Boosting Your General Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing - Mental Health Awareness Week 15th - 21st May 2023

May 15, 2023 Weight Loss

We often focus on very specific health issues and, of course, these vary from person to person. Sometimes it can be helpful to take a step back and take a look at our general physical and mental health more clearly. To take time to look at the bigger picture. Is this something that you do every now and then? It can certainly be worthwhile. As it's Mental Health Awareness week (15th-21st May 2023), we thought we would delve into steps you can take to help both your Physical and Mental Health.

 

Physical Health and Mental Health are Equally Important

Thankfully mental health gets the recognition it deserves these days, which is important. Often, when your physical health isn’t in peak condition your mental health can suffer. Likewise, when you aren’t at your best mentally you aren’t always in a position to champion your physical health.

 

Walking for Health and Wellbeing

Walking is a free activity that can have significant benefits both in terms of exercise and mental well-being. Studies have shown that forest bathing, something that started in Japan but is growing in popularity in the UK can have significant benefits for all ages. The Forestry Commission offers some great walks and has very useful information on how to get the most out of forest bathing.

If you are thinking of walking more make sure you have the proper supplies. This includes water bottles to stay hydrated, plasters for blisters (especially when just starting out or breaking in new trainers) and, of course, sun protection. Take it slowly to start with and build up your distances and how hard your walks are, i.e. flat vs uphill. It might be worth having some cooling/heating pards or something like Deep Heat to hand if you plan on more strenuous hikes.

 

Monitoring Your General Health

One of the best ways to stay on top of your health and well-being needs is to monitor your physical and mental health. Keep your regular appointments and check-ups, take advantage of seasonal vaccinations and generally keep an eye on how you are feeling. Some people swear by regular journaling for both physical and mental health monitoring. A bullet journal or something similar can be a useful tool to help with this. 

You can also monitor your health from home. With everything from thermometers to blood pressure monitors available for home use, you can regularly check yourself and get in touch with your nurse or GP for support if and when needed. 

 

Weight Management - Losing and Maintaining Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight can help with general health, and lower your risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and more. No one loves it when their health professional mentions weight loss but the sad reality is that maintaining a healthy weight is something we do need to think about.

There is a lot of support for those looking to lose weight and your GP can help signpost you to local weight loss clinics and initiatives. Exercise and healthy, balanced eating are the way to go but for some, weight loss tablets or injections can be used. Find out more about our weight loss treatments and speak to your care provider/GP for advice.

 

Freeing Up Time to Better Your Health

No one gets an award for being busy, or too busy. These days though we all seem to have so much to do, so much to keep on top of and to consider. Being proactive in managing your work/life balance effectively gives you time to dedicate to things that benefit your physical and mental health. There are many ways to achieve this. Delegating is one tool that can help free up time, although it isn’t always the easiest thing to do. 

Many people these days are simplifying their lives in order to get back time that is wasted on unnecessary tasks and similar. Finding ways to lighten the load is achievable if you think about what errands and responsibilities take up time. Here at Simply Meds Online, we can send your regular prescriptions directly to your door in discreet packaging. No more waiting for text messages or standing in pharmacy queues. Save time with our NHS prescription Service.

Any time you free up is time you can dedicate to maintaining your health and happiness.

 

Keeping Supplies on Hand

The last thing you want to do when you are under the weather is have to walk or drive down to the pharmacy to get treatments such as cold remedies, painkillers, hayfever supplies and a whole range of other products. As well as shipping your regular NHS prescriptions, we can send these supplies (discreetly) whenever you need them, or before. It’s helpful to have a few common remedies and supplies such as pain relief at hand. 

 

Talking Helps

So many mental health awareness campaigns share the same message; “talk about it!” - Talking can help if you having problems. This could be talking to a friend or family member, a counsellor or your GP. If you feel bogged down, stressed, have a problem you don’t feel you can solve alone or just want to connect with someone, talking helps. Please don’t suffer in silence. There is some great information about this on Mind.org.uk

 

Boosting Your General Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing - In Conclusion

We can be very focused on certain aspects of our physical and mental health but sometimes forget to look at the bigger picture. Making positive changes such as working on your work/life balance or prioritising a good sleep routine can have a big impact. As can monitoring your health. By keeping an eye on your health you will have a better idea of when things might need to change or when you could benefit from getting some professional advice and support.

Again, we feel physically better when we take care of our mental health and often feel stronger mentally when we take care of our physical health. They are clearly as important as one another so please take the steps you need to protect and boost your health.