5 unexpected things that changed once I prioritised my mental health

When I first decided to prioritise my mental health, I was mostly thinking “I just want to feel better”. I really didn’t think about the ripple effect this would have on literally every area of my life.

Throughout this journey I’ve experienced many different things. I’ve explored so many yoga practices, meditations, breathing practices, somatic practices, studied my nervous system, studied psychology and invested in support when I needed it.

A big part of this for me was getting in better touch with my body (and *actually* listening to what it was saying).

So many of us don’t feel truly connected to our bodies and for a long time, this was me too!

Your body sends you soooo many signals. When you’re younger you’re very tuned into this. When a child is unhappy or uncomfortable everyone KNOWS.

Yet over time, you start to ignore those signals that once were so clear. Eventually, you tune out from them so much, it becomes harder and harder to tune in.

You learn to prioritise politeness, ‘not rocking the boat’ and keeping others happy over your own very real desires and boundaries that get communicated to you through not only your mind but also your body.

Once I prioritised my mental health sooo many things started to shift that I wasn’t necessarily thinking about or expecting.

The thing is, your mental health is the key and when you learn to prioritise yourself, there's a huge ripple effect.

You get to step into a life that you never thought was possible.

You get to see your relationships blossom.

You get to walk through the world with an internalised sense of purpose and value.

You have opportunities come to you that you never thought possible.

Best of all, you get to enjoy and truly fall in love with your life!

This isn't something for 'some lucky person far away' - it's for you.

You get to claim this for yourself.

You get to choose to engage with practices that support you every day and create a new reality.

Better boundaries
This is a big one. Once I truly prioritised my mental health and got more in touch with my body, I began to really notice when I was ignoring my own needs and desires in place of others (hello, people pleasing). This brought light to different situations and dynamics I was repeatedly playing out, even though they were overall hurting me and making me feel disempowered.

So bit by bit I got better at setting boundaries for myself and changed my behaviour so I was no longer acting in ways that were actually harming me and keeping me miserable. When I did this, situations around me changed for the better.

Gained even more clarity on what I actually want and need
This really follows on from the last point. I always thought I was someone who knew what they wanted. Yet over time, I began to ignore that…

As I focused on my mental health, as I got better in tune with my body, I gained even more clarity on what I really wanted and needed. As my mind became clearer, I was able to see what was truly an authentic desire for me (vs something I’d been led to believe I *should* want).

Opportunities came to me
When you feel good, opportunities and people are magnetised to you. Your energy is different and that has the power to change what happens around you.

If you have something you want to move towards, a big part of that involves becoming the person who’s able to hold that new reality, who is comfortable stepping into that new way of living and being.

My relationships improved
Ever gotten stressed and ended up shouting at your partner (or someone else you love)? Yep, we’ve all been there. The thing is, your energy and capacity is limited. When there’s already a lot going on under the surface - as there always is with anxiety and low moods - you end up with little energy left for being present with your partner, family or friends. Instead, you snap at them. Small issues turn into big issues and your relationships feel like chaos.

When you’re dealing with chronic stress, low moods or anxiety, there’s a subconscious perception of threat. This means your thoughts naturally turn to yourself (because thinking of others isn’t going to help you escape danger!). To put it simply, when you’re in this state, it’s a lot harder to think of others, to be there and be present for them. In turn your relationships suffer.

Once I really prioritised my mental health, I saw this ripple out into all my relationships. I was no longer snapping at people. I was better able to be there for my friends when they were going through something in their own lives. Small issues were approached with compassion and communication so they turned into non-issues.

I felt better able to communicate openly and honestly, not hiding parts of myself and how they interacted with my relationships, this made my relationships more fulfilling and authentic.

My health stats improved
As I felt better within my own mind, my health stats improved too.

My resting heart rate (RHR) went down and my heart rate variability (HRV) went up. These is generally seen as a sign of improved health and resilience. Higher HRV is generally seen as a sign that there is flexibility within your nervous system. You’re more adaptable and able to activate both the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches. You’re not stuck in a state of chronic stress and SNS activation or shutdown and chronic PNS activation but are adaptable and resilient.

This definitely reflected my experience so I didn’t necessarily need to see these stats to back it up but it was certainly nice to (and no, I didn’t start exercising more!).

Digestion improved (bye IBS 👋)
There was a time I was diagnosed with IBS. I was struggling to digest food, dealing with bloating, nausea, stomach pain and generally not feeling great. Funnily enough, this disappeared once my anxiety and depression lifted and I’ve never had the issue again. Did you know that people with IBS are 3x more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression?!

So what came first? For me, it was anxiety and depression. There’s a lot of research going into the gut-brain connection right now and mental health plays a big part in that! One part of this relates to the good ol’ vagus nerve. To put it simply, your gut receives signalling from your vagus nerve, which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system. If you’re in a state of stress, of heightened sympathetic nervous system activity, digestion is not at the top of your body’s list of priorities, hence digestion struggles.

Are you ready to step into a new reality through personalised practices and support?

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