Mental Health and Physical Health Home › Learn More › Mental Health and Physical

Health Mental health is essential to everyone’s overall health and well-being, and mental
illnesses are common and treatable. So much of what we do physically impacts us
mentally –it’s important to pay attention to both your physical health and your mental
health, which can help you achieve overall wellness and set you on a path to recovery. A
healthy lifestyle can help to prevent the onset or worsening of mental health conditions
like depression and anxiety, as well as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other chronic
health problems. It can also play a big role in helping people recover from these
conditions. Taking good care of your body is part of a Before Stage Four approach to
mental health. Managing stress, getting enough sleep, staying active, and eating healthy
are important actions to take to improve your overall health and wellness. Read on for
more information, fact sheets, and worksheets to help you get started. If you are taking
steps to live a healthy lifestyle, but still feel like you are struggling with your mental
health, take our online mental health screening. It’s free, confidential, and anonymous.
Once you have your results, we’ll give you information and help you find tools and
resources to feel better. Stress No one likes to be stressed out – especially when we know
it can be linked to poor health. Learning how to manage your stress can be a small
change with a big positive impact on your physical and mental health. Stress is a normal
part of life. You can feel stress in your body when you have too much to do or when you
haven’t slept well. You can also feel stress when you worry about things like your job,
money, relationships, or a friend or family member who is struggling with illness or
difficult circumstances. Read more about stress and managing stress here. Making
changes to how you handle stress can be difficult. Print out this worksheet to help you
get started. Sleep Your physical and emotional health depend so much on how rested you
are. Sleep is fundamental to a healthy mind and body – getting a good night’s sleep can
make a huge difference in your overall health. It plays a role in our moods, ability to
learn and make memories, the health of our organs, how well our immune system
works, and other bodily functions like appetite, metabolism, and hormone release. Read
more about sleep and tips for getting a good night’s sleep here. Making changes to your
sleep schedule and habits can be a challenge. Print out this worksheet to help you get
started. Exercise Staying active can benefit so many aspects of your health and can even
prevent physical and mental health symptoms from worsening. It’s important to
incorporate physical activity daily to ensure your body and your mind are healthy. You
don’t have to have a gym membership to make exercise a part of your life. Picking
physical activities that you enjoy and are easy to incorporate into your routine is
important. Read more about the benefits of exercise here. Incorporating new activities
into your routine takes time. Print out this worksheet to help you get started. Nutrition,
Diet, and Gut Health The quality of the food you eat can impact your overall physical
and mental health. Eating nutritious foods can go a long way toward achieving a healthy
lifestyle. That gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of your stomach is all too real – your gut
is sensitive to emotions like anger, anxiety, sadness, and joy – and your brain can react to
signals from your stomach. All the more reason to eat a balanced and nutritious diet – so
that your gut and your brain can be healthy. Diet is linked to the hippocampus, a key
area of the brain involved in learning, memory, and mental health. People with healthy
diets have more hippocampal volume than those with unhealthy diets.

Yes, because there is an interrelation between both physical and mental health. Good
mental health can be a basis for good physical health because then the person cares for
his or her physical health more. It's very difficult for a person with depression or some
other mental health disorder to care for physical health. Mental stress also weakens the
immune system which can be a cause of my physical disorders. Good physical health
can be a basis for good mental health because of various factors. For example, while
exercising our body produces serotonin which is a natural antidepressant. Good physical
health may also lead to increased self-esteem, increased self-confidence and increased
 productivity, all these factors boost mental health. In conclusion, we need to care for both
physical and mental health to become really healthy.

Promoting mental health and

wellbeing in your school
Mental health and wellbeing
Mental health is more than the absence of mental illness. Mental health is a state of
wellbeing where people can meet their learning potential, cope with normal stresses,
and are connected to community and their friends

Why mental health and wellbeing is promoted in

schools
For most people, mental health issues emerge when they are young — half of all
mental disorders emerge by the time people are 14 years old and three quarters by 25
years old – the same period when most people are in education.

As well as increasing a person's opportunity and choices in life, promoting mental

health and wellbeing as a core role in education helps students:

 flourish in their education journey

 build resilience against adversity
 develop protective factors from mental ill-health
 provide them with skills and confidence to self-seek help for early intervention.  

Key features of promoting mental health and

wellbeing in schools
Whole of school approaches
A whole school approach involves everyone (schools leaders, teachers, staff and
parents) to embed a safe and inclusive learning culture and environments, including:

 providing social and emotional skills programs

 providing timely support for those with additional needs
 involving students and families in decision-making.  

