How to Maintain Balance Between Mental and Physical Health
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About the Show
On this episode, Chuck Gaidica is joined by Dr. William Beecroft, Medical Director of Behavioral Health for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network. Together, they discuss the connection between our mental and physical health.
In this episode of A Healthier Michigan Podcast, we explore:
- The importance of maintaining balance between mental and physical health
- Warning signs that one’s mental/physical health is out of balance
- How negative thought patterns can affect your health
- Strategies to maintain balance as we age
- How to normalize prioritizing mental/physical health everyday
Transcript
Chuck Gaidica:
Did you know there’s a strong link between our mental health and our physical health? This is A Healthier Michigan podcast, episode 134. Coming up, we explore how to maintain balance between our mental and physical health. Welcome to A Healthier Michigan podcast. It’s a podcast dedicated to navigating how we can improve our health and wellbeing through small, healthy habits that we can start implementing right now. I’m your host, Chuck Gaidica, and every other week we sit down with a certified expert and we discuss topics covering nutrition fitness a lot more. And on this episode, we’re diving into the connection between our mental and physical health and how we can walk this tightrope and keep a balance, so to say. So let’s talk about this staying in good health all the way around. With us today as a medical director of behavioral health for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Care Network, Dr. William Beecroft. Dr. Beecroft, good to see you again.
Did you know there’s a strong link between our mental health and our physical health? This is A Healthier Michigan podcast, episode 134. Coming up, we explore how to maintain balance between our mental and physical health. Welcome to A Healthier Michigan podcast. It’s a podcast dedicated to navigating how we can improve our health and wellbeing through small, healthy habits that we can start implementing right now. I’m your host, Chuck Gaidica, and every other week we sit down with a certified expert and we discuss topics covering nutrition fitness a lot more. And on this episode, we’re diving into the connection between our mental and physical health and how we can walk this tightrope and keep a balance, so to say. So let’s talk about this staying in good health all the way around. With us today as a medical director of behavioral health for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Care Network, Dr. William Beecroft. Dr. Beecroft, good to see you again.
Dr. William Beecroft:
Good morning and thank you for your time.
Good morning and thank you for your time.
Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah, good to have you with us. In recent years, there’s been a lot of public figures who have stepped forward. They’ve spoken out and they’ve talked about this idea. They’ve stepped away from competition in response to a state of their mental health. So those are just the stories that often get a lot of the attention. In 2021, you may recall there was an Olympic athlete who withdrew from competition after struggling with her rhythm and not being able to complete her routine. And because of that, she then later mentions in an interview that she had to protect her body and her mind due to the event. And since then there’s been an increased conversation around normalizing mental health in sports. While we’re not all athletes and certainly not at that level, anything close of Olympic athletes. So that comes with its own pressure, right? There’s a lot we’ve learned about mental health and this connection of how it can impact our physical health and vice versa. So can you talk about this idea of maintaining a balance between mental health and physical health?
Yeah, good to have you with us. In recent years, there’s been a lot of public figures who have stepped forward. They’ve spoken out and they’ve talked about this idea. They’ve stepped away from competition in response to a state of their mental health. So those are just the stories that often get a lot of the attention. In 2021, you may recall there was an Olympic athlete who withdrew from competition after struggling with her rhythm and not being able to complete her routine. And because of that, she then later mentions in an interview that she had to protect her body and her mind due to the event. And since then there’s been an increased conversation around normalizing mental health in sports. While we’re not all athletes and certainly not at that level, anything close of Olympic athletes. So that comes with its own pressure, right? There’s a lot we’ve learned about mental health and this connection of how it can impact our physical health and vice versa. So can you talk about this idea of maintaining a balance between mental health and physical health?
Dr. William Beecroft:
It’s an extremely important thing to do. We’ve known of the whole concept of what’s called psychosomatic medicine or how the mind and the body really work together, and examples would be for cardiac disease. We know that if you’re in a really stressful environment, you have a higher likelihood of cardiac issues, heart attack, these sorts of things. People that have breathing problems like COPD, they tend to have much more anxiety and it all is interconnected. Our minds and our bodies are interconnected. And the fact that many of our athletes and other individuals, even actors and many celebrities in our society have really recognized that it’s okay to be able to talk about this in public, and it’s really okay to be able to show that they’ve been able to make a successful transition when they do pay attention to their mind and body connection together.
