Dimensions of Wellness: Emotional and Mental Health
By Josh Kudo PT, DPT, Wellness Advisor and the Fitness Trainers at Century Fitness
Here at Century Fitness we care about more than just your fitness. That’s right, we care about your overall well-being. That means your physical, emotional, spiritual, social, occupational, intellectual, and environmental happiness. Some things we can directly help you with; the physical and social aspects. For everything else we would like to be a resource for you. So, let’s consider one of the most vital and often stigmatized areas of wellness: emotional and mental health.
You go to your doctor’s office for your scheduled check-up where they do a general screen of your bodily functions and your dentist visits do much the same thing for your oral health. But if you’re like most Americans, you have not put as much consideration into your mental health.
But why not? You inhabit your thoughts, feelings, and anxieties as much as you inhabit your physical body, right? Truthfully everyone has some stress or anxiety: it’s your fight or flight response and it has its own special part in your brain that is on alert every moment of your life. Exercise is a form of physical stress that, under the right circumstances, has a positive effect on your health and fitness. Making good decisions and controlling urges that might lead to bad habits is needed to be successful otherwise, you could sabotage all the hard work.
Emotional or mental stress can be positive or negative depending on how it is handled. Most people will experience grief, loss, or trauma at some point in their life. Unfortunately, not everyone can get over these obstacles in a healthy way on their own. Don’t let the stigma of emotional or mental health get in the way of seeking a mental health professional. Therapists, counselors, psychologists, and other mental health providers are genuinely invested in your well-being.
There are many ways to get proper help once you narrow down specific needs. Then it just takes some commitment. You don’t need to be suffering from a very serious issue to get professional emotional or mental health support. However, if you know someone close to you who continues to struggle with a serious emotional or mental health issue, please find the courage to offer support and guide them to the help they need.
Remember, even the best-intentioned individuals do not have the professional skills often necessary to manage serious conditions, so avoid the temptation of giving those who are close to you, advice or insights when they truly need professional care.
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