Image is mine..
Growing up as a child, I was more familiar with the talk of getting one's physical health in peak shape. In the environment that I lived in, more emphasis was placed on physical health and how it's better to take proper care of the body instead of falling sick and then having to visit the hospital which will then lead to more cost which would have easily been prevented if one took care of one's physical health the proper way that they should.
It was, always eat well, drink lots of water, exercise and don't stop exercising so that your body can be strong enough to withstand and fight off anything that poses a threat to general body health. I didn't really know what mental health is and how important it is even in the process of achieving peak physical health and in the secondary school that I attended, it wasn't really spoken of and taught to students and whenever a student were to display a symptom of mental illness, however mild, it'd be attributed to spiritual forces and many times peer pressure which was never the case most of the time.
I began to get familiar with the whole concept of mental health and everything that has to do with it when I finally was able to use social media. I remember clearly coming across funny memes that centered around the situation of the country and how it is affecting the mental health of citizens in a certain way. Memes and sentences that the majority find funny such as these:
“Nigeria is full of mad people oh!"
"Nobody is normal in this country..”
Which essentially is said to be just cruise, nothing serious as it's not that deep. And that was the type of content that I came across at first.
Over time, I began to come across content that centered around depression and the results if not handled properly and to me it seemed like everyone on the internet was depressed because it became a trend for people to follow and on the internet everyone claimed to be suffering from it in many different ways and they had various ways of showing the public how depressed they were.
It was really somehow coming across too many sad posts even from friends and wondering what was wrong with them. I really didn't understand that though many people are in peak physical shape, their mental health might actually be going downhill and because it's not something you see first when meeting with people, it is very easy to mask up and pretend that everything is fine.
It was during the COVID era that I really finally began to understand what mental health is all about and the habits that we have that harm us though not physically and the many, many triggers that are there waiting to test our mental strength. I realized that food for the brain doesn't just stop at consuming healthy fruits and healthy protein that help to develop the brain, but instead it entails many psychological habits that one has to imbibe in one's daily activities in order to maintain and achieve optimal mental health.
As an adult who is now in tune with reality and who is finally seeing the world for what it is without the rose colored glasses that I grew up with as a child, it has become very, very easy to just let ones mental health deteriorate and this is alarming because the very thing that we enjoy being exposed to might be the thing that's either actively causing harm or will cause harm to us in the future. On the other hand, in order to keep one's mental health in check, it requires discipline and consistency and extreme levels of patience which many people find extremely difficult to do.
Fortunately in Nigeria today, the culture of going to therapy and having counseling sessions has finally been accepted as something that is as needed as human beings and I am so happy to see many parents who now pay attention to their children's mental well-being as well as their physical well-being. There are mental health coaches and counselors online who make it easy to access help when needed and it is even advertised on national channels by government agencies who provide a hotline for citizens to call when in need.
WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHER?
In my opinion, none towers above the other. In terms of importance both go hand in hand. If one fails it ultimately affects the other which is why it is very important to strike a balance between the two. Peak mental health and terrible physical health is not really a good look seeing as the terrible physical health over time will begin to affect the mental health which will lead to rapid deterioration of the two.
They say that healing starts from the mind, but it doesn't end there, it continues in the physical body too which means that for you to have stable health mentally and physically, there has to be a balance between the two. Though both my mental and physical health has been really tested lately, I do have a few tips on how I try my best to maintain a balance in order to be my best self which are:
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” basically means that eating the right foods that promote good health and boost immunity helps to regulate your body and improve your mood too.
It is very easy to get caught up and forget what we set out to do because of the pressure of social media. I know how many times I have had to remind myself that not everyone's path is the same and just because I don't have it now doesn't mean I won't have it at all. I taught myself to be mindful of the type of content that I consume and also to be mindful of how I encourage negative thoughts and how it affects me. Taking time to meditate and relax helps you to ease stress from your mind.
It is very good to engage in a physical activity at least once a day or once a week depending on how often you'd like. It maybe a workout session, a pilates or yoga class or even just the usual walking. This has immense benefits to both your physical health and mental health.
Negativity tends to thrive in idleness. Find something niche to pursue, something to keep you busy and your mind active so that you won't have excess free time that your mind begins to conjure up negative thoughts and so that you don't get depressed as well as sick too.
There are many ways to maintain a balance between physical health and mental health but it only takes the conscious effort and discipline because with that, you'll get to be the strongest version of yourself too.