It’s an extremely important thing to do. We’ve known of the whole concept of what’s called psychosomatic medicine or how the mind and the body really work together, and examples would be for cardiac disease. We know that if you’re in a really stressful environment, you have a higher likelihood of cardiac issues, heart attack, these sorts of things. People that have breathing problems like COPD, they tend to have much more anxiety and it all is interconnected. Our minds and our bodies are interconnected. And the fact that many of our athletes and other individuals, even actors and many celebrities in our society have really recognized that it’s okay to be able to talk about this in public, and it’s really okay to be able to show that they’ve been able to make a successful transition when they do pay attention to their mind and body connection together.
Chuck Gaidica:
Well, it seems to me, I was thinking about us getting together for this episode today. It’s kind of like your car. If you’re driving down the road and the wheel is shimmying, sometimes you ignore that too long before there’s a problem. You’re out of balance maybe or one of your tires or more or low. So we go through this in the physical world outside of our bodies, and here’s this idea that we get warning signs at times of this imbalance between mental and physical health. Can you speak to that? What are some of the warning signs that we’re having trouble with this connectivity?
Well, it seems to me, I was thinking about us getting together for this episode today. It’s kind of like your car. If you’re driving down the road and the wheel is shimmying, sometimes you ignore that too long before there’s a problem. You’re out of balance maybe or one of your tires or more or low. So we go through this in the physical world outside of our bodies, and here’s this idea that we get warning signs at times of this imbalance between mental and physical health. Can you speak to that? What are some of the warning signs that we’re having trouble with this connectivity?
Dr. William Beecroft:
Well, just like you pointed out this issue of concentration, when you’re getting out of connection of what is that balance, you start to lose concentration on what you’re doing. And that’s where an athlete, especially as high functioning athletes as we have at that competitive level of the Olympics, these are dangerous things that they’re doing and they have to be right on their game to be able to do that. And the same thing happens to all of us, forgetting birthdays, forgetting wedding anniversaries, forgetting important appointments that you’ve made. Looking at not being able to accomplish tasks, to be easily distracted in what you’re doing, not being able to enjoy things anymore, that you get so tied up in all of the stress that’s going on that you’re fidgeting, you’re kind of obsessing about that and not the important things in your life. That’s when you’re in trouble. Those are the warning signs to be looking for.
And then especially if you get any kind of physical situations, difficulty with eating, being able to keep your food down, having gastritis or more of the heartburn symptoms that you would have, leg cramps, just not being able as good as you used to be, those are things that would be warning signs that you need to start paying attention to what’s going on.
Well, just like you pointed out this issue of concentration, when you’re getting out of connection of what is that balance, you start to lose concentration on what you’re doing. And that’s where an athlete, especially as high functioning athletes as we have at that competitive level of the Olympics, these are dangerous things that they’re doing and they have to be right on their game to be able to do that. And the same thing happens to all of us, forgetting birthdays, forgetting wedding anniversaries, forgetting important appointments that you’ve made. Looking at not being able to accomplish tasks, to be easily distracted in what you’re doing, not being able to enjoy things anymore, that you get so tied up in all of the stress that’s going on that you’re fidgeting, you’re kind of obsessing about that and not the important things in your life. That’s when you’re in trouble. Those are the warning signs to be looking for.
And then especially if you get any kind of physical situations, difficulty with eating, being able to keep your food down, having gastritis or more of the heartburn symptoms that you would have, leg cramps, just not being able as good as you used to be, those are things that would be warning signs that you need to start paying attention to what’s going on.
Chuck Gaidica:
Well, let’s face it, doctor, we’ve probably all go through times in our lives where we’ve had other stressors that we recognize. We’ve got some kind of financial issue or something’s happen in our life or someone passes. I mean, there are these events that happen in life that we can recognize looking back, have caused the stress, and often I just have to speak for myself. I don’t know that I assign the highest value to thinking about mental health stressors. And here we’ve come through this pandemic, talk about a time where we’ve had so many stressors to our mental health.
