The World Health Organization has gone on record stating, “There is no health without mental health.” The organization reminds us, plainly, that “mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders.” Every individual has a responsibility to themselves to safeguard their own well-being and their own mental health, day in and day out.
Easier said than done, right?
We all experience stress. Most of us are aware of how stress manifests itself physically. I remember my first recognition of this feeling – these “butterflies” in my stomach. I was around 12 and big into Taekwondo. I loved every bit of it except the belt tests. These were tests where you went to a different location and tested in front of the “master” who passed you (or not). Those butterflies made a regular appearance every car ride from my home to the test.
In fact, stress is one of the easiest ways to help explain the inseparability of the mind from the body. At its core, stress reflects how both our minds and bodies process and cope with change. We use the word often to describe our emotional state when we feel overwhelmed. Yet when we are met with a threat, challenge, or physical/psychological barrier, our entire body reacts—from our brains to our muscles and joints to our heart and stomach.
Acute or short-term stress can be helpful. We may be alerted to danger—like a lion appearing in our living room—and need to act quickly to take care of ourselves. When that lion appears, our amygdala, an almond-shaped mass in the temporal lobe of our brain, processes or modulates fear and activates other important areas of the brain. Cortisol—known as the “fight or flight” hormone—is released in response to perceived threats. Our pupils dilate (to enhance vision), our breathing accelerates, blood flow increases (for increased speed and strength), and, perhaps most fascinatingly, organs that are unnecessary in the moment slow down. (We are not thinking about having sex, for example, when the lion is about to devour us.) We are now prepared to run as fast as we can away from that lion because our brain has prepared our body to react. This is our sympathetic nervous system at its finest, preparing us to do whatever we need to do to survive.
But what happens when we are stressed all the time? What happens when there is no lion, but we are still living in a place of chronic, constant stress? Some of us believe—and deeply feel—that we are constantly under attack, whether from our families, our finances, or our jobs, even though the things we are stressing over may not actually warrant the same response as an actual lion in the room. When we find ourselves feeling threatened all the time, either because we are placed in overtly threatening situations, or because we are overcome by psychological trauma and abuse, physical and emotional burnout, or any number of compromising conditions common with the frenetic pace of modern life, these consistently high levels of cortisol can wreak havoc on our body and lead to anxiety, depression, headaches, poor sleep, diet and digestion issues, and heart disease. Countless studies have concluded that prolonged exposure to stress and increased levels of cortisol are not good for one’s health. Recent studies have even found that high cortisol levels can take a toll on memory, organization, visual attention and perception for people as young as 40, and that higher cortisol levels have been associated with changes in the brain often seen as precursors to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia or even peptic ulcers.
Over extended periods of time, chronic stress, depression, and/or anxiety can all lead to increased risk of developing heart disease - particularly among middle aged men. Sleep patterns can also be adversely affected, and as we all know, not getting enough sleep often begets more stress. Women who are struggling with depression are 17% more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. And there is even evidence that prolonged exposure to stress in the office can increase the likelihood of certain cancers.
While stress can be damaging enough to our physical health on its own, it can also dramatically reduce the efficacy of our immune systems. When we’re under stress our white blood cell count decreases, making it more difficult for our bodies to heal themselves. This weakening of our bodies’ natural defenses also makes us more susceptible to infection from the everyday viruses that are swirling all around us.
Hopefully reading this isn’t adding to your stress – there’s a point here.
COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique kind of dual threat in this regard: the deaths, disruptions, and economic uncertainty that have resulted from COVID have understandably caused widespread concern and anxiety, and incidentally this chronic anxiety can actually put people at greater risk for infection. Those with pre-existing mental health conditions faced almost a 50 percent higher chance of dying from COVID than those without, a troubling stat that was thankfully considered by the CDC when they published their guidance about vaccinations.
So now that we better understand a bit better the inextricable link between our minds and our bodies, how can we take better care of both?
I am a policy guy so it’s almost impossible for me to not talk about the importance of incorporating mental health expertise in our planning for future emergencies. While it may be difficult for us to predict what or when the next major global health emergency will look like, COVID has shown us that our leaders – from the senior brass at FEMA down to our local community organizers – should enthusiastically embrace the presence of mental health experts when planning for future emergency response. It will help prioritize mental health in our response and our communication.
We must also prioritize mental health care for individuals during crises. COVID-19 survivors were found to be 60 percent more likely to experience mental health problems, compared to people who did not contract the virus. This led to increased use of prescription medications, and heightened risk of abusing both alcohol and opioids. Making mental health care a primary focus early on in a crisis (instead of reacting to it later) will ultimately save money on care in the long run, and more importantly, mean people will recover faster.
And perhaps most obvious, we must treat mental and physical health together. New approaches to health care should consider mental and physical health as the intertwined entities that they are. Furthermore, those with mental health or substance use disorders should be guaranteed equal and equitable access to timely, quality care as those who are treated for physical conditions.
It’s all too easy nowadays to fall into a vicious cycle of mental exhaustion that leads to physical exhaustion, which exacerbates mental exhaustion…and so on and so on. The good news, though, is that the mind-body connection works both ways and taking care of ourselves physically – exercising, consuming a well-balanced diet, prioritizing rest and sufficient sleep – will often yield improvements in our mental health, as well. Instead of perpetuating the misconception that our mental and physical health are somehow separate, we should start considering people’s overall health, and treating them accordingly.
I agree with Tyler. The importance of the mind/body connection needs to be more widely understood.
Incredible story that needs to be told and spread! Great work Ben.