When we talk about mental health… are we referring to something totally unrelated to physical health? And when we refer to the emotional discomfort that someone is going through, do we imply that this phenomenon has no effects on their body?
The truth is that decades of research in the fields of psychology, neuroscience and philosophy have shown that That mind/body split is fundamentally fictitious A theoretical resource that human beings use to make it easier for us to understand the complexity of our existence and our way of being in the world.
Now… If we start from the idea that the mental and the physical are part of the same reality, that would mean that psychopathologies are, deep down, something that belongs to the same category as diseases that damage our organs and muscles. cellular tissues. Is this true? The answer is yes, and there is something that shows it: psychosomatizations. In many ways, there are certain psychological complications that, if not well attended to, begin to have effects that we can physically observe in our body, which is damaged.
This term refers to physical health problems that have as their main cause, or one of their main causes, psychological alterations, such as anxiety, trauma or impulse control disorders. These types of problems can occur through two main routes, which are often combined:
In short, psychosomatizations show us that no matter how much we try to “corner” our emotional and psychological problems in general, they are capable of emerging to the surface of our corporality, making their signals visible to everyone, by going beyond the limits of our mind and our subjectivity. That is why we should not act as if nothing is happening when we notice that something is not right in our way of experiencing life and relationships.
What to do to avoid these problems?
Follow these tips to prevent alterations associated with psychosomatizations in your body.
1. Never underestimate the importance of mental health
The main idea that you should remember is that we must take responsibility for our emotions and know how to express them so as not to get sick. If we take for granted that our mental health is the rug under which we can accumulate everything swept away in our lives, We will end up suffering crises that will affect us not only psychologically, but also physically
The fact that the immediate consequences of mental problems are not shown in such an obvious way in our appearance leads many people to fall into error and underestimate the importance of good emotional balance and good levels of self-regulation of their own behavior. . That is to say, since anxiety or depressive symptoms do not make us bleed or cause malformations, the fiction is generated that they are superficial problems, something incapable of making a real dent in our existence. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In the same way that the state of your mind affects your body, if you take care of your body, you will be preventing the appearance of psychological disorders. For example, it is known that certain alterations that affect the digestive system and trigger inflammatory processes predispose us to developing depression; Likewise, lack of sleep makes us more vulnerable to anxiety disorders. In this sense, It is important that you exercise regularly, get enough sleep and eat a balanced diet ; And don’t miss regular medical checkups, of course.
3. Express what you feel
Today we know that if we are able to put into words what worries us or makes us feel distressed, we will be better able to manage it emotionally, and not fall into the tendency to try to avoid thinking about those things. That’s why, It is recommended that you fill out a personal diary and don’t be afraid to express your feelings by talking to your loved ones.
4. When you notice that something is not right, go to psychotherapy
In the psychologist’s consultation you will learn ways to modulate and express your emotions, so that your physical health does not have to bear your inability to deal with what you feel.
Do you want to have psychotherapeutic support?
If you are interested in going to psychotherapy, you should know that the sooner you start having professional help, the greater your ability will be to tackle the emotional or stress-related problem in time. In this sense, I invite you to contact me.
My name is Carolina Marin and I am a General Health Psychologist, as well as a psychotherapist federated by the FEAP. I can assist you in person or online.
