Not Just for “Crazy” People
Recent nationwide events have put a necessary spotlight on mental health treatment. Although many people would like to believe that there is no stigma around the mentally ill, we know that this is not true. In the last decade, health insurance companies have finally starting to treat mental health the same as physical health in that they cover both illnesses equal. Before that Mental Health Parity Law, insurance did not really recognize mental illness or substance abuse treatment.
Serious mental illness can be a debilitating disease for which there is no cure, only treatment of symptoms. However, what most people do not realize is that our mental state and emotional mind is intertwined with our physical body. For example, when we get really worried or nervous about a situation, sporting event, or performance, we tend to feel physical sensations in our body including things like nausea, sweating, dry mouth, and a number of other telling signs of anxiety. All of these physical symptoms are created solely by how we are thinking and what we are feeling. Our mind has a lot more power than we think.
So if we are so careful about getting a physical check up every single year with our doctors, why do we not take as much care of our mind as we do our body? We have already discussed how important a healthy mind is for our daily lives, shouldn’t we provide the same preventative medicine for our minds that we do for our bodies? I am not saying that everyone needs to be in therapy, but it is important to at least have a mental check in with ourselves. After all, if we simply go through our daily routine without being introspective, we miss so many rare opportunities to appreciate how wonderful and unique each moment of our lives can be.