Well, let’s face it, doctor, we’ve probably all go through times in our lives where we’ve had other stressors that we recognize. We’ve got some kind of financial issue or something’s happen in our life or someone passes. I mean, there are these events that happen in life that we can recognize looking back, have caused the stress, and often I just have to speak for myself. I don’t know that I assign the highest value to thinking about mental health stressors. And here we’ve come through this pandemic, talk about a time where we’ve had so many stressors to our mental health.
Dr. William Beecroft:
Oh, absolutely. And it’s those little subtle add-ons that kind of get you. In the pandemic it was okay if I go outside without my mask or doing enough hand washing, being able to be comfortable with where I’m at, and then you add on financial stresses because I’m not working as much maybe or not getting as much work and I’m not getting… I’m behind on my bills now. All of those things add up and they’re just little things. You don’t think of them very much when you say, “Yeah, I can do that,” but after a while, they become inordinate burden.
Oh, absolutely. And it’s those little subtle add-ons that kind of get you. In the pandemic it was okay if I go outside without my mask or doing enough hand washing, being able to be comfortable with where I’m at, and then you add on financial stresses because I’m not working as much maybe or not getting as much work and I’m not getting… I’m behind on my bills now. All of those things add up and they’re just little things. You don’t think of them very much when you say, “Yeah, I can do that,” but after a while, they become inordinate burden.
Chuck Gaidica:
Well, you talked about fidgeting or doing something that becomes kind of a routine. Let’s talk about this idea that maybe it turns into something like rumination, that somehow negative thought patterns can start to get into self-talk that begin to affect your mental health, therefore your physical health. What are some techniques to overcome that? Whatever the stressor is in your life or stressors because they do tend to pile up, they start to just ruminate and then all of a sudden you feel like you’ve got the weight of a million bricks on your shoulders. How do you deal with that and get through it?
Well, you talked about fidgeting or doing something that becomes kind of a routine. Let’s talk about this idea that maybe it turns into something like rumination, that somehow negative thought patterns can start to get into self-talk that begin to affect your mental health, therefore your physical health. What are some techniques to overcome that? Whatever the stressor is in your life or stressors because they do tend to pile up, they start to just ruminate and then all of a sudden you feel like you’ve got the weight of a million bricks on your shoulders. How do you deal with that and get through it?
Dr. William Beecroft:
Yeah, all of us have different personalities and different things that we’ve learned about ourselves and about others as we’ve grown up and matured over our lives. And that becomes something that you then focus on many times. Some people don’t think of those at all. They kind of go out their thoughts and they just don’t think of about them. But that’s not common. Most people start worrying about, “What did I do wrong that then set up this scenario for me to be in this circumstance? How could I have done things better? Where did I make the mistake?” And they do that rumination and obsess about things. But the ways you can really look at that is, is that it’s not necessarily your fault. It’s not to say that there isn’t fault that people have, but it’s being able to assign fault where it really lies.
People do things around you for their own reasons, not necessarily related to what you did or did not do. So you really have to be responsible for what you did and for what you caused as far as maybe some angst in another person, that sort of thing, and be respectful of them, apologize, move on. But to take full responsibility for what other people do and other tasks that you may not be completing as well, that’s not exactly what you need to obsess on. So being able to really set it aside, move on, and then start fresh and move forward from there.
Yeah, all of us have different personalities and different things that we’ve learned about ourselves and about others as we’ve grown up and matured over our lives. And that becomes something that you then focus on many times. Some people don’t think of those at all. They kind of go out their thoughts and they just don’t think of about them. But that’s not common. Most people start worrying about, “What did I do wrong that then set up this scenario for me to be in this circumstance? How could I have done things better? Where did I make the mistake?” And they do that rumination and obsess about things. But the ways you can really look at that is, is that it’s not necessarily your fault. It’s not to say that there isn’t fault that people have, but it’s being able to assign fault where it really lies.
People do things around you for their own reasons, not necessarily related to what you did or did not do. So you really have to be responsible for what you did and for what you caused as far as maybe some angst in another person, that sort of thing, and be respectful of them, apologize, move on. But to take full responsibility for what other people do and other tasks that you may not be completing as well, that’s not exactly what you need to obsess on. So being able to really set it aside, move on, and then start fresh and move forward from there.
