Mental Health Matters

Manifesting mental health to help improve self care.

by Julie Good-Dawson

Maintaining overall health is an important part of creating a fulfilling lifestyle, and this includes taking care of one’s mental health. Unfortunately, many people don’t begin taking their mental health seriously until it has a direct impact on their physical health. Thoughts, whether they are positive or negative, will begin to affect the body over time.

“Our mental health is important for our physical health because our brains and body are deeply connected,” says Dr. Laurel Kramer, a psychologist with SSM Health Behavioral Health., which is an outpatient clinic with SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital.

Just as physical exercise strengthens the body and promotes the release of endorphins that can help uplift negative feelings, activities that focus on mental health, such as manifesting, can combat anxiety and depression while also giving the body a chance to rest as a result of reduced stress. When people choose not to focus on both their mental and physical health for long periods of time, it eventually triggers negative responses that compromise immune function.