Wholistic Health & Mental Health Awareness
Mayday (May 1st) Sunrise on The Farm
As I write this, here in the US we have started Mental Health Awareness Month - observed during the month of May each year. And as I pondered what would be valuable to share with my subscribers this issue I felt a tug at my heart and in my gut. A tug or call to bring “mental health” into the conversation. Even if you feel ok right now, please keep reading. Someone you know is struggling, I am sure!
The paradigm around mental health is changing these days and it cannot change fast enough. We used to believe that mental health was actually separate and identifiable from “physical health” and even “spiritual health” but now the realization is growing that we cannot separate our minds, bodies, and even our souls. Most people won’t argue if you say that health issues, medical illnesses, or injuries can have an impact on mental wellbeing. Pain, stress from the issue, financial implications, work impacts, etc. all have very noticeable impacts on how we feel mentally. Just think of how you felt the last time you had a bad cold! However, if you flip that around and say that our mental health can and does have significant impacts on our physical body, many are in disbelief. Could it be that the last bad cold was a symptom of stress or something else being manifested through an inhibited immune system?
The neuroscience and medical research is substantial now that reveals just how much our physical health is impacted by our mental wellbeing and spiritual wellbeing. I highly recommend The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD and The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Gabor Mate, MD as important opportunities to understand the ways our physical and mental health are really one. Note, the word “trauma” is used in both titles and is a word that has different meanings to each of us - I encourage you to not let that word stop you from reading one or both of these books and understanding just how each of us is impacted by events in our lives! A book I am reading right now that appears to really help elucidate the clinical evidence of spirituality's impact on mental health is The Awakened Brain by Lisa Miller, PhD.
In my previous career as a physical therapist I regularly saw physical ailments which we knew or highly suspected were tied to the mental health of the individual but there was not enough evidence to support the links back then. The stigma attached to mental health concerns was also tremendous and I cannot begin to count the number of times I was part of or saw a healthcare team avoid discussing the probable connection with patients. The fear of having uncomfortable conversations and referring to mental health care has been, and continues today, a horrible disservice to everyone involved.
Back in the early part of the 1900’s there were very few that believed the body needed exercise and now we know differently - the fitness industry is roughly a $30.8 billion dollar industry in the US in 2023 and goals related to fitness seem to dominate everyone’s New Year’s Resolutions! Despite there being many myths still out there, we are in the same type of awareness transition with mental wellbeing, mental health, and spirituality. The science is clear that we can have great positive impacts between prevention, mental fitness & resilience building, and the growing numbers and types of treatment options.
I practice what I teach - at least in this case! On the mental health side, I am very much a believer in counseling/therapy and it has been very much a key part of my personal growth, overall health, and becoming a better citizen in this world. I have worked with many types of therapy over the years and each has a role. I will also share that before I really understood what the science is now supporting, I was struggling with a lot of immune issues and significant physical challenges resulting in hospitalizations, surgeries, and many lost days of health. Nowadays that has mostly been turned around but will still flare up if I am not keeping my mental health, physical health, and spiritual practice as a partnered trio. And all of this is just working with what we all have to deal with such as stress, relationships, parenting, a vocal inner-critic, being an overachiever, etc! Regular physical exercise, lots of time in nature, a strong meditation & mindfulness practice, holistic health support with acupuncture & massage, and regular sessions with my therapist - that is my formula for wellbeing.
My final thoughts for this post are that I will not let the stigma that is still out there prevent me from my health. We need to change the conversation around mental health and wellbeing. We need to understand the importance of our “wholeness” and “wholistic” health. And we need to support each other in finding help. Reach out to me if you need help figuring out next steps on your whole-health journey!