Chuck Gaidica:
Well, we’ve talked about this in previous episodes in different ways, but oftentimes I’m not sure we give ourselves enough grace, forgiveness of ourselves. Even if it was some kind of bonehead move I made, it was my fault. But we just don’t give ourselves enough elbow room to say, well, stuff happens. It’s okay. And like you said, move on. For some, that’s not easy to do.
Well, we’ve talked about this in previous episodes in different ways, but oftentimes I’m not sure we give ourselves enough grace, forgiveness of ourselves. Even if it was some kind of bonehead move I made, it was my fault. But we just don’t give ourselves enough elbow room to say, well, stuff happens. It’s okay. And like you said, move on. For some, that’s not easy to do.
Dr. William Beecroft:
Absolutely. And the issue of being able to move on, it’s not move on without making some changes. Move on. Don’t make that mistake again.
Absolutely. And the issue of being able to move on, it’s not move on without making some changes. Move on. Don’t make that mistake again.
Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
Dr. William Beecroft:
That’s the issue here, is being able to not do that and to be able to forgive yourself. You don’t have to beat yourself up all the time. You need to change that behavior that caused you to do that, but then with good intentions, move on to the next step and get on with your life.
That’s the issue here, is being able to not do that and to be able to forgive yourself. You don’t have to beat yourself up all the time. You need to change that behavior that caused you to do that, but then with good intentions, move on to the next step and get on with your life.
Chuck Gaidica:
You know what I’ve watched, and this is just anecdotal, but I’ve watched people in my life who the mental health stressors turn into physical things. You talked about eating disorders and things, but I’ve watched it go down off ramps that are more like procrastination. This piling up of issues become something that becomes physical where they just go, “Yeah, maybe it does affect the bills. I’ll get to those later.” And they just keep piling up where eventually that pile is so high, they just sort of give up and say, “Well, I live with this mountain of stuff, I just can’t get through it.” What do you suggest that we do if we’re gathering problems from that direction, that we’ve got problems that seem so big? Do we just start picking away at the bottom?
You know what I’ve watched, and this is just anecdotal, but I’ve watched people in my life who the mental health stressors turn into physical things. You talked about eating disorders and things, but I’ve watched it go down off ramps that are more like procrastination. This piling up of issues become something that becomes physical where they just go, “Yeah, maybe it does affect the bills. I’ll get to those later.” And they just keep piling up where eventually that pile is so high, they just sort of give up and say, “Well, I live with this mountain of stuff, I just can’t get through it.” What do you suggest that we do if we’re gathering problems from that direction, that we’ve got problems that seem so big? Do we just start picking away at the bottom?
Dr. William Beecroft:
Well, I don’t mean to be sounding like a zen master here, but every mountain is one rock or one brick at a time, and you need to set some goals for yourself as to, “I’m going to take 10 bricks out of that mountain today.” And by the time six, eight months goes along, the mountain will no longer be there. So that’s what you do, and the procrastination is, it’s really hard to break that cycle, but recognizing that you actually feel good about being able to achieve a achievable goal. That you set yourself a goal and you’re able to achieve that. You feel good about that at the end of the day. Four o’clock rolls around, “Hey, I got that done today.” That’s really nice feeling rather than four o’clock rolls around, “Well, I still didn’t get that done and now I’ve got three more things to do and it really feels very uncomfortable.” You see where I’m going with that? Is setting achievable goals, keep that in your mind, and then work towards those will actually help you to decrease and take that burden off your shoulders.
Well, I don’t mean to be sounding like a zen master here, but every mountain is one rock or one brick at a time, and you need to set some goals for yourself as to, “I’m going to take 10 bricks out of that mountain today.” And by the time six, eight months goes along, the mountain will no longer be there. So that’s what you do, and the procrastination is, it’s really hard to break that cycle, but recognizing that you actually feel good about being able to achieve a achievable goal. That you set yourself a goal and you’re able to achieve that. You feel good about that at the end of the day. Four o’clock rolls around, “Hey, I got that done today.” That’s really nice feeling rather than four o’clock rolls around, “Well, I still didn’t get that done and now I’ve got three more things to do and it really feels very uncomfortable.” You see where I’m going with that? Is setting achievable goals, keep that in your mind, and then work towards those will actually help you to decrease and take that burden off your shoulders.
