Mental Health is as Important as Physical Health!

People often don’t realise how related mental and physical health are to each other. Exercise has been shown to assist in the management of mental health issues. When someone is struggling emotionally or suffering significant stress or illness, it often also impacts how much exercise they do. This then impacts their mental health and general health.

Here, at PhysioChoice we recognise the relationship between exercise and mental health, and your emotional well being and pain. It is not uncommon to see a very direct physical link between the way people are feeling and their pain and function. 

Strategies to improve mental health that we may recommend as part of your treatment include the following:

• Meditation: Meditation is a practice that involves training your mind to focus and calm down. The benefits of meditation for mental health cannot be ignored. It has been shown to have numerous mental health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, improving mood, and increasing self-awareness. There are several meditation apps available, such as Headspace, Smiling Mind, and 1 Giant Mind, that provide guided meditations to help beginners get started. Our physiotherapists can recommend specific meditation techniques that are tailored to your needs and can assist you in incorporating meditation into your daily routine.

• Breathing strategies: Breathing exercises are a simple yet effective technique for managing pain, anxiety, and stress. Proper breathing techniques for mental health can also have a significant effect on your nervous system, which can help regulate your heart rate and blood pressure. Our physiotherapists can teach you how to breathe properly, including diaphragmatic breathing, which involves using your diaphragm to breathe deeply and slowly. Breathing exercises can be performed anywhere and at any time, making them a convenient and accessible technique for managing your mental health.

• Exercise: Exercise is a well-known tool for improving physical health, but it also has significant mental health benefits. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve mood, and boost self-esteem. Our physiotherapists can help create an exercise program that is tailored to your individual needs and goals and includes the best exercise for mental health. This can include exercises to help you recover from pain or injury, as well as exercises to help you exercise safely and prevent further injury. Additionally, our physiotherapists can provide guidance on how to incorporate exercise for mental health into your daily routine and can provide ongoing support and motivation to help you stay on track.

• Social Support: Social support is also an important factor in maintaining good mental health. Building a strong support system is crucial when it comes to managing stress and coping with difficult situations. Our physiotherapists can provide you with tools to strengthen your social support network, such as connecting with others who share similar experiences or participating in group exercise classes. This will not only help with your mental health, but can also make exercise more enjoyable and motivate you to keep up with it.

• Nutrition: Mental health and nutrition go hand in hand. Nutrition plays a key role in both physical and mental health. Eating a balanced and healthy diet can improve your mood, reduce inflammation and prevent chronic diseases. Our physiotherapists can provide guidance on how to incorporate nutrient-dense foods into your diet that can help support your physical and mental health. Additionally, if you are experiencing gastrointestinal issues or food intolerances, we can provide nutritional advice to help alleviate these symptoms, which can have a significant impact on your mental health.

• Sleep Hygiene: One cannot deny the relationship between mental health and sleep. Getting adequate sleep is crucial to both physical and mental health. Poor sleep quality has been linked to a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. Our physiotherapists can help you develop healthy sleep habits and routines that can promote better sleep hygiene. We can also address any physical issues that may be impacting your sleep, such as pain or discomfort. By improving your sleep, you can help to improve your overall mental health and well-being.

In summary, physical and mental health are closely intertwined and should be treated with equal importance. At Sydney Advanced Physiotherapy, we recognise the importance of mental health and are dedicated to providing our clients with holistic treatment options that address both physical and mental health concerns. By incorporating strategies such as meditation, breathing techniques, exercise, social support, nutrition and sleep hygiene, we can help our clients improve their mental health, reduce pain, and enhance their overall quality of life.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us here at PhysioChoice! 

We look forward to hearing from you.