In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
What Happens to Your Mental Health When You Neglect Your Physical Health?
By Zahraa Badr Al-Amiri
Real Experiences
Have you ever gone through a period where your body ached and pains kept increasing, but you ignored them?
Did you ever feel so much pain one day that you couldn’t go about your normal life?
Missed many days of work because of the pain?
Couldn’t go out with your kids, or had to cut the outing short because pain forced you back home?
Or were there days when you couldn’t even bear sitting with them in the living room?
What about family gatherings or holidays you missed because you were stuck at home with chronic pain, unable to join them?
I went through all of this and more. I used to tell myself:
“It’s fine, the painkiller will help, tomorrow it’ll go away.”
And then I’d continue the rest of the week either on painkillers or lying in bed, alone in my room.
Headache? Maybe from lack of sleep.
Stomach pain? Maybe from the food I ate.
Heart palpitations? Probably stress.
I always found excuses and tried to ignore it — either because I was too busy or because I was afraid to go to the doctor and hear something I didn’t want to hear.
The Psychological Impact 🧠
The truth is, when I neglected my body, my mental health was what started to collapse.
Physical illness doesn’t stop at the body’s limits.
Chronic pain, constant fatigue, exhaustion that doesn’t go away even after rest — all of this slowly ate away at my peace of mind.
I became irritable, my mood unstable, I lost interest in things I used to enjoy.
Even my relationships began to suffer, because I had no energy to talk, laugh, or connect.
The worst part was the feeling of helplessness. When you feel like you can’t control your body, that inner voice starts saying:
“You’re weak. You’re tired. You won’t get better.”
If you don’t silence that voice, it drags you into a cycle of depression, anxiety, and loss of passion. Unfortunately, I experienced all of this because I ignored my physical pain.
The Lesson 📌
Today I’ve learned that taking care of your body is not optional. Listening to it when it hurts is a responsibility.
Because the body and the mind are connected more strongly than we can imagine.
If the body is in pain, that pain will affect your mental state. And if your mental health suffers, even treatment becomes harder.
Take your pain seriously. It’s not weakness to see a doctor. It’s not shameful to check in just for reassurance.
Your body is a trust — and so is your soul.
Don’t wait until you break down to realize the damage that’s already been done.
Listen to your fatigue, and make self-care a priority, not an option.
Final Advice 💡
Taking care of your body and your mental health can transform your life dramatically for the better — I’d say by about 85%, based on my personal experience.
I noticed this especially in my relationships with my close circle:
- My mood improved
- I became more present with my family at all times
- I could spend time with them in good health and with a calmer state of mind
Alhamdulillah 🌿