Chuck Gaidica:
Well, that an acronym we’ve always heard for many, many years. SMART. S-M-A-R-T, SMART goals. The A in smart is achievable. I mean, if I set a goal that I want to own a Lamborghini and a jet, I’m not John Travolta, but if I want it, it’s not achievable, I can’t do it. So why would I make that my goal? Because it could drive me crazy that I’m not getting to it.
Well, that an acronym we’ve always heard for many, many years. SMART. S-M-A-R-T, SMART goals. The A in smart is achievable. I mean, if I set a goal that I want to own a Lamborghini and a jet, I’m not John Travolta, but if I want it, it’s not achievable, I can’t do it. So why would I make that my goal? Because it could drive me crazy that I’m not getting to it.
Dr. William Beecroft:
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, absolutely.
Chuck Gaidica:
Well, let’s focus now on strategies. So we’ve talked about that, you’ve peppered in some good strategies for us to deal with strategies for maintaining a healthy balance between mental health and physical health. The weather has been improving rapidly, so that’s one thing I think we can get outside, but talk about other strategies that can be helpful to all of us that we can deploy daily if needed to help us out.
Well, let’s focus now on strategies. So we’ve talked about that, you’ve peppered in some good strategies for us to deal with strategies for maintaining a healthy balance between mental health and physical health. The weather has been improving rapidly, so that’s one thing I think we can get outside, but talk about other strategies that can be helpful to all of us that we can deploy daily if needed to help us out.
Dr. William Beecroft:
I think a couple things really come down to setting yourself some rewards for getting tasks and that done. Like we talked about alleviating the pieces of this stress, but also recognizing that our bodies are really pretty amazing. We have lots of internal things that are designed into us. I can go into the chemistry of it if you want me to, but being able to just walk or if you can’t walk to be able to use some other upper body exercise or chair yoga, whatever it is that is your capability of being able to do, move, because we are designed, we are built to move. Whatever muscle group that is, that’s going to be really important. And do that routinely. Recommendations are walking, biking, swimming, some type of physical activity, half an hour to 45 minutes, four to five days a week. That’s really kind of the goal that the American Academy of Family Practice has had and also cardiology has had for a number of years. And it does release chemicals in our brain that are really helping us to be calmer to be able to help that whole process. Eating adequately, avoiding things that are going to cause worsen stress.
Everybody says, “Well, I need to have another cup of coffee because I’m really stressed out.” That’s the worst thing you can do. Caffeine and stimulants in general are probably not the best things to be doing when you’re stressed out. It’s being able to clearly more focus and be able to pay attention, and that’s going to be using things that are going to be more calming for you. People joke about chamomile tea or use of valerian tea. These are things that are natural compounds that actually help you to feel much more calm and are not stimulating in the sense of creating more physiologic stress. They do that. Another stimulant is mint, mint tea or mint in a form. It is a non-caffeinated stimulant, so it helps you think more clearly, you have a little bit more energy, but yet you don’t have all those negative consequences of the hunger an hour and a half, two hours later, the shakiness, the tremulousness, that sort of thing. So there’s ways of being able to use those kinds of things in our environment.
Being able to have some time to really kind of have some mindfulness. And mindfulness is a broad term. Lots of different things kind of fit into that category. For some people of a spiritual nature, prayer is a mindful activity. It’s meditation, if you want to think about it that way. It’s a focus meditation. You can do walking meditation, you can do chair meditation, wherever you need to. Just be able to take five to 10 minutes and be able to just listen to the sounds around you. Don’t interact with the computer, don’t interact with the phone. Just be able to listen to that and intensely focus on that. Those are things that can be really helpful for you to clear your mind, and you get those aha moments when you do that. It actually solves the problems that you’re trying to figure out.
