Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

Have you ever experienced physical symptoms of a mental health issue? What kind of symptoms? Do you think the physical symptoms come first, or are the symptoms a reaction to your mental state? Is the body part of the mind, or is the mind part of the body? Which one is in control? What has helped you overcome the physical manifestations of mental illness?

I definitely think mental and physical health are interconnected. As to which comes first, I think it depends on the illness and the person. For example, getting a cancer diagnosis will give people many emotions; one of which is usually depression. When the mental illness is a reaction to a physical illness, then (obviously) physical comes first.

Mental illness has so many physical effects on a person's body, though. If we look at anxiety. Whilst that is a pyschological illness, it manifests itself in physical symptoms. Palpitations, shortness of breath, heavy limbs, nausea, to name a few. But other illnesses that are thought of by those who don't suffer as purely mental in their symptoms also have physical effects. Depression, the one I know a lot about, has so many physical symptoms. In my last couple of years at work, I pretty much had a headache the whole time. 24/7. Sometimes, nausea accompanied it. I tried all kinds of things, but nothing helped. Until I decided to get an Indian Head Massage. For the first time in so long, my head started to clear. I continued to have one head and shoulder massage a month for about a year. It helped so much.

But, there are other physical symptoms with depression as well, and I do think the mental illness comes first for these: aching legs, exhaustion, shortness of breath, heart weirdness, tense muscles, nausea, anxiety. It's really not just a case of having a bad day. It's all-consuming.

Writing this makes me think of the song 'Bones' by Radiohead.These are a few of the lyrics, which I've always felt a strong connection to:

Now I can't climb the stairs
Pieces missing everywhere
Prozak painkillers
When you've got to feel it in your bones

When you've got to feel it in your bones, you know it's bad. I totally get that.

Another way physical and mental are connected for me is with my Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The more stressed or unhappy I am, the worse it gets. Similarly, the worse my IBS gets, the more depressed and stressed I get. Oh, the joys of the vicious circle!

So, what I'm saying is the mind and the body are absolutely connected. Ultimately, the mind can make or break a situation. Positivity has been proven to help improve the lives of those suffering physical illnesses, like cancer. But, I think it means the quality of their lives is improved; not necessarily, the outcome of their treatment.