People often talk about physical and mental health as if they are two different things, but in fact they’re closely linked. Think about this for a moment…
If you were to go for a good long walk or a swim at the local pool, you might come back feeling a bit tired, perhaps with some aching muscles if you don’t do it often, but you’d feel as if you had done your body some good. You’d probably come back in a lighter, brighter mood as well. You might even have sorted out a persistent problem as you exercised.
It works the other way, too. You might spend an hour on a hobby – playing an instrument, knitting, woodwork, sketching or any other activity that exercises and absorbs your mind. You’d probably feel calmer mentally, but your body would also feel more relaxed, your breathing deeper and your head clearer.
Feeling well isn’t just about eating healthy food or going for a brisk walk every day. These help, but what helps most is thinking about your health in a holistic way. Holistic meaning ‘whole’.
A holistic approach means looking at your life as a whole, include the time you spend on other people. It means thinking about what sort of things help your physical and mental wellbeing. If you think of your health as a whole, you can plan changes that fit in with your life and commitments so that you’re able to stick with the things you decide to do.