I think a couple things really come down to setting yourself some rewards for getting tasks and that done. Like we talked about alleviating the pieces of this stress, but also recognizing that our bodies are really pretty amazing. We have lots of internal things that are designed into us. I can go into the chemistry of it if you want me to, but being able to just walk or if you can’t walk to be able to use some other upper body exercise or chair yoga, whatever it is that is your capability of being able to do, move, because we are designed, we are built to move. Whatever muscle group that is, that’s going to be really important. And do that routinely. Recommendations are walking, biking, swimming, some type of physical activity, half an hour to 45 minutes, four to five days a week. That’s really kind of the goal that the American Academy of Family Practice has had and also cardiology has had for a number of years. And it does release chemicals in our brain that are really helping us to be calmer to be able to help that whole process. Eating adequately, avoiding things that are going to cause worsen stress.
Everybody says, “Well, I need to have another cup of coffee because I’m really stressed out.” That’s the worst thing you can do. Caffeine and stimulants in general are probably not the best things to be doing when you’re stressed out. It’s being able to clearly more focus and be able to pay attention, and that’s going to be using things that are going to be more calming for you. People joke about chamomile tea or use of valerian tea. These are things that are natural compounds that actually help you to feel much more calm and are not stimulating in the sense of creating more physiologic stress. They do that. Another stimulant is mint, mint tea or mint in a form. It is a non-caffeinated stimulant, so it helps you think more clearly, you have a little bit more energy, but yet you don’t have all those negative consequences of the hunger an hour and a half, two hours later, the shakiness, the tremulousness, that sort of thing. So there’s ways of being able to use those kinds of things in our environment.
Being able to have some time to really kind of have some mindfulness. And mindfulness is a broad term. Lots of different things kind of fit into that category. For some people of a spiritual nature, prayer is a mindful activity. It’s meditation, if you want to think about it that way. It’s a focus meditation. You can do walking meditation, you can do chair meditation, wherever you need to. Just be able to take five to 10 minutes and be able to just listen to the sounds around you. Don’t interact with the computer, don’t interact with the phone. Just be able to listen to that and intensely focus on that. Those are things that can be really helpful for you to clear your mind, and you get those aha moments when you do that. It actually solves the problems that you’re trying to figure out.
Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. I lived through some of that. My late father had mental health issues, a large part of his life, but one of the physical ramifications that I know was connected, but he did have a physical issue with hypertension. But I’d get to his house and his blood pressure would take off to like 220 over something. I mean, we have to get him to the ER, but I’d be there when it was going up, and literally I’d put the cuff on him and doctor, if I ask him to close his eyes, I’d say, “Go to the most beautiful place you’d like to go and just breathe deeply.” You literally could watch the number come down from one point to another of making these multiple checks at the dining room table. It was right there in the house. So we tried to employ this technique and it worked for him. He was able to really see… I mean, he was in his 80s, so he thought he knew everything and nothing new could happen. And I think he saw that just employing that mindfulness technique, breathing, calming down, closing your eyes. I saw it right before my own eyes. It worked.
Yeah. I lived through some of that. My late father had mental health issues, a large part of his life, but one of the physical ramifications that I know was connected, but he did have a physical issue with hypertension. But I’d get to his house and his blood pressure would take off to like 220 over something. I mean, we have to get him to the ER, but I’d be there when it was going up, and literally I’d put the cuff on him and doctor, if I ask him to close his eyes, I’d say, “Go to the most beautiful place you’d like to go and just breathe deeply.” You literally could watch the number come down from one point to another of making these multiple checks at the dining room table. It was right there in the house. So we tried to employ this technique and it worked for him. He was able to really see… I mean, he was in his 80s, so he thought he knew everything and nothing new could happen. And I think he saw that just employing that mindfulness technique, breathing, calming down, closing your eyes. I saw it right before my own eyes. It worked.
Dr. William Beecroft:
And the more you practice that, the more easy it is to tap into that process in our bodies. So that’s really the miracle that we have working with what we’ve got to work with.
And the more you practice that, the more easy it is to tap into that process in our bodies. So that’s really the miracle that we have working with what we’ve got to work with.
Chuck Gaidica:
So it’s like building muscles. I mean, it’s a muscle memory type situation.
So it’s like building muscles. I mean, it’s a muscle memory type situation.
Dr. William Beecroft:
You harden the pathways in the brain to be able to tap into that much more easily. So it creates a super highway between the different parts of your brain that are important for that.
