Promoting a Holistic
Approach to Your Health
Connecting Physical, Mental &
Emotional Wellbeing
Connecting Physical, Mental &
Emotional Wellbeing

Objectives
• Physical, Mental and Emotional Health
• Physical Consequences of Thought
• Barriers to Healthy Behaviors
• Balance for Wellbeing
• How to Implement

Physical & Emotional Health
• Physical Fitness - good health and strength
achieved through exercise
• Health – sound in body, mind, or spirit
• Mental Health –
• sound mentally and emotionally by the
absence of mental illness
• adequate adjustment especially as reflected in
feeling comfortable about oneself, positive
feelings about others, and the ability to meet
the demands of daily life

Good Emotional Health
Awareness of
own thoughts
feelings and
behaviors.
Awareness of
OTHERS thoughts
feelings and
behaviors.
Leads to better
understanding,
social relationships,
control of destiny
and quality of life.

Physical Consequences of Thought:
Mind-Body Connection for Well-being
• Positive mental health allows people to:
• realize their full potential
• cope with the stresses of life
• work productively
• make meaningful contributions to their communities
• Studies show mental health affects physical health:
• Emotional distress creates susceptibility to physical illness
• Stress increases susceptibility to viral infection and creates
susceptibility to cardiovascular disease
• Emotional distress can affect the immune system response
• A healthy mental state can lower blood pressure, risk of heart
disease and weight
• Thoughts and visualization
MIND
BODY

Mind-Body Connection for Well-being
Neural Signatures of
Emotional Pain and Physical
Pain
• Same areas of brain are
activated
• Back pain
• Headache
• Stiff neck/ muscle soreness
• Social rejection from peers
• Recent relationship
breakup

Depression and Physical Health
• Too little or too much sleep
• Unintended weight loss or gain
• Upset stomach
• Chronic pain
• Trouble concentrating
• Unexplained aches/pains
• Inflammation
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Diabetes

Emotional, Social, Intellectual, and
Spiritual Barriers to Healthy Behaviors
Emotional Barriers
• Not addressing root cause
• Lack of compliance with medication
• Lack of behavior and lifestyle
change
• Adversely affect treatment of
chronic conditions. [HRQL) Health-
Related Quality of Life Study]
When a person is desperately fighting
to meet perceived emotional
deficiency, they do not have the drive
to focus on higher-level needs such as
appearance or health considerations.

Coping Strategies To Ease
Emotional Pain

Emotional, Social, Intellectual, and
Spiritual Barriers to Healthy Behaviors
• Social Barriers
• Lack of access to adequate housing,
transportation, nutritious affordable
food, to primary care doctor
• Social Determinants of Health
(SODH)
• Marital problems, relationships,
children, aging parents, boss /
coworker
-Demanding child or spouse…Not
able to put self first- time for
exercise…Learning to say no…

Emotional, Social, Intellectual, and
Spiritual Barriers to Healthy Behaviors
• Intellectual
• Lack of knowledge and information
• Misinformation
• Spiritual
• Lack of purpose or meaning
• Something bigger than yourself

BALANCE FOR WELLBEING
How can we practice mental and emotional balance?

Managing Feelings
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Anger
• Frustration
• Confusion
• Helplessness
• Demoralized
• Lack of purpose
Appropriate Behaviors
Exercise
Eating Well
Regular Physicals
Financial Decisions
Taking Prescribed Medications
Good Sleep
Open Communication
Inappropriate Behaviors
Smoking
Eating fatty food
Excessive drinking
Excessive sleep
Dangerous behaviors
Reckless driving
Arguing

Healthy Ways to Manage Feelings
• Resiliency
• Stress management
• Deep breathing
• Setting time aside for enjoyment/hobbies

People with Good Emotional Health
• Aware of their emotions and reactions
• Express feelings in appropriate ways
• Think before they act/ react
• Manage stress
• Strive for work/life balance
• Connect with others
• Find purpose and meaning
• Stay positive

Good Social Wellness
• Share your feelings honestly
• Ask for what you need from others
• Listen to others without blame or
judgement
• Avoid being overly critical
• Expect others to treat you with
respect and honesty
• Compromise.
• Set boundaries with others.

Improving Emotional Health
• Life balance support. Practicing
gratitude, journaling, making time for
things you enjoy (hobbies, etc.)
• Developing resilience. Strengthening
Social Support, Accepting change,
Keeping things in perspective.
• Practicing relaxation methods. Music,
meditation, deep breathing

Guidance to Integrate, Design
and Implement Programs
What can an employer do to promote positive mental health?

Organizational Structure
• Understanding your organization
• Physical locations
• Survey for interest or needs
• Review the data
• Clearly defined roles and responsibilities
• Decrease confusion and improve relationships
• Reasonable work policies
• Reduce stress
• Breaks
• Empowerment
• Give purpose and control of decision making

Appropriate Employer Resources
• Benefit plan options
• Telemedicine ‘Teledoc’
• Mental health resources
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Counseling and family support
• Regular communications and directions to access
• Communication strategy
• Cross-communicate
• Training Programs
• Train supervisors on benefit plan and resources
• Mental Health First Aid

Decrease Stigma/Culture
• Mental health first aid course
• Behavioral health challenges
• Activities/ Events
• Coloring book
• Mindfulness Matters Day

Tools/Programs
• Marketing/ Education
Campaign
• Regular
communications
• Challenges with health
tips and practicing
healthy coping skills.

Well-Being Concepts
Financial| Medical |Life
Decisions shape our
destiny. Daily decisions
lead us down different
paths and determine the
life we lead.
Self-Care | Health
Conditions| Balance
Dealing with stress, medical
self-care, mindfulness,
work-life balance.
Healthy Eating
Foods that feed our
body and mind.
Movement
Motivating ideas to
incorporate physical activity
into daily life.

Shaping Mindset Through Repeat Messaging
Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your
actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.” Gandhi

Love Your Job?
• Loving or hating a job can cause
more or less stress in life.
• Less than one-third of Americans are
happy with their work.
• Happiest employees have
interpersonal relations, commitment
to the organization and a sense of
meaning/purpose among parts of
their job with they are most satisfied.
• http://www.apaexcellence.org/view-
email/LoveJob.html

SUMMARY
• Physical and Emotional Well-
Being are interconnected.
• How we think impacts the
outcomes of situations including
health.
• Focus on improving emotional
health will effect physical health
and overall well-being.
• There are strategies/tools to put
in place at your workplaces
today.

Contact Us
INSPIRED PERSPECTIVES
Amy Cohen
904-641-1208
www.InspiringPerspectives.com
acohen@InspiringPerspectives.com

Resources to Use
• https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/
• https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/priorities/prevention/strategy/mental-and-emotional-well-being.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/body-sense/201204/emotional-and-physical-pain-activate-similar-brain-
regions
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1114432/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664730/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK384914/
• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6203507/New-York-state-launch-mandatory-mental-health-classes.html
• https://familydoctor.org/mental-health-keeping-your-emotional-health/
• https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/strategy/primary-care-physicians-link-social-barriers-poor-health
• https://www.thebestbrainpossible.com/how-your-thoughts-change-your-brain-cells-and-genes/
• https://medium.com/benefit-mindset/the-nature-of-mindsets-18afba2ac890
• http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/workplace-wellness
• https://www.apaexcellence.org/special-projects/ilovemyjob