Physical Health Worries Affecting Mental Health

Your physical wellbeing can also have an impact on your mental health. When you are feeling unwell, or dealing with unpleasant symptoms daily, it's not unusual for your mental health to decline. This can also happen to children and young people, so it's important to communicate with your child to check in on their mental health when they are physically unwell.

Around 1 in 3 people with serious or long-lasting medical conditions have symptoms of depression, which can be spotted through:

• Low mood
• Sleep problems
• A loss of interest in activities.

When you or your child have a diagnosed, or undiagnosed illness, with symptoms which impact your daily life, it can also cause other mental health stresses like anxiety.

Things You Can Do To Help Children

Children and young people's mental and physical health are interlinked and can affect each other a huge amount. While adults have more autonomy over their actions, it's important we set children up for a healthy start, especially because their bodies are still developing. 

You can help support your child's mental and physical wellbeing by:

• Encouraging exercise - In a digital age, it's important to get children moving and take them outside. Both exercise and fresh air can do wonders for their body and mind. Even a 10-minute walk each day can make a difference.  
• Offer them healthy foods - A diet high in fruit and vegetables, and low in processed sugars and fats will help to fuel their physical development in a healthy way and support their mental wellbeing.
• Warning about alcohol and drugs - While children go through puberty and their teenage years, it's natural for them to test boundaries and engage in riskier behaviour. Both alcohol and drugs can have negative effects on their development and health, so talking to them about these subjects can help to inform them of the risks.  
• Encourage healthy sleep habits - Developing regular and consistent sleep habits with young children can help to encourage good sleep. Older children can notice their sleep disrupted as their brain and body develop, so encouraging relaxation and mindfulness techniques can support them through tricky sleep patterns.   
• Create positivity practices - Encouraging good mental health practices like focussing on positive emotions and events, rather than dwelling on the negatives, can help to reframe their thinking. 
• Encourage them to express themselves - Supporting your children to talk with friends, family or trusted adults can help them to feel less stressed and encourage healthy coping skills as they grow older. 

Not all mental health issues can be prevented, but you can take steps to help keep your child as mentally healthy as possible.

Things You Can Do To Help Yourself

Because physical and mental health go hand in hand, it's worth taking care of both by opting for a healthy lifestyle. You can do this by:

• Getting regular exercise - It's important to keep our bodies fit, but it can also help to improve our minds. Think about how you can move more, within the limits of your ability. 
• Eat a proper diet - A diet high in fruit and vegetables, and low in processed sugars and fats can make you feel better both physically and mentally. If you have specific dietary needs, consider working with a dietician who can help you to make a plan.
• Avoid alcohol and drugs - Although at times when you are struggling with mental health concerns, it can seem like they might make you feel better, both alcohol and drugs will have negative mental and physical effects in the long term. 
• Get enough sleep - Adults should aim for between seven to nine hours of sleep each evening. Optimum times for naps during the day are 30 minutes to help you feel more alert. 
• Try to relax - Relaxing your body and mind is important. Try mindfulness activities like deep breathing, meditation or light exercise to help relieve stress. 
• Get into good habits - Good mental health practices include focussing on positive emotions and events rather than dwelling on the negatives. 
• Seek help - Talking with friends and family can help you to feel less stressed, however, there are services you can call or text if you feel you'd like to speak to someone independent. 

When Should I Get Help?

If you are worried about your mental health and how it may affect your life and your family, there are services out there to listen and support you. You might need more help if;

• You feel low for longer than a couple of weeks and you begin to feel that you have lost interest in things you used to enjoy.
• Your eating and sleeping patterns have changed.
• You don’t want to be with your family and friends and/or they are worried about you.

This could mean you are becoming depressed. It is important you tell someone and get professional help. See your GP to talk about this and / or get in touch with Norfolk Wellbeing Services. Qwell provides free, safe and anonymous mental wellbeing support for adults in Norfolk and Waveney from a professional team of qualified counsellors.

If you do not feel ‘safe’ and think you might hurt yourself, you should ask for an emergency GP appointment or go to A&E.