General Health ArticlesPhysical Health Checkups: Not Neglecting Mental Well-Being

Physical Health Checkups: Not Neglecting Mental Well-Being

Taking care of one's health and preventing diseases essentially involves lifestyle changes such as eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and avoiding addictive substances. The next step in disease prevention is undergoing annual health checkups to identify risk factors, asymptomatic diseases, or early-stage illnesses, which can lead to more effective treatment and reduced severity of these conditions.

However, health is not solely about the physical aspect; it also includes mental well-being, which refers to a state of happiness, the ability to cope with life's challenges, self-awareness, and the capacity to learn and work efficiently.

Physical and mental health are interconnected. For example, some chronic disease patients may experience stress about their condition, leading to anxiety. Similarly, people with high-stress jobs may feel exhausted and unable to exercise or choose healthy foods, increasing their risk of chronic non-communicable diseases.

Therefore, mental health checkups are just as important as physical health checkups. Many people have already experienced mental health assessments through questionnaires, which are commonly used to detect abnormalities, such as stress assessment tools or depression screening questionnaires. These tools are useful for identifying conditions that require further consultation with mental health professionals.

However, these questionnaires have limitations as they do not cover a wide range of emotional issues, such as relationship problems, emotion management, self-perception, or decision-making about significant life events.

An alternative for assessing and caring for mental health is consulting with mental health professionals, which provides a safe space to discuss issues that cannot be shared with others. This can lead to self-discovery, a more realistic view of one's problems, and eventually, appropriate solutions.