You harden the pathways in the brain to be able to tap into that much more easily. So it creates a super highway between the different parts of your brain that are important for that.
Chuck Gaidica:
Now, you talked about something, I want to double back to coffee, and I do like coffee, so I have to make that disclaimer. But you talked about not having too much. Is there anything we should consider giving up on a daily basis that are stimulants? I don’t mean just going to the next level or going from one cup to a pot, but is there anything we should really consider not doing or not having?
Now, you talked about something, I want to double back to coffee, and I do like coffee, so I have to make that disclaimer. But you talked about not having too much. Is there anything we should consider giving up on a daily basis that are stimulants? I don’t mean just going to the next level or going from one cup to a pot, but is there anything we should really consider not doing or not having?
Dr. William Beecroft:
Well, it gets back to the old adage of all things in moderation. So being able to look at the cup of coffee in the morning that people like to be able to get up and get going, prevent the headache from coming back if you’re caffeine habituated person. But when you’re go into a pot, when you’re going to a half a pot a day, that’s probably getting a bit much. Alcohol, same sort of thing. Keep that in moderation. Alcohol actually can cause some depression. So being able to say, “Well, I’m stressed. I need to have a glass of whiskey, or a scotch or a gin and tonic or something. And you’re ending up with more problems because now you’ve taken the time to do that. You’re not thinking as clearly because of the alcohol effectiveness. You do get that momentary relaxation from the drug, but that goes away after about 45 minutes or an hour, and now you’ve got a situation that you’re more lethargic, you’re not able to be as functional, you’re not able to get the task done and they pile up.
So again, you see where I’m going with this is, is that all of those things in moderation.
The exercise piece, you also have to be moderation of that. If you do too much exercise, then you can hurt yourself. You can end up, as you get older, you have more problems with arthritis and joint pains. You can get into a situation that you have so much pain that you then don’t do any exercise. So that becomes a negative thing. So you have to balance all of these things of where you are in your age and what’s going on for you. Keeping that awareness will help you to recognize your limitations.
Well, it gets back to the old adage of all things in moderation. So being able to look at the cup of coffee in the morning that people like to be able to get up and get going, prevent the headache from coming back if you’re caffeine habituated person. But when you’re go into a pot, when you’re going to a half a pot a day, that’s probably getting a bit much. Alcohol, same sort of thing. Keep that in moderation. Alcohol actually can cause some depression. So being able to say, “Well, I’m stressed. I need to have a glass of whiskey, or a scotch or a gin and tonic or something. And you’re ending up with more problems because now you’ve taken the time to do that. You’re not thinking as clearly because of the alcohol effectiveness. You do get that momentary relaxation from the drug, but that goes away after about 45 minutes or an hour, and now you’ve got a situation that you’re more lethargic, you’re not able to be as functional, you’re not able to get the task done and they pile up.
So again, you see where I’m going with this is, is that all of those things in moderation.
The exercise piece, you also have to be moderation of that. If you do too much exercise, then you can hurt yourself. You can end up, as you get older, you have more problems with arthritis and joint pains. You can get into a situation that you have so much pain that you then don’t do any exercise. So that becomes a negative thing. So you have to balance all of these things of where you are in your age and what’s going on for you. Keeping that awareness will help you to recognize your limitations.
Chuck Gaidica:
As we start to wrap things up, let’s talk about this idea of normalizing, if it’s possible, the prioritized idea of mental and physical health connection. How do we go about it for our own sake, normalizing this and watching our kids, our family members around us, our friends? How do we start to normalize this conversation in our everyday lives?
As we start to wrap things up, let’s talk about this idea of normalizing, if it’s possible, the prioritized idea of mental and physical health connection. How do we go about it for our own sake, normalizing this and watching our kids, our family members around us, our friends? How do we start to normalize this conversation in our everyday lives?
