YOU ARE NOT A ROBOT: body and mind required

WORDS : DESIREE ZIELKE, PH.D,

LP

PHOTOGRAPHY : JENNA LENERTZ PHOTOGRAPHY

Every time I meet with a new client I ask about sleep, exercise and nutrition. “Why?” you may ask. And my answer is: Because the mind and body are connected. We cannot walk around without our head and our head cannot go anywhere without our body. We women (myself included) tend to treat our body as if it is a robot that will continue to function if we give it food, water, shelter and a little bit of sleep. If none of you have noticed, let me be the one to tell you: That approach does not work for the long haul! That approach leads us to exhaustion, fatigue, depression, etc. Making even small changes in our daily routine to focus more on how we are treating our bodies can have an impact on our emotional health as well.

Research and clinical experience show that exercise can be beneficial for depression, anxiety and stress. Of course, it gets us active, but it also releases feel-good chemicals into our brain. Just five minutes of moderate exercise can provide a mood boost, this can be taking a brisk walk around the block two times on a work break, or walking up and down the stairs at the office or home. Studies have shown that walking at a moderate intensity for 22 minutes every day (a lunch break) can have a positive impact on overall health. We have included a treadmill office in our practice to help our clients and ourselves get in some walking every day. Exercise is also a great way to get some “alone” time to think, while giving you a sense of accomplishment.

What we eat impacts how we feel. Think about the last time you had a greasy fast-food lunch. How did you feel that afternoon? I bet you wanted a nap and struggled to stay awake through the rest of the workday. A box of cookies? That will leave you feeling jittery with a big crash afterwards. I ask clients about nutrition because if you are not eating a well-balanced diet (e.g., eating lots of convenience foods) and struggling with fatigue, we are going to talk about how adding fruits and veggies can improve energy levels. More studies are being done on the connection between nutrition and emotional health, and what we know so far is there is an association between eating whole foods and better emotional health.

Sleep

One bad night of sleep can leave us more irritable and emotional the next day at best. At worst, we start to make less nutritious food choices and increase our caffeine consumption. Give us a few more short nights of sleep and we can get into a vicious cycle of not getting good nutrition, being “too tired” to exercise, and being more irritable. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Not getting enough sleep can lead to numerous health problems and has been shown to lead to increased risk of depression. Setting a goal for eight hours of sleep each night is what experts recommend, but even starting with an extra 15-30 minutes can help.

I encourage you to pick one area of your life where you can make a small change and then slowly start to add one new change every week or every other week. It will not take you long to notice the emotional health benefits of this change. If you are struggling with emotional health, stress management, or making healthy lifestyle changes, please reach out to loved ones or professionals to get the support you need.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact us at Becoming Balanced.

Trishia Powell, MSW,LCSW (left) and Desiree Zielke, Ph.D, LP (right) becomingbalancednd.com | 701-551-1840

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