1 in 4 people are affected by a mental health problem every year in the UK. Stress, anxiety and depression are common. Having good mental health doesn’t mean the absence of these symptoms.
It’s ok to feel these symptoms, they are a part of every day life. Everyone will experience difficulties, bereavement, heart-break, and disappointments. It is important to acknowledge these feelings and not simply ignore them. Having good mental health means that you will be able to talk about your feelings, have the support in place to keep going and you have the resilience to be able to keep going.
However, when your mental health starts to affect your daily life so you find it difficult to keep working, maintain relationship or take care of yourself you may need to reach out for help. Your mental health can have an impact on your social and physical wellbeing. You can find relationships start to be affected, or you may start to experience physical symptoms such as pain, digestive problems, panic attacks, headaches and other symptoms.
Developing healthy habits when things are going well will help you to have the tools in place to cope when difficulties arise in life. Many of my patients who come with pain are experiencing stress or other emotional symptoms which has affected their physical wellbeing. We talk through the relationship between their emotional and physical symptoms and alongside strengthening the physical, develop strategies for improving mental wellbeing too.