Nourish Mind and Body: The Link between Emotional Health and Overall Well-Being

Your journey to true health begins and ends with you. Sounds pretty obvious right? But this statement is cornerstone in achieving a level of health and well-being far beyond your highest expectations. First of all, it's important to recognize that living at your fullest and reaching your health goals is in fact a journey, not a destination. Secondly, it's also crucial to understand that your mental and spiritual health- what it really is that makes you who you are- goes hand in hand with your physical well-being. For example, I remember often getting so worried and worked up about an upcoming test that I would physically make myself sick. Or how about the time you ate that chocolate macadamia nut cookie the size of your head and more than likely your total allotment of calories for the whole day, only to encounter overwhelming feelings of guilt and self-loathing? Emotions such as anxiety, guilt and self-loathing can easily build and create an emotional downward spiral that is detrimental to your overall spiritual and physical health. Emotions manifest themselves physically and when trying to combat health issues it's important to start with the correct frame of mind.

As reported on The Today Show, oftentimes when you change your mind, you just may just change your body, too. According to Psychologist Gareth Dutton, our ‘self talk' or ‘internal dialogue' can make or break a health regimen.

“The problem is that many people simply aren't aware of how destructive their thoughts are. The thing that precedes your behavior is a thought, and we sometimes aren't good at getting in touch with our thoughts,”

Therefore, the first step in achieving your health goals is to recognize how your thoughts are undermining your plan. Then you need to challenge the negative thinking.

Here are a few foundational tips for improving your mental and therefore physical health:

• Learn to manage stress so that it doesn't manage you

• Recognize emotions and attempt to figure out why you're feeling the way that you are

• Harness negative thoughts- A positive outlook can improve your quality of life and give your health a boost.

• Utilize the power of auto suggestion- avoid thinking negative thoughts and vocalizing them. Whatever you think, will be.

• Let go of things in your life that make you feel stressed or overwhelmed and make time for things you enjoy.

• Express yourself rather than keeping things bottled up- Let others know what you're feeling and if something is bothering you

• Maintain healthy relationships

• Calm your mind and body through stretching, exercising or breathing deeply

• Learn to face and accept change

Only by taking responsibility for your thoughts and your actions and by recognizing the link between mind and body will you uncover the key to feeling healthier, younger and more alive.