Health is a state of total physical, mental and emotional well-being where infirmity and disease are absent. The definition of health has been derived from the Latin phrase – “I’m est quem cum” which translates to “health is fullness”. According to this belief, the individual’s health is the sum total of all his internal and external aspects that determine quality of life. In the modern world, contemporary life has thrown up many challenges for people to maintain their health, some of them are: pollution, poor nutrition, stress and too much of the busy work.

Poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, overeating, lack of exercise, insufficient consumption of water and other common practices affect physical health. These practices affect the body by slowing down the metabolism of the body leading to increase in fat deposits and accumulation of toxins in the body. A slow metabolism does not allow the body to properly digest food leading to constipation, which further worsens the condition by leading to bloating, cramping and other digestive problems. When the body is overburdened with toxins, it fails to get rid of them via natural processes and thus they tend to accumulate at the organs leading to various diseases.

Poor socioeconomic status also affects physical well being. This could be due to a poor diet consisting of fatty foods, caffeine and junk food. Mental health is also affected by the person’s attitude towards life. If the person is negative, then the person is more likely to develop physical illnesses such as heart ailments, blood pressure and diabetes. On the other hand, if the person is positive, he is more likely to develop good mental health including a positive outlook towards life, happiness and a healthy body and mind.

Mental wellness could be affected by environmental factors and lifestyle choices. According to studies, the correlation between poor mental health and substance abuse is high. There is also a connection between poverty and low levels of well-being. Thus, if you are experiencing mental illness or have poor well-being, then it would be advisable to seek help from a health professional.

A complete physical and mental wellness requires a lifestyle change. You need to eat right, get regular exercise and avoid stressful situations. Developing a good social well-being, which includes emotional well-being, physical health and social connections is the foundation for a complete health.

It is important to note that if a person is healthy physically but has a poor self-image and is carrying a lot of physical illnesses, then this could affect his/her mental health and well-being. In a nutshell, every individual is connected with everybody and thus we are all interconnected. One’s life impacts the next, be it good or bad. Thus, we must take good care of our physical health and have good mental health to ensure the continuation of life.