GUEST BLOG: Danny Sangha - Wellbeing and the ‘chicken or egg’ paradox

Confidence coach Danny Sangha helps you understand your own wellbeing.

Wellbeing encompasses both physical and mental elements, with the latter often referred to as emotional.  Some may argue that mental and emotional are separate elements in themselves, but that’s a discussion for another time.  I will focus in on physical and mental as the two fundamental elements that make up the notion of wellbeing.

Both of these elements work hand-in-hand; investing in one will feed the other.  But does one come before the other or does this turn into a paradoxical equation similar to the chicken or egg debate?

It is certainly accepted that physical exercise helps to support positive moods, and it’s often a go to solution by many experts when your mental wellbeing needs improving.  The other perspective is that a positive mindset is necessary to firstly acquire that all important motivation to engage in physical exercise.  So, does one of these two elements always come first?

I have a mixed view on this, but I do lean towards one of these elements being ultimately the one that would need to come first under certain conditions, whilst the other wouldn’t, but also that the same one should hold greater attention and focus compared with the other.

Let me firstly explain the conditions under which I would say that neither comes first.  As I touched upon earlier, there will come times when you’re feeling a little blue, possibly stressed or anxious, which is to be expected given what life tends to throw at us during our daily lives. Physical exercise and increasing that physical wellbeing can certainly help lift your mood, but it’s not the only means by which we can offset those stresses and strains.  We could meditate, catch up with friends or wind down and reset in many other ways that don’t necessarily involve physical activity or a reliance upon physical wellbeing.  In fact, you could have great mental wellbeing and yet not so great physical wellbeing.

You could argue that the same goes for physical wellbeing and it not necessarily relying upon having positive, healthy mental wellbeing.  And to some extent I agree with this viewpoint, but I do lean towards mental wellbeing being more core and a precursor for physical health rather than the other way around.

I see your mental wellbeing holding higher importance and priority because not only does it impact your physical health, but it also affects many other dimensions of your life to a greater extent than physical health could ever do. It is also, in my humble opinion, the one that you would need to have a level of for you to even decide on working on physical health.

The mind is a very powerful entity, and it can do a great deal of harm if not kept in check, but equally knows no bounds in terms of what it can achieve when it is in great health.  With great mental health, your wellbeing doesn’t really depend on any external factors, whether it be your location, the weather, your body or any other factor.  Of course, those things could help, but ultimately you can be mentally healthy and happy so long as you’re in a good place internally.

So, is there a ‘chicken or egg’ type paradox going on here?  My conclusion is absolutely not.  If you conquer your mind, you’ll conquer the world, so make your mental wellbeing your top priority and everything else will fall into place as it’s meant to, including your physical wellbeing. NaturalWorks CBD will help you on this journey.

Danny Sangha is a Clarity, Alignment & Confidence Coach Providing Professional & Personal Success. He has spent over 15 years providing Clarity, Alignment & Confidence to individuals with a total of over 43,000 plus hours spent across several Industries.

Danny has specifically worked closely with individuals in the Media whom are highly recognised public figures providing clarity to an individual on their values, purpose and direction in their personal and professional life.