How to Improve Your Mental Well-being and Your Overall Health?

Jan 8, 2022 | Dr Zeina Moukarzel, Mental health

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By Dr Zeina Moukarzel

Edited by Sarah Hayek

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Reading Time:

5 minutes

“The natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well.”—Hippocrates.

Many of today’s most common and preventable Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), like heart diseases, strokes, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cancers, mental illnesses, suicides, etc., are caused or exacerbated by stress and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors. Thus, adopting a healthy lifestyle and decreasing our level of stress, can prevent the development of 80% of NCDs.

In 2016, 34 700 people have died from Non-Communicable Diseases in Lebanon (WHO)

At the beginning of the 20th century, research has demonstrated the importance of the mind-body connection for our emotional and physical well-being. Our thoughts and emotions have an impact on our mental and psychological health, our physical health, and our behaviors. Thus, modifying our negative thoughts and emotions – by practicing some mind-body techniques – from negative to positive ones, may empower us to abandon our unhealthy behaviors and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

In 2019, the suicide rate (number of suicide deaths in a year/100 000 population) in Lebanon was 2.80 (World Bank)

Mind-body connection

As human beings, we have a body (organs, including brain, nerves, biological and physiological functioning), a mind (conscience (personality and thoughts) and sub conscience (emotions, beliefs, feelings), and a spirit (spiritual side of our life, purpose, meaning and motivation to live). You understand that mind, body and spirit are interconnected and are not separable.

The human being lives in a body, but also within a physical and psycho-emotional environment (family, community, society) which shape his development and affect his interactions with the world during his entire life.

Mind-body connection is the belief that the causes and outcomes of a physical illness are the result of the interaction of psychological, social and biological factors. Thus, the mind-body medicine relies on this biopsychosocial approach to care for patients and treat diseases. Mind-body medicine uses the power of thoughts and emotions to influence physical health.

Definition of Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines:

Health and wellness as “The full physical, mental and social wellbeing not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Mental Health as “A state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”
Self-care as “The ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, and maintain health and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.”

LAMSA highlights the importance of health promotion and literacy, to be able to play an active role in our wellness habits in a way to promote our well-being and prevent illnesses.

The 8 dimensions of wellness

Engaging in wellness activities on a daily basis can dramatically improve our physical and mental wellbeing.

Wellness has 8 dimensions which are equally important. But, as each of us is unique, one can favor one dimension over other; however, our preferences might change over time with aging, physical status, maturity, goals, challenges, circumstances, etc. :

Physical
- Caring for our body to stay healthy now and in the future
Intellectual
- Being curious about lifelong learning
Emotional
- Managing our stress and our emotions
- Understanding our feelings
- Adopting positive psychology
Social
- Engaging in healthy relationships and friendships
- Caring about others and giving back to your community (volunteering)
Spiritual
- Finding purpose, meaning and value to our life
- Being grateful
Vocational
- Pursuing studies, we are passionate about
- Working and being productive
Financial
- Managing our financial resources and making appropriate financial decisions
Environmental·
- Finding harmony within our physical and psycho-social environments

How to improve our mind-body connection?

To live healthy in a status of physical, mental and social well being, it’s important to get rid of our bad habits and adopt healthy choices; this means changing our behaviors and attitudes which depend mainly on our thoughts and emotions.

Thus, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association, people having a negative psychological health (stress, anger, hostility, anxiety, depression, negative outlook or pessimism) are less likely to adopt healthy behaviors, and consequently less likely to prevent heart diseases, when compared to people having a positive psychological health (happiness, positive affect, emotional vitality, optimism, sense of purpose, gratitude, psychological wellbeing, mindfulness). This is true as well for our whole overall physical and mental health.

Some of the techniques which can help in improving our mind-body connection and shifting our thoughts and emotions from negativity towards positivity are:

Stress management techniques. Education is primordial to be able to recognize the early signs of stress, before distress and burnout manifest, and to learn about the available helpful techniques. They include:
- Talking to someone we trust or to a healthcare professional (therapist, family doctor, etc.). One should not hesitate to ask for help and to accept it if it is offered to him
- Practicing relaxation techniques (meditation, deep breathing, massage therapy, yoga, mindfulness, Tai chi, etc.)
- Writing and journaling, being creative, engaging in group activities and peer groups discussions, being in nature, visiting museums, volunteering, playing word games, having hobbies, etc.
Self-love and self-compassion. Never ignoring our SELF. We are our best friend and it’s crucial to have some time alone, listening to our body and emotions and learning how to accept them, to manage them in a positive way, and to become resilient.

Mindfulness is simply being present in the moment (or in Self), being aware of what is occurring in the present moment (or in mind and body), and focusing on a situation (or self), with some specific attitudes (attention, non-judgmental, self-acceptance, compassion).

Changing our habits, changing our life

Once our mind-connection is improved, we can abandon our bad habits and switch to a healthy lifestyle, with the objective to improve our health and well-being and to prevent illnesses and premature deaths, including suicide.

Some bad habits to get ride off are smoking, sitting long time, physical inactivity, abusing alcohol, using drugs, engaging in toxic relationships, overusing social media and the internet, thinking that self-care is selfish, multitasking, badly managing our time, always saying yes, taking risks (driving under the effects of alcohol and drugs, not putting seat belts on, etc.)

When we do pay attention, then changes may happen!

Healthy choices include:

Physical activity and staying active. Recommendations are:
- 10 000 steps/day
- Beginning by 150 min of moderate exercise per week (moderate exercise equals to an increase in resting heart rate by 50 to 60%)
- Adding twice per week moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity
- To gain more benefits, increasing amount and intensity gradually over time to be active at least 300 minutes per week
Getting good quality sleep
- At least 7 hours/night
- Sticking to a routine (going to bed at the same time, etc.)
Keeping a balanced diet
- Limiting our sugar and fat intake
- Eating more fruits, vegetables and including enough amount of fibers, proteins, and vitamins
Controlling our thoughts and emotions
- Practicing stress management and relaxation techniques
Engaging in healthy relationships
- Staying with people who empower us
- Practicing self-compassion and self-love, our relationship to our SELF is important

Tips for your 2022 wellness strategy

Improve your mind-body connection
Abandon your bad habits
Engage in healthy behaviors related to the 8 dimensions of wellness
Practice self-awareness, be mindful
Put SMART goals (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bounded)
Put an action plan, an agenda and reevaluate yourself
Increase your motivation by evaluating the Pros and Cons of changing your behavior (like quitting smoking for example), rewarding yourself often, getting empowered by friends and family
If you fail, try again and again, and be kind to yourself