In order to maintain good health, emotional wellbeing is essential. A healthy emotional state allows people to control their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Life's challenges are no match for them. By keeping problems in perspective, they can bounce back from setbacks. In addition, they enjoy good relationships with others.
You are not always happy if you are emotionally healthy. Your emotions are in your awareness. Whether they're positive or negative, you can deal with them. Stress, anger, and sadness are still felt by emotionally healthy people. Their negative emotions are still managed, however. In the event of a problem bigger than they can handle, they can spot it. Additionally, they know when to seek medical attention.
It has been found that emotional health can be learned. Taking measures to improve your mental and emotional health can make you happier. Moreover, good emotional health can boost your self-esteem and make you more resilient to stress.
What Is Emotional Health?
In the first place, it isn't the same as mental health. Psychologist Juli Fraga, PsyD, says that although the two terms are often used interchangeably, emotional health generally refers to an awareness of one's emotions, vulnerability, and authenticity.
Emotional health can also influence one’s physical health. Many people who suffer from a great deal of stress or negative emotions may develop other medical problems. Negative emotions do not cause these problems directly but can affect behaviors due to poor emotional regulation. For instance, some people find cigarette smoking or drinking alcohol to be helpful in relieving stress. In addition, these habits increase your risk of cancer, heart disease, and other diseases.
It should also be noted that you can still have good emotional wellbeing despite experiencing mental illness or having a bad day. Often, mental illnesses have deeper causes, such as chemical imbalances or trauma. People with or without mental illness can benefit from emotional regulation, awareness, and coping skills.
What Are the Signs That You’re Struggling With Your Emotional Health?
These are some warning signs that emotional health needs to be addressed:
Avoiding your friends, family, or coworkers
Performing poorly at work
A lower level of energy than usual
Irritability, guilt, hopelessness, or worthlessness
Oversleeping or undersleeping
Overeating or undereating
Increase of racing thoughts
Interpersonal conflicts are more frequent than usual
Substance abuse has increased
Ignoring hygiene and personal care
How to Improve or Maintain Your Emotional Health
Practice emotional regulation. Managing your emotions and managing them appropriately can help you respond to upsetting situations as opposed to reacting to them, Fraga says. It’s recommended you try coping strategies like journaling, meditating, or talking to a therapist.
Be aware of your emotions and reactions. Observe what makes you unhappy, frustrated, or angry in your life. And, make an effort to change those things.
Live a balanced lifestyle. You should maintain a healthy balance between your work and personal lives, between activity and rest, and between everything you do.
Express feelings in an appropriate way. When something bothers you, tell the people close to you. Stress increases when sadness or anger is kept inside. You may face difficulties at work or school as well as in your relationships.
Exercise. Getting regular exercise can be challenging if you're stressed at work or at home. Fraga says that physical activity can nourish both your emotional and physical health.
Connect with others. Attend a group meeting, join a lunch date, and introduce yourself to a stranger. Relationships are essential for our well-being.
Watch how you talk about yourself. You can become a victim of negative self-talk, or just think negatively about things. By using your words, you can create a positive image of yourself. Hopefully, your thoughts will follow shortly.
Think before you act. Do not rush into a decision or a reaction you might regret. Take your time and think things through thoroughly before you act.
Get quality sleep. Sleep deprivation increases repetitive thoughts of negativity, according to a 2018 study. You may become more emotionally reactive if you are overtired. Your performance, outlook, and relationships can be negatively affected by emotional reactivity.
Find purpose and meaning. Identify what's most important to you and focus on that in your life. Working, volunteering, caring for others, or something else. Don't waste time on things that don't matter to you.
Set goals and celebrate your achievements. Develop self-esteem and positive feelings about yourself by striving for something and celebrating your accomplishments.
Know when to reach out for help. Negative emotions don't have to be handled on your own. Mental health professionals can be helpful when dealing with difficult emotions. If you have attempted to improve your emotional health and you are still not feeling your best, you may want to speak to one.