most important thing we have”. So when we think about our health, what does that mean exactly? There is our physical and mental health, both intrinsically connected, but which is the most important, or are they both equal?

There is a clear difference made between mind and body yet both impact on our relationships, our self-esteem and how we can or cannot manage normal daily tasks. Poor physical health can lead to an increased risk of developing mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Similarly, poor mental health can negatively impact on physical health, leading to an increased risk of chronic diseases.

Have I lost you yet?

In my experience I’ve observed people with great physical health often plunder into depression or despair when injured or find themselves with a debilitating illness, that prevents them from doing their chosen activity that they love. Likewise, I’ve seen people with a more sedentary lifestyle come across the same challenge with an injury, surgery, or debilitating illness also suffer in the same way.

But another observation is that those who can prioritise and balance both their mental and emotional wellbeing are often in a much stronger and stable place to deal with physical limitations than those without that inner-strength and self-love. We are all going to come across times in our lives when we are limited, challenged and physically less-able for a short or longer period of time, but having the mental strength to keep yourself from falling into that black pit and deal with the issues and rehabilitation from that injury only comes from practice, and building a life outside of the exercise path.

You may know someone who prioritises their physical wellbeing, but yet lacks the balance of mental support to cope when things aren’t going their way. They can often spiral into a more addictive form of exercise and struggle to find a path out of that and into a more balanced lifestyle. What started off as a way to cope with life, has become their life with little space for anyone or anything else, and transfer into a negative outcome for some.

We service our car to maintain it because we rely on it so much to transport us but how do we service our body, how do we service our mind, how do we service our spirit?

Finding the balance between both our physical and mental health is vital to us living the type of existence that we hope to. A life that sees us in a strong state to cope with “life” as it is served up to us.

Where do you think you fit on that scale? Where is the balance in your life? Where can you find time to nurture your spirit which will allow you to soar in all areas in your life? It's up to you ......

Blessings to you,

Kaz