Physical health might have killed your mental health. Here’s how.

I’ve always found something quite intriguing when people say that ‘physical health is mental health’. While good mental health is of course preached in many ways by different platforms, I’ve always believed that the easiest way has always been to get better physically. Not to be judgemental, but you can tell when someone doesn’t even have the self control to pick what goes and out of their own mouth or lift weights up and down for 20 mins in a day. It’s not a shock that they are always sad and disappointed with themselves. I’m not saying that all unfit people are, but this applies to most. 

Yes, being in better shape might only give temporary satisfaction to some, or even might leave some others unbothered. However, what really makes the difference is the journey and what you learn along the way. To be in good shape, you must be consistent, dedicated, and have a lot of self-control. It’s the easiest way to practice and develop good qualities that you’ve always wanted, and get rid of the bad ones such as laziness. Being in better shape also give you a feeling of self accomplishment, proving your own worth to yourself. It shows that you are disciplined enough to get in better shape, and will make you more confident in yourself. Not only this, but it also teaches consistency and how to not give up when you don’t see results. There is a high chance that you may be doing things wrong, or are not seeing results as fast as you’d like, given the time and effort your putting in. This is what really changes you and your life outside the gym. Not that your body that is now not as fat and is more muscular, but rather your newly developed mentality towards life and things in general. 

This is the right and easiest way to change habits. It always starts from a change in identity. People often want to change outcomes, so they try changing their processes which lead to those outcomes. If you really think about it, you will find that you are probably no different. Many of the intentional things you do in your life are simply for the outcome. For example, you may think ‘I want to make a larger impact in my society and others’ lives, what should I do now?’. While it may not seem like a bad thing to think of, it actually plays a huge role in your mentality towards things. You should always look to changing your true identity. Try thinking ‘I am now a better and more useful person in my society. What should I do?’. This changes your processes which then lead to outcomes. While it may seem like the same thing, one targets change due to better outcomes and the other targets change in order to improve yourself as a person. The same can be applied in your way of approaching changes to your physical health.

I do also want to add that you should never be ashamed of eating healthy. In the modern world, everyone is so used to eating junk that whenever anyone makes a conscious attempt to eat in a healthy and controlled manner, it is labeled as ‘dieting’. It is a misconception that diets need to be tough. They should taste good and be sustainable, or else it will eventually lead to you eventually craving once your motivation runs out. Simply eat in smaller plates, and switch out calorie-dense palatable snacks for low calorie-dense snacks. Don’t complicate things.