Cassandra Buchanan
Whether you’re a student, a parent, a boss, or an employee-- most people struggle with balancing their lifestyle in a way that is cohesive with their mental health. What most people don’t know is the effect that an imbalanced lifestyle can cause in terms of wellness and mental health. An imbalanced lifestyle can deteriorate a person’s mental health or contribute to a mental illness that may already exist.
Essentially, lifestyle refers to the way in which a person lives. There are several factors that contribute to maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle. According to research provided from thescienceofpsychotherapy.com, these factors include physical health, basic needs, quality beliefs, personal resilience, and clear goals. When a person is feeling high volume demands from either of these life factors, it can initiate stress or sadness -- which ultimately can lead to a more serious mental health condition.
Stress, according to healthline.com, “can over burden your mind with incessant worries.” When a person feels they are unable to handle everyday life tasks, they become overwhelmed. Tyler Thompkins is a first year Master of Science Rehabilitation Psychology student at the University of Providence. According to Thompkins,“lifestyle and mental health go hand-in-hand, If someone feels that they can't handle everyday life, it's pretty much going to cause stress.” Research from Healthline.com suggests that anxiety and depression are common results from a person who has suffered with long term stress.
Lifestyle imbalance can affect anyone, if they let it. People who struggle with maintaining balance within their life may need to incorporate elements of neuropsychotherapy into their lives. Neuropsychotherapy is exactly as it sounds -- neurology, psychology, and therapy. However, researchers define it as “a meta-framework taking into account the dynamic interplay between the mind, body, society, and environment upon well-being.”
According to the World Health Organization, mental health is defined as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. A person who struggles with imbalance in their lifestyle may feel as though they can’t cope with normal stressors of life. Thompkins (23) said that he feels most people struggle with a cross between personal development and career balance. “A lot of people find themselves really stressed from trying to find out who they are as a person and what they were destined to do,” he said. “At times it can be hard for people to find their niche, or something they enjoy.”
Mental health and lifestyle are interconnected. Loriel Reynolds is a Master of Science Psychology student who doubles as a health aide for the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center. According to Reynolds, there are 4 ways in which lifestyle imbalance can affect mental health. “The 4 D’s: deviance, dysfunction, distress, and danger,” Reynolds said. “If anything in an individual’s life causes any of the 4 D’s to occur, then mental health can be affected.” Reynolds exemplified this instance, “if an individual obtains an imbalance lifestyle of constantly counting or obsessing over cleaning their hands until their skin is raw, this can cause dysfunction or distress their lives. The dysfunction and distress of constant counting can lead to anxiety to leave the house due to the obsession of hand washing.” She says that living a lifestyle as such can cause a persons’ mental health to be directly related to the disorder commonly known as, Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Ricky Howell, father of two, shared his personal sentiments regarding lifestyle balance as it relates to mental health. Howell admits that his life has been mentally draining and impacting his interaction and relationship with his daughters. Howell was rushed to the hospital one instance for what he says was the result of frequent panic attacks. Since then, he has been struggling mentally. “I spazzed on my mom a few days ago when she called me at work,” Howell said. “After that, I knew it was time to get myself together. I’ve been in contact with HR and my job pays for therapy, I’m going to get some help soon. I never wanted to be a part-time father.”