Picture of Health: Tranquility

“Twelve years ago, I had an accident, and I lost my feet,” explains Spanish athlete Sara Andrés Barrio. “My life has changed completely since then. I began to see life in a different way. In a much more positive way.” The power of the mind to overcome physical obstacles is extraordinary: Whether it’s finishing a marathon or fighting cancer, health professionals talk about the importance of a positive mindset.

“My picture of health is tranquility,” says Sara. “To be able to enjoy life, to be fully calm.”

Just as a person’s physical state can affect their mental health, so mental health has a direct impact on physical well-being: bodies and minds are powerfully connected. Depression can cause physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and digestive issues: People with mental health disorders are more likely to develop preventable physical health conditions, such as heart disease. This may be due to feeling unmotivated or being unable to look after oneself, or it could be that the genes causing the psychological condition might also be triggering the physical health problem—research is ongoing.

But the importance of maintaining balance in mind as well as body has become undeniably apparent. The understanding and treatment of mental illness has had a checkered history and a prevailing social stigma. Thankfully, mental health is becoming a topic that people are more comfortable talking about, and there is a growing appreciation of the importance of mental health for our overall well-being.

While the root causes of many psychological conditions are still not fully understood, it’s widely recognized that there are things we can do to improve our mental well-being. Beyond the ideal of simply reducing our exposure to stress, we can equip ourselves mentally to manage our lives better. Underscoring the connection between mind and body, physical exercise has been shown to improve mental health significantly. Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals, that can enhance alertness, energy, and mood. Anything from gardening and cleaning to walking, running, and swimming can reduce feelings of stress, increase energy and focus, and even provide a positive sense of purpose.

Similarly, sleep is essential for a healthy mind. We spend around one-third of our lives asleep, and this is time well spent. It is our brain’s opportunity to repair and restore itself, regulating emotions and behaviors, processing information, consolidating memories, and performing essential maintenance—all tasks that help us function when awake.

A balanced diet is also crucial, with a proven link between what we eat and how we feel. Eating regularly helps prevent blood sugar levels from dropping, and staying hydrated boosts energy and mood. Beyond this, to function properly the brain needs the healthy unsaturated fats found in nuts, milk, and eggs, as well as protein for amino acids that are used to regulate mood: Avocados can help prevent high blood-pressure, which has been linked to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Our sense of mental balance and tranquility can also be enhanced by spending time around nature, which improves mood and reduces stress. Whether fields, forests and beaches, or city parks and even houseplants, the benefits of connecting with nature are proven, even if we don’t yet fully understand how or why. One theory is that because we evolved with nature and have an innate affinity for it, spending time in nature activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing, thereby leaving us feeling more relaxed.

Similarly, people are naturally social animals, so building positive, supportive relationships with family, friends, and community can help us cope with stress, anxiety, and depression: More socially cohesive neighborhoods are found to experience fewer mental health problems.

With the lifting of taboos and a greater appreciation of mental health, science is making some important advances. Research has shown that blood tests can help to detect the presence of mental illnesses, with low levels of a particular protein being linked to depression. Artificial intelligence can spot signs of anxiety such as nail biting, while brain imaging is being used to map the changes that occur in people with conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. A major breakthrough for millions has come with the development and approval of the first drug proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Arguably some of the biggest improvements have come with the deployment of digital technologies for mental health. Technology and apps are making mental health services more accessible, reaching people in remote locations, with limited mobility, or a reluctance to publicly seek help. This is not only broadening the reach of mental health services, but is also reaching more people more efficiently to close the gap between growing demand for support and the limited availability of mental health professionals.

Beyond providing one-to-one care, digital apps deliver useful self-help resources such as stress-management classes and clinically moderated peer support platforms—empowering individuals to manage their mental health independently. Mobile apps and wearables are also being developed to detect the onset of issues by tracking mood and behavior, spotting patterns and discrepancies that enable early intervention. And all of this digital data can be collated and analyzed through machine learning to provide crucial insights into behaviors, trends, and treatments—building a picture of the world’s mental health.

For example, in Spain Bupa is offering an AI-powered mental health service called Take Care of Your Mind through its digital health platform Blua. Using wearables to gather datapoints, such as a daily questionnaire and data on exercise and sleep, to analyze an individual’s mental health, the service then uses AI to provide personalized content on how to manage mental health, recommending an appointment with a therapist if an individual’s mental health is consistently poor. Take Care of Your Mind is proven to detect early signs of mental health conditions and provides a good combination of digital and more traditional care management.

“I think having good health is the main thing,” says medal-winning athlete Sara. “Knowing that everything is fine in your body and mind.”

And science is revealing how the health of body and mind are inextricably intertwined. As a world-class sprinter, Sara knows the absolute importance of maintaining peak physical fitness. But this is underpinned by mental health, by the positivity, tenacity, and resilience that athletes bring to their sports—by the tranquility that Sara values so highly.

Learn about other athletes’ that are building their personal Picture of Health.