Importance of Physical and Mental Health for Students

Hello everyone, it's another beautiful week and here in Hive learners community we are having a great start with a very thoughtful topic, this issue has become a worldwide problem and it's not just affecting adults even students are not left out. I remember when I was in secondary school, there was a girl in my classroom who was always active, she never missed sports, she could run round the whole field and she was always in great physical shape but on a certain day she burst out crying in the middle of our exams that she can't write her paper, later we found that she had been fighting exams phobia and emotional anxiety. That was the first occasion when I discovered that a good body does not necessarily imply that a person is healthy, mental health is also as important as the other side of health.  [Image Source](https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-teenager-student-school-7377925/) Physical health is given more attention by many people neglecting mental health, you will hear people say stuff like "Eat good food so that you can grow strong or exercise daily to keep your body fit" but unfortunately people with hypertension or high blood pressure troop in and out of hospital everyday. As far as mental health is concerned, this discussion is needed. It is a topic many people avoid admitting to because they think that they are being weak to confess stress, anxiety or depression. However, the mind matters as much as the physical body and to live a good life we must strike a balance between these two. This was one of the lessons I had learnt myself during my years in the university. During my 300 level, life was extremely stressful, we had light issues in school so there was no water at all even the limited wells we had dried up, my phone is always down and there was no water to drink not to talk of bathing or cooking, yet I had demanding lectures and assignments I had to do online, my menstral period as a woman was so frustrating because there was no water 🥲. Physically I was exhausted yet I have to show up in class and try to read so that I won't fail my tests and exams, most nights I cry myself to sleep. On the surface I was good because I still laugh and joke when I'm in class with my friends but deep down my mind was crumbling, it wasn't about money but my physical environment was dangerously affecting my mind. Those times also taught me that you can be physically strong and mentally broken and also that you need to take care of both ends.  [Image Source](https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-english-dictionary-read-2771936/) However, what really helped me during those times was the relationships I had built over time. My years in school made me realize the importance of good relationships, my spirit and mind are energised when I spend time with positive people. I always go to my friend Bolu's house off campus, to have a good bath and eat good food, we studied together laughed and had moments together when we shared our emotional burden. However, in times when I was alone, my mind was heavier. The body cannot survive without food and the mind cannot survive without good atmosphere around and within. To me, faith and rest was my balance, I learnt to set up time of rest my mind even in 15 minutes of silence, prayer or music. Those times are kind of refreshing to my mind in order to be better equipped to deal with the physical and emotional stress.  [Image Source](https://pixabay.com/photos/student-time-tet-sea-678692/) At the end when everything was back to normal and light was resting school, I have recognized mental and physical health as two aspects that are very important. A healthy body minus peace of mind is not complete and an unhealthy body with a calm mind is also not good. The actual aim is balance, which is to eat properly, work out, sleep, maintain good relationships and take care of the body and the mind in between the stress of schooling. Whenever I remember that girl at my secondary school I wish that someone had informed us back then that mental health is equally important as physical health is. Today, I know better and I think that when students all come to know how to equally respect the two sides of our health, we will live much stronger, much longer and happier. Thank you so much for staying this far, hope you had a good read with me, see you again next time 😁