How Your Mental Health and Physical Wellbeing Are Inextricably Intertwined, per Dr. Mani Kukreja

The world is finally waking up to the vital role that mental health plays in our overall well-being, but unfortunately, there still remains a lot of confusion and lack of awareness concerning the relationship between mental and physical health.

Many individuals regard the two as separate entities, but as Dr. Mani Kukreja is keen to emphasize, they are flip sides of the same coin—you ignore one to the detriment of the other.

“When you are internally stressed, anxious, or depressed, it’s often easy to overlook the effect this has on everything from the immune system to the digestive process and your cardiovascular health,” explained Dr. Mani Kukreja, who elaborated, “Your body is a mirror of your mind and vice versa. When one aspect of the whole is not working properly, the other will also feel out of whack. This, in turn, creates a vicious cycle where a compromised immune system can lead to further anxiety and stress, which again can affect the proper functioning of other bodily processes such as your heart, bowel, and lungs. Likewise, a poor diet and lack of regular exercise can play havoc with our state of mind and mental health. We must think of our body and mind as key components in the same finely-tuned motor and focus on their relationship accordingly.”

As someone who felt the calling of the medical profession from a young age, Dr. Mani Kukreja has an almost evangelical zeal when it comes to creating a society of functional health and wellness. She believes in preventative medicine and measures in all things the core values of nutrition and lifestyle. She also believes that if you take care of yourself physically, you are also fortifying yourself mentally.

Dr. Mani Kukreja said, “Everything—from the food you put into your mouth to the amount of fresh air and exercise you get—contributes to your mental health. Depression and anxiety can just as easily be triggered by a diet containing excessive sugar or fat as they can by personal and professional circumstances. The trick is to seek what is wholesome and natural in all things. Poor mental health caused by erroneous choices or toxic influences can lead to poor physical health, but the sooner you realize that the two are inextricably linked, the sooner you’ll start to identify patterns and look for solutions to enhance that relationship and make it unbreakable.”

Here’s hoping Dr. Mani Kukreja’s deep and meaningful insights motivate you to embrace better mental and physical health in 2022 and beyond.