Today I stayed home from work, sick with sinus problems, including a bad headache. I took medicine and slept much of the day away.
But I also thought about the way I think about my physical health and my mental health.
I was inspired by a post Madison of My Meddling Mind wrote about the importance of taking care of both our physical health and our mental health, and how they affect each other. I hope you’ll take time to read it.
I am vigilant about taking my medication for my OCD, depression and anxiety. I make sure I don’t run out before getting a refill.
I see a psychiatrist and a therapist. And I take steps to work on my mental health issues on my own.
I’m not perfect with taking care of my mental health, but I am much more proactive with it than I am with my physical health.
I worry much less about running out of my blood pressure medicine. I’ve been known to go a couple of days without it because I’ve delayed picking up a refill.
I eat pretty healthy, but I eat too many sweets and processed foods, and just too much food period.
I don’t move around enough. I need to have an exercise plan and stick to it.
What does my blood pressure medicine and my diet and exercise habits have to do with sinus problems?
Maybe nothing. But my time off today gave me time to think about my physical health and how I need to do a better job with it.
Just one day of lying around has left me feeling a bit dull and a little depressed.
And that’s not to forget my spiritual health because that’s important too. When I get too busy with “stuff” and don’t take time to do my spiritual reading and meditation, I can tell.
It can seem overwhelming to have to think about so many “parts” of our health. But all the parts roll into one and represent how we live.
How can we do our best for our health?
This is a great post Tina. It goes to show that everything is interconnected and we have to take the time to nurture every aspect. I used to get overwhelmed thinking of the oh so many things that I needed to tend to to be able to be somewhat healthy. I have discovered that the best thing for me now is taking baby steps. I have made small changes when it comes to all the aspects and can proudly say that they have become lifestyle changes and easier to maintain.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Ally, thank you. I like the idea of taking baby steps in each area. Small changes would be easier to make and maintain than trying to make a lot of big changes all at once.
DeleteI hate sinus problems - they are the worst! I hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteLisa, thank you. I'm feeling better and am back at work today.
DeleteI hope you feel better soon! I have had laryngitis (sp?) for the past couple days - which my coworkers seem to be enjoying :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Keith, I hope you feel better soon, too!
DeleteHi there Tina!
ReplyDeleteI do hope you are feeling better by now.
*I know that when I feel like I've had a lazy day, or when I feel like I was lazy- or especially when I feel like I've accomplished little to nothing (even I have sometimes) depression begins to be a battle and it's best friend- anxiety.
I try not to neglect my time in the Scripture, like ever. And only recently have I incorporated meditating into my life. For me that looks like this, when ever I come across a verse that I know is very comforting to me I work at memorizing it, so through out the day my mind is set upon meditating over that scripture, and that looks like this for me- reciting it as often as I can ie while doing dishes, out in the garden, writing it several times, etc
Just recently when I have had something so disturbing to me- it was a scripture that came straight to my mind that I had worked to memorize, and oh what a beautiful and most helpful tool (weapon) to battle the mental! Of course I don't neglect my medicine knowing how powerful God's Word is though:)
It was said to me that scripture is the most helpful in times of mental battle, but how can God bring it to my mind if I had not stored it up in my heart (mind)? *** So, I set out to work at this.
Blessings & Merry Christmas Season to you!!
~Deanna
oh and P.S. -in the previous post, I read it, but I wanted to say... I love those lamps -they look cozy to me!!
Thank you, Deanna. I like your practice of memorizing scripture. It's a wonderful way to meditate. Thank you for sharing your practice.
DeleteI hope you feel better soon, Tina. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elizabeth. I'm doing better than I was yesterday.
DeleteSorry you feel so yucky. I hope it goes away soon.
ReplyDeleteYour points are well taken, Tina - everything really does affect everything else. I attend to my mental health much more than I attend to my physical health, and yet I KNOW that my physical health greatly affects my mind. I know I can always attend much more to my spiritual health as well.
You've given me some good food for thought, especially as my OCD has gotten more symptomatic recently. Perhaps I need to attend to other parts of my life too.
Thanks, Sunny. The interconnectedness of it all is really kind of awesome, isn't it? I hope that your OCD calms down very, very soon. I'll be thinking about you.
DeleteThanks for this post Tina. I think we all can use reminders now and then that our health does not necessarily need to be broken down in to categories: physical, mental, etc. It is all connected, and I think most of what we do to maintain our health (proper diet, exercise, rest, reduce stress,etc) benefits all aspects of our health....we just need to follow through , which I know is always easier said than done!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Janet. That's a good point--that the things we do to maintain our health like proper diet benefits our entire health. I agree, and I need to follow through.
DeleteI definitely see a connect between physical health and mental health! I do have a tendancy to focus on diet though when other things are important too. Lately I'm thinking more about exercise.
ReplyDeleteKristina, diet is important, and I'm growing more interested in how what I eat affects me. I need to think more about exercise, too.
DeleteYou have set my mind in motion ... as this was something that my therapist and I spoke about today. I had a terrible dream that I had to have heart surgery last night, which woke me up in a panic. I know that I'm not taking care of myself well enough, and that I need to do a better job. My heart is in fact already "broken", and know I need to be more careful than others, yet struggle with it.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm finally getting around to "getting it" though, and am glad to have come across your post putting that point across - the importance of our physical and mental health.
Thinking of you and hoping you have a good weekend :0)
Thank you, Amanda, and I hope you are having a good weekend, too.
DeleteI'm sorry about your dream. That sounds scary. I know I'm not taking good enough care of my physical health, either. My family health history is not pretty, and I need to take that into account more.
You really hit it on the nail, I have been known to do the same as far as getting prescriptions filled. And making absolute sure I keep my appointments with pshyciatrist and pshycologist - not so much with internal medicine, dentistry etc. I am so afraid of the consequences of not taking my medication for depression and anxiety that I forget that medicine for physical health is equally important. You mentioned spiritual health wow, that's a biggy. Another one I tend let fall by the way side more often than I should, and I see the negative response from it, just like I see a positive response in my life when I am spiritually fit.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the mention and I especially want to thank you for writing this post, because it keeps the topic green and fresh so that although, we are not perfect, we can certainly practice living an overall healthy life.
Thanks for writing your post, Madison, that got me thinking!
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