The Connection Between Mental and Physical Health.

We often think that our physical and mental health are separate topics, but they are deeply connected within the human body.

I started my fitness journey back 10+ years now when I was deeply struggling with mental illness. I was consumed by anxiety, depression and PTSD that would spiral into crippling panic attacks. I struggled in all areas of my life due to the severity of the mental illness.

At the same time I was experiencing extreme physical health problems that could not be understood by any doctor or specialist. I was experiencing extreme digestive issues and stomach pains. After many specialist visits to rule out all physical disease or illness, they simply told me nothing was wrong.

But I knew there was. I knew that feeling this ill was NOT normal. Maybe common, but not normal or healthy.

This is when I started doing my own research to heal on my own.

Digestive Problems & Anxiety

The stomach aches, pains, and consistent digestive issues I was experiencing were due to extremely high levels of anxiety due to trauma and environment. I found that my digestive system was simply responding to my “fight or flight” system of the body that was activated by stress and fear.

Not one doctor asked me about my mental health. They all looked simply at my physical body without exploring environmental triggers or mental wellness.

We can not treat the healing of the human body without looking at the body as a whole: physical and mental health

Our physical health impacts our mental wellness as well. Unhealthy habits such as eating too much fast fake food, lack of exercise, and too much alcohol can negatively impact our mental health causing our body to react with anxiety or depressive symptoms. 

If we want to heal, we must look at the body as a whole and focus on all aspects of health:

The most important thing when starting a fitness journey is to remember that you are not only changing your eating habits to change the way your body looks, but to also focus on the mind-body connection.

Mental Health has become a crisis on its own and we can start the healing process through daily changes to our routine. The best thing I ever did for myself was start becoming more self aware by connecting my mind and body through exercise. By fuelling my body through nutrition I was able to start healing on my own.

Tips on getting started on your healing journey:

• Assess your self-awareness, daily emotional changes and feelings. You can do this with a trusted friend or therapist, or simply write it down in a journal.
• Nutrition: ensure you’re fuelling your body and mind with whole natural foods and nutrients. 
• Movement: get moving, whether that be a daily nature walk, home workouts, or if you’re ready to step foot in a gym.
• Rest: we must rest as much as we hustle in order to heal. Overworking and burnout will not bring you to health or happiness.
• Get curious: be aware of the signals your body is sending you. Understand what your body is telling you. 

I hope this reaches at least one person who is experiencing struggles with their health and needs hope. If I can heal from the illness that consumed my life, so can you. To learn more, please send us a message through our contact.

- Yours in health, Carlie Dusome 

NCFITNESS