10 Steps to Overall Health

We all seek optimal health. We work out, eat right, avoid nasty habits such as smoking or drinking excessively and try our best to get as close to eight hours of sleep every night as we can. But what's as important to overall health is our emotional and mental health: how we handle stress, how we deal with our emotions (especially anger), what we worry about and even who we surround ourselves with can all have a toll on our health too. Although we all say we are aware of how these things can impact our health, a lot of us don't pay enough attention to it.

I've always been a chronic worrier. My thoughts kept me awake at night causing me to be over tired. This resulted in not being able to handle the normal every day stresses that came up the next day. Which resulted in not getting enough sleep. Sound familiar?

It's a vicious cycle to be trapped in because fatigue alone can cause depressive symptoms. And it's the depressive symptoms that cause us to stress or worry about things more. Keeping our bodies in this state can be harmful and, in a lot of cases, irreversible.

After doing research on the importance of good mental health, and seeing how many other people out there had the same symptoms, Dr. Elizabeth Atherton-Reid, chartered psychologist, helped me figure out some important ways we can all have good mental health. Allow me to share them with you:

(1) Being open to change is half the battle: Essentially, a person has to realize their attitude affects their health and their relationships with other people before they'll be open to and stick with the decision to make positive changes. "People don't realize they have a problem nor do they believe you when you tell them so." Dr. Atherton-Reid said "I usually don't see these people until they've gone to their physician, who can't find an underlying physical cause for their symptoms. Even then, I have to get the person to see through their own words how they affect their lives."

(2) Change the "mental tapes": Statements such as, "My life stinks." or "I'll never be any good." keep us in the frame of mind that the world is a gloomy place and everyone is out to get us. It's easy to see how a person can slip into depression when all they tell themselves is how terrible everything is. The next time one of those tapes play, try playing a more positive one.

(3) Surround yourself with positive people: Have you ever noticed a person who is happy, positive and living life to the fullest makes you feel good? "When people tell me they're unhappy," Dr. Atherton-Reid said. "One of the first things I do is get them to take a personal inventory. What are your friends like? Do they share your views about the world being a terrible place? If so, you need to find some new friends." Associating with people who have a down-and-out attitude will feed depressive thoughts. It's not to say you have to dump all your old friends because they exude gloom instead of cheer. But to keep a healthy mindset, it's important to have more positive friends who'll give you incentive to forge on and remind you life isn't so bad.

(4) Reduce and cope with stress: When we're stressed our bodies pump out hormones, such as Cortisol and Adrenaline, to help get us through tough times. Such hormones help keep the body going at a faster pace so we have energy to make it through to the end. Once the stressful situation has passed, our bodies will slow back down to a homeostatic or calm state. This is why we feel so exhausted at the end of that big project, assignment or stressful holiday time. While in this "fight or flight" mode, however, the body is focusing almost exclusively on getting through the stressful event leaving us vulnerable to illness and disease. Keeping the body in this mode for a long time can be harmful. Cortisol, although very helpful for the short term, can have damaging and irreversible effects on the heart and other major organs and body systems. It's important to figure out what our stress triggers are and either eliminate them or at the very least reduce them. It's also a good idea to have some calming techniques handy, such as yoga, meditation, counting to ten or going for a jog. Keeping stress levels down isn't just good for mental health but for survival.

(5) Talk things out: It's not good to keep emotions bottled up. Sometimes just being able to get everything off your chest can be all it takes to feel better. Reach out to your partner, best friend, a family member or even a counselor. But be sure the person you spill to is an objective, open-minded and nonjudgmental person. If the person is throwing his or her opinions at you or makes you feel even worse, it's not going to help you. The person you talk to doesn't have to agree with what you're saying but they should be supportive and be there to listen.

(6) Deal with the past but don't dwell on it: We all have skeletons in our closets. When such things haven't been dealt with properly or are ignored, they don't go away. In fact, in most cases, they'll keep popping up or get worse. Try your best to iron things out. If your attempt fails, at least you tried and you can put it out of your mind. With more serious issues, like childhood trauma, seek professional help to work on those feelings. Face it, deal with it then let it go and, most importantly, don't dwell on it.

(7) Be true to yourself: Figure out who you want to be and surround yourself with those who are supportive of your choices. Being the person other people want you to be or think you should be isn't going to make you happy. Follow your heart and your own dreams. "I have patients come to me so unhappy with their career or relationship choices they feel lost." Dr. Atherton-Reid said. "Once I ask them questions about what they truly want, we can help get on a happier path. It's all about making choices best for you and no one else. People who truly love you will support your choices and cheer your success.

(8) Do what you love the most: Realistically, we aren't going to love every aspect of our jobs; but at the very least you have to love what you're doing. When you're stuck doing something you really don't enjoy, you'll be unhappy. Figure out what you're good at and what you love doing then take the steps to get where you need to be.

(9) Believe in a higher power: You have to believe in something beyond yourself to stay motivated. Whatever you call it-God, Buddha, guardian angels or a life coach-you need something close to your heart to draw strength from. Your higher power is like an ultimate force watching over you keeping you on the straight and narrow, helping you to believe in yourself as well as a constant presence from which to seek guidance. Spiritual health is linked to emotional and mental health and is just as important to optimal health.

(10) Mental "pushups": Research has shown you can become forgetful, unable to focus or feel frustrated doing simple tasks (such as math for a budget) when you don't keep your brain in shape. Read about what truly inspires, enlightens or intrigues you; learn a new language; do crossword puzzles; take a course or workshop; even playing trivia games can help to keep those brain waves going. Doing creative or artistic projects, such as painting, sculpting, or learning an instrument, have also been shown to keep us on the ball. At the same time, creative things can also be relaxing which helps to reduce stress.

The next time you feel run-down or have physical symptoms causing you pain, take an inventory of your overall health and see what needs adjusting. Once you see emotional/mental, physical and spiritual health are all linked, it's easier to maintain a balance among them and enjoy life to the fullest.