Dr. William Beecroft:
I think first is to take an inventory of what’s going on in your life and be able to recognize that there is some things that you have not tapped into, or when you did tap into them in the past that you actually felt better. And it’s not just like turning on a switch. You have to do this over a period of time. Gradually work your way up to a more physical stamina, doing the techniques, the mindfulness we’re talking about. But in doing that, you start to show an example to others around you that that’s really important. Rather than working through lunch or working through your breaks at work, being able to take some time to go out for a little walk. You can also put on a raincoat when it’s raining and go for the walk in the rain, put on a coat to be able to go out in the snow here in Michigan. So it shouldn’t stop you from being able to do those things every day that you wanted to. And those are the important pieces to do and make sure that you stick with it.
I think first is to take an inventory of what’s going on in your life and be able to recognize that there is some things that you have not tapped into, or when you did tap into them in the past that you actually felt better. And it’s not just like turning on a switch. You have to do this over a period of time. Gradually work your way up to a more physical stamina, doing the techniques, the mindfulness we’re talking about. But in doing that, you start to show an example to others around you that that’s really important. Rather than working through lunch or working through your breaks at work, being able to take some time to go out for a little walk. You can also put on a raincoat when it’s raining and go for the walk in the rain, put on a coat to be able to go out in the snow here in Michigan. So it shouldn’t stop you from being able to do those things every day that you wanted to. And those are the important pieces to do and make sure that you stick with it.
Chuck Gaidica:
We just had a guest who said to us there’s no such thing as bad weather in Michigan for getting outside. There’s just the bad choice of clothing.
We just had a guest who said to us there’s no such thing as bad weather in Michigan for getting outside. There’s just the bad choice of clothing.
Dr. William Beecroft:
There you go.
There you go.
Chuck Gaidica:
I thought that was really good. Well, as we do wrap it up now, doctor, give us your takeaways of what our audience should be thinking about when it comes to this strong link between mental and physical health.
I thought that was really good. Well, as we do wrap it up now, doctor, give us your takeaways of what our audience should be thinking about when it comes to this strong link between mental and physical health.
Dr. William Beecroft:
It is real. It is something that you have experienced previously but probably have forgotten if you’re not doing it currently. Being able to take that inventory is really important. And this thing of everything in moderation, being able to look at, you got to get to this point of a happy medium. And even though it can feel really good at the time, you’re going to pay for it at some point. So get to that place that you’re in the middle there, and that’s going to help you the most.
It is real. It is something that you have experienced previously but probably have forgotten if you’re not doing it currently. Being able to take that inventory is really important. And this thing of everything in moderation, being able to look at, you got to get to this point of a happy medium. And even though it can feel really good at the time, you’re going to pay for it at some point. So get to that place that you’re in the middle there, and that’s going to help you the most.
Chuck Gaidica:
Well, Dr. William Beecroft, it’s good to have you with us again. Lots of great stuff today. Thanks so much for your time.
Well, Dr. William Beecroft, it’s good to have you with us again. Lots of great stuff today. Thanks so much for your time.
Dr. William Beecroft:
Oh, you’re welcome. Thanks for having me.
Oh, you’re welcome. Thanks for having me.
Chuck Gaidica:
Sure thing. Dr. Beecroft is medical director of behavioral health for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Care Network.
We’re glad you’ve been here today as well. Thanks for listening to A Healthier Michigan podcast. It’s brought to you by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. If you like our show, you want to know more, check us out at ahealthiermichigan.org/podcast. You can leave reviews there. Apple Podcasts, Spotify. You can leave ratings. You can also follow us on all the social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. You can get new episodes, old episodes. We’re up to 134 today. So there’s a old treasure trove of information locked up in these episodes for you to take on your healthful walk as the weather’s getting good or bad. And you could subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. I’m Chuck Gaidica. Be well.
Sure thing. Dr. Beecroft is medical director of behavioral health for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Blue Care Network.
We’re glad you’ve been here today as well. Thanks for listening to A Healthier Michigan podcast. It’s brought to you by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. If you like our show, you want to know more, check us out at ahealthiermichigan.org/podcast. You can leave reviews there. Apple Podcasts, Spotify. You can leave ratings. You can also follow us on all the social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. You can get new episodes, old episodes. We’re up to 134 today. So there’s a old treasure trove of information locked up in these episodes for you to take on your healthful walk as the weather’s getting good or bad. And you could subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app. I’m Chuck Gaidica. Be well.
