How to Protect Your Body From Your Own Destructive Thoughts

In my work as a keynote speaker on self-care for Healthcare professionals, I am often asked: “How does mental health impact physical health?” This question is relevant, especially for caregivers who may prioritize others’ well-being at the expense of their own. The answer is that your mental and physical health are deeply interconnected, and understanding that link can empower you to nurture wellness.

Understanding the Basics of Mental Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mental health includes your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It enables you to cope with life’s stresses, work productively, and contribute to your communities. Mental health is equally important to overall health and is closely linked with physical health. CDC

Similarly, the Mental Health Foundation (UK) states that physical and mental health are not separate; they influence each other in multiple ways. Mental Health Foundation

As Healthcare professionals, recognizing this connection means you cannot treat mental health as a “nice to have” add-on; it is foundational to physical well-being and must be woven into self-care and patient care practices.

The Bi-Directional Link: Mental Health → Physical Health (and vice versa)

How poor mental health can affect the body

People with a mental health problem are more likely to have a preventable physical health condition, such as heart disease,” thanks to several mechanisms: genetics, low motivation to self-care, difficulties concentrating/planning, and reduced access to routine physical health checks.

Depression increases the risk for many types of physical, long-lasting (chronic) conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk of developing a mental health condition.

Finally, good mental health can positively affect physical health, while poor mental health can adversely affect it. WebMD

Some specific examples:

• Chronic stress triggers the “fight-or-flight” response, characterized by increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and increased glucose release. If sustained, this takes a toll on the cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems.

• Depression and anxiety can manifest physically: fatigue, headaches, digestive problems, insomnia, restlessness.

• Lower engagement with self-care (exercise, healthy eating, quitting smoking) in the presence of mental health issues increases the risk of physical illness.

How physical health conditions influence mental health

While mental health affects physical health, the reverse is also true: living with a chronic physical illness can increase the risk of mental health problems such as depression or anxiety. The CDC: “…the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for developing a mental health condition.” CDC

This two-way relationship means that, in Healthcare settings, you must address both the body and the mind. Treating one without acknowledging the other risks incomplete care.

Mechanisms: How the Connection Works

Biological pathways

• Stress hormones (e.g., cortisol, adrenaline), when chronically elevated, can cause wear and tear (“allostatic load”) on the body’s systems: cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune.  on stress)

• Inflammation appears as a connecting process: mental distress may contribute to inflammatory responses, which in turn contribute to chronic physical conditions.

• Behavioral changes: poor mood may lead to inactivity, unhealthy eating, smoking, or neglecting check-ups. All impacts physical health.

Social/behavioral pathways

• Mental health challenges may reduce motivation, energy, or executive functioning needed to plan and attend to medical appointments or adhere to treatment regimens.

• People with mental health issues may receive less proactive physical health care, for example, being less likely to receive routine checks (blood pressure, cholesterol) due to assumptions that physical symptoms are “just psychological”.

• Broader social determinants (housing, employment, community safety) influence both mental and physical health. The CDC emphasises that factors at individual, family, community, and societal levels affect mental health.

Why It Matters for Healthcare Professionals & Self-Care

For you, this connection offers powerful motivation to integrate mental health into physical care planning — whether for yourself, your team, or when advising peers.

• Holistic resilience: Recognizing that good mental health supports good physical health helps build overall resilience, which is vital in clinical, caregiving, and high-stress Healthcare settings.

• Prevention focus: Early attention to factors like stress, mood, sleep, and social support can help prevent physical health decline. The CDC emphasises that promoting mental health can improve overall health.

• Improving outcomes: When mental and physical health are addressed together, patients (and providers) can achieve better outcomes with fewer complications and a better quality of life.

• Modeling self-care culture: By embodying the integration of mental and physical care, Healthcare professionals can model healthier behaviour and encourage systems that support staff well-being.

Practical Strategies to Support Both Mental and Physical Health

Here are actionable steps:

• Daily movement: Even a short burst of brisk walking (10 minutes) can improve mood, increase energy, and support both mental and physical health.

• Balanced nutrition: A diet rich in proteins, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals supports brain health (mood regulation) and body health.

• Quit smoking / reduce alcohol: These behaviors negatively impact both mental and physical health; smoking, for example, may feel like relief in the short term but harms long-term health.

• Routine medical checks: Encourage yourself and referrals (if you work with other clinicians) to stay up to date on blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, and screenings — especially if mental health issues are present.

• Support networks & community: Strong social connections and supportive relationships act as protective factors for mental health, which in turn support physical well-being.

• Mind-body practices: Techniques such as mindfulness, stress management, and good sleep hygiene help regulate mood, reduce stress hormone levels, and support physical systems.

Final Thoughts

 View your mental wellness as a core pillar of your physical wellness. When you prioritize your emotional, psychological, and social well-being, you are also investing in your body’s health, your resilience, your ability to serve others, and ultimately your longevity.

In environments where physical health (ours or our patients’) is often the focus, let’s intentionally bring mental health into the equation. Because the strongest care systems and the healthiest individuals are those that honor the whole person