Resilience building for students

Resilience is the ability to cope and thrive in the face of negative events, challenges or
adversity. It is a skill that can be developed through:
 positive social connections
 safe environments
 life skills such as positive coping and problem solving skills
 pro-social values
 positive self-regard
 and a sense of purpose and agency or responsibility.
l

Health and Physical Education Learning Area

Focuses on students enhancing their own and others' health, safety, wellbeing and
physical activity participation in varied and changing contexts. The curriculum
focuses on supporting students to develop the understanding and skills they require to
make healthy and safe choices that will enhance their own and others' health and
wellbeing.

See health and physical education learning area resources

Personal and Social Capability

This involves students:

 learning to recognise and regulate emotions

 develop empathy for others and understand relationships
 establish and build a framework for positive relationships
 work effectively in teams and develop leadership skills,
 handle challenging situations constructively.
See personal and social capability resources

About Mental Health Conditions

Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking,
feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Just as
diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical
conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the
ordinary demands of life.

Serious mental health conditions include major depression,

schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD),
panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline
personality disorder. The good news about mental health conditions is
that recovery is possible.

Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income.
Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of
character or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most
people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief
from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment
plan.
In addition to medication treatment, psychosocial treatment such as
cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups
and other community services can also be components of a treatment
plan and that assist with recovery. The availability of transportation,
diet, exercise, sleep, friends and meaningful paid or volunteer activities
contribute to overall health and wellness, including mental illness
recovery.

Facts About Mental Health Conditions and

Recovery
Mental heath conditions are serious medical conditions. They cannot be
overcome through “will power” and are not related to a person’s
“character” or intelligence. Mental illness falls along a continuum of
severity. Even though mental illness is widespread in the population,
the main burden of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion
— about six percent, or one in 17 Americans — who live with a serious
mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that one
in four adults — approximately 57.7 million Americans — experience a
mental health disorder in a given year

The U.S. Surgeon General reports that 10 percent of children and

adolescents in the United States suffer from serious emotional and
mental disorders that cause significant functional impairment in their
day-to-day lives at home, in school, and with peers.

The World Health Organization has reported that 4 of the 10 leading

causes of disability in the US and other developed countries are mental
disorders. By 2020, Major Depressive illness will be the leading cause
of disability in the world for women and children.

Mental illness usually strike individuals in the prime of their lives, often
during adolescence and young adulthood. All ages are susceptible, but
the young and the old are especially vulnerable.

Without treatment, the consequences of mental illness for the individual

and society are staggering. Untreated mental health conditions can
result in unnecessary disability, unemployment, substance abuse,
homelessness, inappropriate incarceration, and suicide, and poor quality
of life. The economic cost of untreated mental illness is more than 100
billion dollars each year in the United States.

The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly
effective; between 70 and 90 percent of individuals have a significant
reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination
of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and supports.

With appropriate effective medication and a wide range of services

tailored to their needs, most people who live with serious mental
illnesses can significantly reduce the impact of their conditions and find
a satisfying measure of achievement and independence. A key concept
is to develop expertise in developing strategies to manage the illness
process.

Early identification and treatment are of vital importance; by ensuring

access to the treatment and recovery supports that are proven effective,
recovery is accelerated and the further harm related to the course of
illness is minimized.

Stigma erodes confidence that mental disorders are real, treatable health
conditions. Our society has allowed stigma and a now unwarranted
sense of hopelessness to erect attitudinal, structural and financial
barriers to effective treatment and recovery. It is time to take these
barriers down.

More Information & Resources

Types of Mental Illnesses
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking,
feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Learn
more about the different types of mental illnesses.

Though an exciting time in many young adults' lives, college can also
introduce struggles such as social pressures to conform or experiment with
drugs and alcohol, problems achieving work-life balance, impostor
syndrome, and a lack of sleep. College students may also feel
disconnected from their support systems back home as they encounter
new people, values, and life experiences.

All of these changes put college students at risk of developing mental

illness. School-related stress can even exacerbate existing conditions.

School-related changes and

stress put college students at
risk of developing mental illness
 and can even exacerbate
existing conditions.
The onset of certain psychiatric disorders,
including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, typically happens before
individuals reach their mid-20s. As such, prevention and recognizing the
warning signs of deteriorating mental health are key to maintaining a
healthy lifestyle in college.

While the transition to college can be challenging, most students

eventually acclimate to their new surroundings. As a campus mental health
provider, I compiled some tips to help you make a smooth transition to
higher education and maintain balance and well-being throughout your
college years.

