The sound mind is as important as the sound body and a well balanced soul. Two of the systems of health that receive the least recognition yet are most intertwined are our mental and gut health. Science has indeed found that our gut and brain are linked by the gut-brain axis, and when one’s in an uproar, so is the other. In the world we live in full of stress, dead foods, and time management problems, the two of you can not afford to not look out for each other. Here, we explore why they are important and offer the best tips for good mental health and gut health.
Mental Health and its Need in Modern World:
Mental Health is a condition of personal balance in relation to others and outside-self influences which allows us to feel and act in a way that brings us comfort, satisfaction, and possibility for growth, whether psychological, emotional, or physical in nature, and whether it occurs in moments, hours, days, or throughout a lifespan.
It affects how we think and feel every single day of our lives. But mental health problems are on the rise in today’s society. Work stress, money stress, relationship stress, technology-induced stress, no-quality-rest stress etc all of it has people careening toward anxiety, depression and emotional burnout.
There is also a stigma of mental health that makes many people shy to get help in the first place. And today, mental health is no longer simply the absence of a mental illness; it’s also the presence of resiliency, self-awareness and emotional health.This is why, in today’s world, where stress at some level is likely unavoidable as long as we work and live among other people, cultivating positive mental health habits is not just a lifestyle choice.
Gut Health and its Need in Modern World:
Your gut is sometimes referred to as your second brain since it plays such an important role in digestion and nutrient absorption — as well as your mood and immunity. A good gut has trillions of good bacteria that assist with digestion, make crucial vitamins and help fortify our immune system. In the modern way of life, gut health is being assaulted. Processed foods, sugar, stress, antibiotics, fiber-underuse and erratic eating are wreaking havoc on your gut bacteria.
In reality, studies indicate that an unhealthy gut can in fact bring about feelings of stress, anxiousness and despair as the gut and the mind communicate. In other words, a vulnerable gut doesn’t merely mess with digestion if you become ill it messes with your health in general. That is why gut health is as imperative as mental health in this fast paced convenience-led lifestyle.
Best Tips for Mental Health:
1. Sleep Comes First
Getting enough sleep is very important for our mental wellbeing. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night, as best you can, and you can reach your goal by limiting technological use for at least an hour before sleep, and keeping a consistent sleep schedule as best as you can.
2. Mindfulness and Meditation
FACT: In the past 10 years of research it has been shown daily meditation for 10-15 min a day can increase your ability to focus, and make your mind more resistant to stress.
3. Stay Physically Active
Training isn’t just for the body. Because when you are in a room, running or walking, exercise also taps into what evolutionary biologists call the body’s native pharmacy endorphins are the body’s natural feel-good, feel-rewarded system.It might even be a stress-reducer, a mania-preventer, a self-esteem-enhancer.
4. Develop Social Relationships
Loneliness can sometimes be one of our hidden mental health struggles that we sometimes do not even see within ourselves, let alone for people around us. Relationships are healthy ones, lengthy discussions with friends, and your sense of community (connectedness) which will provide emotional scaffolding and reduce feelings of loneliness.
5. Limit Digital Overload
Sipping tea and scrolling social media mindlessly leads to anxiety and comparison-based stress. Take a check belonging to the following tips and enjoy a clearer mind and peace everyday.
Best Tips for Gut Health:
1.Whole Grain, Legumes, Fruit and Veggies
Fiber feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Just remember to include a whole grain, legume or fruit or veggies at every meal and snack.In exchange, they will defend your digestion, and preserve your microbiome.
2. Hydration matters.
There is no digesting and assimilating without water. The cup of water daily, helps prevent constipation and makes it easy for the bowels to function. This cup helps support smooth gut function.
3. Introduce Probiotics/Prebiotics
You can substitute the good (yogurt, kefir, kimchi, kombucha); you can substitute prebiotics (bananas, garlic, onions, asparagus).
4. Minimize Processed foods and sugar
Processed food kills gut flora and promotes bad bacteria. Replace the junk with all natural healthy food. Limiting refined sugar is also beneficial for anyone with inflammation and poor digestion.
5.Manage Stress
Stress is bad not only for the mind; it messes up digestion. Cortisol, for example, slows gut movement, leading to discomfort. But meditating no matter what your scheduling, suffering, or sneaking a little bit of sleep can actually be protective of the gut, and the brain.
FAQs:
Q1. How are mental health and gut health connected?
ANS. The gut and brain are connected, the gut makes neurotransmitters — like serotonin, sometimes called the happiness hormone — and has the potential to influence mood. An unhealthy gut has also been associated with symptoms of depression, stress or anxiety.
Q2. Can diet ‘keep the brain young’ for better mental health?
ANS. Well, actually yes, there are foods good for your brain, meals that contain omega-3 fats, antioxidant-packed whole foods like leafy greens and berries and complex carbohydrates that, put together, sound a bit like a prescription strength lifeline for those feeling eaten alive by strains of life. The foods that are best for our gut can also be good for our mental health and not just for mild mental health problems like some short-term anxiety and depression but also for more serious mental health issues like anxiety and depression that can last a lifetime as well as our immune function and ability to fight inflammation. .
Q3.What are the signs of an unhealthy gut?
ANS. Symptoms of digestive distress, you find yourself getting gassy and bloated; you can’t seem to digest certain foods, or at least without a lot of cramping and gurgling; you’re constipated or indiscreet with diarrhea; you’re more tired than you can reason out logically; and, well, you’re moody.
Q4. So what really is the ideal dose of exercise to promote a sound mind and gut?
ANS. Try to get yourselves a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity every day. This is good for your mood, aids in stress modulation, and food moving through the digestive tract.
Q5. Does the stress itself harm the gut?
ANS. Sure, Chronic stress might be able to harm digestion as it wipes out the good bacteria that leads to issues like acidity, IBS and even inflammation. Gut microbiota homeostasis is related to stress handling.
