I asked Director and Principal Psychologist Christine Bagley-Jones of the Counselling and Wellbeing Centre, Woollongabba, to write a blog for me about the link between mental and physical health incorporating physical exercise. She and her team of psychologists help individuals, couples, families and organisations achieve social, emotional and physical well-being.
By looking after your physical and your mental health, you can feel stronger, more competent and boost your self-esteem. Understanding the link between mind and body is the first step in developing strategies to reduce the existence of poor health of any form. Mental health is more than the absence of a mental health condition or illness: it is a positive sense of well-being, or the capacity to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we may face.
Mental health impacts each and every one of us. We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health. Mental health is not fixed. It is influenced by a range of factors, including our life experiences, workplace, social and economic conditions and of course our physical state.
Whatever attitude you have about your body and physical constitution, it will inevitably impact your mental health. This can have an effect on all areas of your life including your relationships, career, and aspirations. This is why it is so important to look after all of you.
A starting point for positive change may be as simple as embracing your exercise routine (including strengthening your pelvic floor and making the exercise pelvic floor safe if necessary) with an attitude of optimism and belief that you are doing your body a big favour.
Because ‘good’ mental health is essential for maintaining your physical health, at the Counselling & Wellbeing Centre we use an holistic approach. That is, we look after your mind, body and spirit. We can assist in resolving past issues, negative thought patterns, motivational issues and low mood. By utilizing a variety of proactive psychological therapies that suit you, we can get to the heart of the matter and assist with making lasting changes.
Thanks Christine for this blog. Mind and body are inexorably linked and it is important to do your best to work on both. At Studio 194 we offer dance, yoga, Pilates and a pain relaxation class- all amazing opportunities to fine-tune your body and if there are issues that you need help with, it sounds like the fantastic psychologists at Christine’s Counselling and Wellness Centre will be able to help.
Amanda Lee demonstrating Pilates
Nicoletta dancing up a storm
Wilson’s Prom, Victoria. A beautiful vista to ponder!