7 Tips for Staying Healthy in

College
 Get Enough Sleep
Nearly every day I advise students to sleep more and work less. It often
feels as though there aren't enough hours in the day for college students
to do everything they want to do, whether that's going to class, studying,
socializing, working, playing sports, or participating in extracurriculars. In
this atmosphere of constant activity, sleep is often the first thing to go.

In college, it's almost a badge of honor to pull an all nighter. In the end,
though, it doesn't matter how cool it might be or how many more hours
you could spend studying by staying awake — getting enough sleep is
critical to your health and well-being, not to mention your grades.

The best way to improve your sleep is to practice better sleep hygiene.

Here are some practical tips to help you get a better night's sleep:

 Go to sleep and wake up at the same times every day

 Don't drink caffeine too late at night
 Avoid napping during the day
 Use your bed only for sleeping
 Exercise Regularly
Exercise can help with your sleep and also improve your overall fitness.
Students' relationships with exercise can vary significantly. Some exercise
to relieve stress and will prioritize fitting it in, even when they're busy,
while others will let it be one of the first things to drop off when they start
to feel overwhelmed.

If you're in the first category, be sure you're using exercise as a healthy

coping mechanism and that you're not overexercising to the point of
hurting yourself or losing too much weight. If you belong to the latter
category, I recommend finding ways to incorporate exercise into your
everyday routine, even if it's just a brisk walk around campus.

 Eat a Balanced Diet

Eating healthy in college can be challenging when relying on dining halls
instead of home-cooked meals, or when your finances limit your food
options. The Center for Young Women's Health and Nutritious Life provide
useful guides for evaluating your food options.

Carry healthy snacks with you,

such as carrots, bananas, nuts,
dried fruit, and kale chips.
One key to healthy eating is being aware that with odd studying hours
and class schedules, you might get hungry at seemingly random times.
Make an effort to carry healthy snacks with you, such as carrots, bananas,
nuts, dried fruit, and kale chips.

If you've ever struggled with eating, college can be a particularly triggering

time. This is because restricting what you eat, binge eating, and purging
are often tied to control and self-esteem. When you're stressed with
school, you can start to feel out of control and bad about yourself.

If you notice you've been resorting to unhealthy patterns of behavior,

whether new or old, make an appointment to speak with a nutritionist,
mental health provider, or primary care doctor at your student health
center right away. Don't put it off — your health takes priority.

 Make Time for Self-Care

It's easy to forget to take care of yourself in college. But no matter how
busy you may be, you need to learn to schedule time to do something you
like or that relaxes you. Some may enjoy getting massages, seeing
movies, or engaging in a hobby, while others may prefer performing yoga
or practicing mindfulness.

Students can greatly benefit from focusing on the here and now,
particularly when anxious or stressed. Consider using a meditation app to
hone your mindfulness skills.

 Recognize the Risks of Substance Use

College students often feel pressure to experiment with drugs and alcohol.
This is particularly true given the normalization of binge drinking on
college campuses, society's shifting attitudes toward marijuana use, and
the prevalence of vaping.

Closely monitor your behaviors,

including how often you use
drugs and/or drink.
It's important for students to understand the health risks associated with
drug use. Ultimately, you should be making informed, rather than socially
determined, decisions.

For example, while students may believe marijuana is harmless, the drug
actually carries many risks, particularly regarding mental health. Be sure
you closely monitor your behaviors, including how often you use drugs
and/or drink.

It's also helpful for college students to socialize outside of parties and look
for alternative ways to hang out with friends without the involvement of
drugs and alcohol.

 Value Sexual Health and Safety

Sexual health is another key part of overall wellness. Students should
practice safe sex and understand the different methods of protection and
 birth control. They should also know how to access STD screenings at their
college health center.

Additionally, students should know how to talk about consent and safety in

intimate relationships. Unfortunately, sexual assault remains a widespread
issue on college campuses.

Some schools employ bystander training programs, which show students

how to take action if they see a violent crime or assault. Such programs
can also teach students about reporting mechanisms on campus and
mental health treatment options for those who have experienced trauma.

 Become Health Literate

One of college students' biggest hurdles is learning to take care of
themselves. In other words, you should feel confident doing the following:

 Making doctor appointments online, by phone, and in person

 Discussing health conditions and treatment options
 Using basic health vocabulary
 Asking doctors questions
 Taking and refilling medications
Ideally, students will talk about health literacy with their parents or
guardians before they get to campus, especially if they're already on
medication or have a chronic condition. Even students without health
issues can benefit from this conversation.

Understanding Mental Illness

and How to Get Help
Mental health challenges can be debilitating, often causing college
students to struggle socially and academically. Read on to learn how you
can help yourself and your peers.