Many people view health only in the physical sense, but with growing awareness, it’s crucial to also view it as a combination of physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being, because every aspect contributes to your overall health.
It is extremely important to understand that mind and body are not separate. What affects one, affects the other. For example, many people are affected by cardiac issues, thyroid, and various other hormonal disorders due to stress and various other social pressures they are going through despite having healthy eating habits and regularly working out.
Vijay Thakkar,fitness entrepreneur and functional medicine coach, explains, “Stress increases the production of cortisol hormone in large amounts, which inhibits the production of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) and ultimately results in hypothyroidism. On the other hand, stress can aggravate thyroid symptoms leading to more hair fall, weight gain, and other hormonal diseases such as insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, PCOS, etc.
A study conducted in Sweden in 2018 showed that subjects experiencing stress-related issues were 30% more likely to develop an autoimmune disorder like Grave’s disease, Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, etc.” Thus, there are arguments that stress and depression can both result in several hormonal diseases, autoimmune disorders, or even aggravate the seriousness of the disease.
Only when you are mentally strong and clear can you take the right steps, have a better cognitive ability, develop the interest to work out, and stay motivated to be consistent in your fitness journey. Thus, take care of your mental health each day to have a better physical and overall well-being.
