Part of growing older is starting to take over your basic needs and relying less on your parents and the adults around you, especially in regards to getting the nutrition you need and regulating your emotions. But no doubt that’s easier said than done. Here’s a short guide on what you should be keeping an eye on as a young man to take care of your emotional and physical health.
Nutrition & Physical Wellness
When you’re growing, and especially for busy young men in school, it can be difficult to keep track of all of the things you need to do to keep yourself healthy. But simple things like making sure you eat a good breakfast and continue getting annual check-ups after high school can help boost your health and develop better standards for your health through learning good habits.
Eat Quality Food in the Morning
Eating breakfast might seem overrated, or you may not really believe that ‘it’s the most important meal of the day.’ But one of the major benefits of eating breakfast is that it gives you the energy you need for the day, or at least until lunch. But there are more advantages than pouring a bowl of cereal or cooking up some bacon and eggs with toast before you head out for the day.
Eating breakfast has been associated with heightening your memory and concentration and reducing the possibility of developing diabetes, although that depends on eating the right foods. Along with this, if you don’t have a healthy breakfast in the morning you’re more likely to eat junk food or other unhealthy snacks to catch up and stave off those cravings until you can get a bigger meal at lunch. If you’re not getting the nutrition you need, this Mens Journal joint supplements article may give you more ideas on how to take care of your joints as you age, especially if you play sports.
Get An Annual Check-up
If you’re past high school or don’t participate in sports, you might think you don’t need annual exams anymore. But one of the best ways to keep yourself healthy is to catch issues before they turn into bigger problems. Going to your primary care provider(PCP) for a general exam every year will help them keep tabs on your health and give you suggestions on what else you can be doing to stay well.
This can include screening tests for irregular levels of cholesterol and checking your blood pressure, to keeping your medical records up-to-date and being able to ask them any questions or make them aware of your concerns for your health. In addition, they’re a great chance to get additional vaccinations that you may need if you missed out on some when you were younger or to get booster shots as needed.
Mental & Emotional Health
Not just your body and brain chemicals, but the people around you can impact your overall health. Following are a few tips to help you navigate these issues and help you develop better habits and coping mechanisms surrounding your mental and emotional health.
Understanding Your Anger
As life piles on more pressure, your daily life can start to feel much more stressful. As a child, you were likely given lessons on how to handle your emotions, but as you aged there were likely more issues that came up that were outside of the scope of those lessons. Here’s a tip that will help you understand and manage your anger and the negative effects it may have if you don’t.
One of the biggest issues young men often face with their anger is not understanding where it comes from. Being thrust into new situations, either because of your hormones or the people around you, can cause you to act out in strange or unfamiliar ways. These actions can damage the relationships you have with other people and make it difficult to form new relationships.
So the first thing to do when you’re feeling angry, as simple as it sounds, is to examine where it’s coming from and why you feel that way. That way you’ll have a better understanding of your emotions and can control your actions better in turn.
Handling Anxiety
Although anxiety and worry are things that everyone deals with at points, they can overtake your life without the proper counseling. An anxiety disorder is marked by feeling exceedingly scared or uncomfortable in regular situations and can have a severe negative impact on your life.
But thankfully, there are plenty of resources to help those with anxiety from talk therapy and counseling to medication as well as individual coping mechanisms to employ.
Taking Care of Your Health
One of the most important things to learn as you age is how to take care of your health, and that starts with understanding and regulating your emotions and physical well-being. Though it’s a continuous process, it’s important and necessary to develop into a well-rounded adult.
