Health-promoting behavior is one of the vital aspects of people’s physical and psychological well-being. Health behavior includes individual, group, and organizational actions taken to prevent illness and promote physical & mental health.
Below are some of the health behaviors of everyday life with an emphasis on physical and psychological health:
Physiological Benefits of Exercise
Regular physical exercise is a positive health behavior with physiological benefits. Exercise improves mental health and alleviates low self-esteem and social withdrawal symptoms. It also significantly impacts physical health, as it helps to increase fitness levels, exercise tolerance, reduce blood pressure levels, increase perceived energy levels, and increase upper body and hand grip strength levels (Sharma et al., 2006). Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking 3 days a week, is sufficient for these health benefits. Moreover, these 30 minutes need not be continuous; three 10-minute walks are believed to be equally valid as one 30-minute walk (Sharma et al., 2006).
Physical and Psychological Benefits of a Balanced Diet
Global health organizations have recommended healthy dietary patterns characterized by high intakes of fruit and vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat dairy, nuts and seeds, and limited saturated fats, sodium, and red meat. A healthy diet may help prevent specific long-term (chronic) diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It may also reduce your risk of developing cancers and help you maintain a healthy weight. A healthy, balanced diet helps prevent heart disease, stroke, hypertension, atherosclerosis, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and gallbladder disease (Khan et al., 2018). High-quality foods containing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourish the brain and protect it from oxidative stress. Foods with beneficial bacteria (probiotics) help maintain a healthy gut environment that decreases inflammation, which affects mood and cognition. Omega-3s are healthy fatty acids that improve thinking, memory, and mood. Zinc nutrient helps control the body’s response to stress. (Miller, 2015).
Personal Hygiene
A person’s mental health can also affect how they care for themselves. Personal hygiene is simply looking after the body and keeping it clean and healthy. It includes dental hygiene, cleaning your body, washing hands, and keeping your surroundings clean. Developing and maintaining a personal hygiene routine is key to having a healthy body and mind.
Benefits of Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene often includes tips like maintaining a regular sleep-and-wake schedule and keeping the bedroom dark and free of distractions like the computer or television. More than 70 types of sleep disorders exist. The most common problems are insomnia (difficulty falling or staying asleep), obstructive sleep apnea (disordered breathing that causes multiple awakenings), various movement syndromes (unpleasant sensations that prompt night fidgeting), and narcolepsy (extreme sleepiness or falling asleep suddenly during the day). Better sleep helps to maintain physical and mental Health. You feel relaxed and work more productively. It prevents many cardiovascular diseases. The overlap between sleep disorders and various psychiatric problems is excellent. Studies using different methods and populations estimate that 65% to 90% of adult patients with major depression and about 90% of children with this disorder experience some sleep problem. Sleep problems affect more than 50% of adult patients with generalized anxiety disorders.
Accident Prevention
Accident prevention refers to the plans, preparations, and actions taken to avoid or stop an accident before it happens. Accidents can be classified as unplanned and unexpected events, increasing the risk of injury, illness, and death. Many accidents occur due to human factors. These factors include unsafe acts, un-mindfulness, negligence, and lack of knowledge and training. At home, preventive measures should be taken to prevent injuries to children and older people. It not only includes physical injury but also has concerns with psychological accidents like child abuse and child sexual abuse that further lead to many psychological disorders. Another leading factor in accidents is working conditions. Unsafe working conditions include faulty machines, designs, substandard processes, occupational hazards, and fire. Accidents will continue to happen if preventative measures are not taken. Precautionary measures like hazard identification by risk assessment, removal of unsafe work by three research and development, removal of hazardous machines and tools, and improvement of working conditions and environment should be adopted.
Positive Relationships
Having good relationships is positive for our health, as obtaining proper sleep, eating well-balanced meals, etc. Positive and strong relationships help decrease our stress levels. Strong, healthy relationships can also help strengthen your immune system, help you recover from disease, and may even lengthen your life.
Reducing Stress
Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety. The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions. Reducing stress by talking to your physician or psychologist, and opting for healthy habits to prevent stress.
https://thoughtmending.com/what-are-the-best-coping-strategies-for-stress-management/
Positive Thoughts
Sometimes, when we feel low, being positive can feel like an impossible task, but there’s loads of evidence that positive thinking can have a major impact on your mood. Positive thinking makes you feel more positive, which increases your mood even further. Positive and healthy thoughts make you physically healthy and mentally fresh.
Vaccinations and Screening
Screenings help determine the prevalence of diseases. Knowing your family history can help you determine what screening tests are most needed. Talk to your healthcare provider about your necessary screening tests and vaccinations. There are many screening tests, such as Breast Cancer Screening, Cholesterol screening, Lipid Screening, and Cervical Cancer Screening. Also, vaccinations prevent you from contracting that disease and spreading illness to others.
Be mindful
Mindfulness is a technique that teaches you to focus on how you are feeling in the moment and pay attention to physical sensations and emotional reactions. A mountain of evidence suggests that practicing mindfulness regularly encourages us to let go of negative encounters from the past and anxieties about the future and pay attention to our experience of life as it occurs.
Avoiding Reckless Behavior
Reckless behavior involves individuals putting themselves in situations not typically required in daily life that substantially increase their chances of illness, injury, or death. It is often synonymous with “risk-taking behavior” and “risky behavior.” Reckless or risky behavior is mostly observed in adolescents and young adults, especially young males, than in other demographic groups. Managing it at the proper time with proper guidance can prevent many physical injuries as well as psychological problems.
Consulting Physician and Psychologist
Our society’s dilemma is that we don’t visit the doctor until the symptoms reach the last stage. Also, people feel ashamed to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist. This behavior causes the severity of many physical and psychological problems. Seeking help from physicians and psychologists may prevent disease severity and contribute to your physical and mental well-being.
Be Assertive
Communication prevents much confusion. We should be assertive in our ideas to prevent ourselves and others from stress and other problems.
References
- Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for Mental Health. The Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 08(02), 106. doi:10.4088/PCC.v08n0208a
- Khan, A., Khan, S. U., Khan, S., Zia-ul-islam, S., Naimatullah, K. B., & Khan, M. (2018). Nutritional complications and their effects on human Health. Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, 01(01). doi:10.35841/food-science.1.1.17-20
- Miller, K. (2015, August 20). Can what you eat affect your mental Health? Retrieved March 26, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20150820/food-mental-health
- 5 health-promoting behaviors that have nothing to do with weight loss. Retrieved March 29, 2021, from https://wellseek.co/2019/03/27/5-healthpromoting-behaviors-that-have-nothing-to-do-with-weight-loss/ .” Encyclopedia of Public Health.
- Encyclopedia.com. MARCH 25, 2021. (2021, March 30). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/psychology/psychology-and-psychiatry/healthbehavior
