How can you tell you are well? Most of us would look at our physical health immediately. A strong body free of physical ailments. Next is mental health. Are you mentally tough? Are you able to think clearly and make sound decisions?
Our mental health, much like our physical health, is critical in how we are able to live our lives so it should be treated with utmost care. Zooming in, there are important components of mental health to look into. While mental health has much to do with the way we think, we should also be more aware of how we feel or our emotional health.
What Emotional Health Is
Emotional health has to do with how you are in touch with your emotions and how you get by with life’s events whether it be happy or sad. It is your ability to cope with everyday life’s stresses and any unpleasant emotions. It’s also how you are able to recognize and express those emotions.
More than the ability to recognize our own emotions, it’s also how we are able to recognize and understand how others feel. With emotional health also comes our ability to form positive and meaningful relationships.
Emotional health affects many aspects of our well-being. It increases or decreases self-acceptance, self-esteem, our ability to be resilient, and the ability to manage and get hold of strong emotions.
Our internal and external thoughts, feelings, and behavior all fall under the category of emotional health. It entails controlling emotional responses and assessing the proper responses to circumstances in order to avoid unneeded and unwanted stress, which, if it becomes severe enough, can result in depression.
Emotional Health and Psychological Health
There are several overlapping areas between mental and emotional health. Two crucial aspects of our personality—processing and reasoning—translate into good mental health. We make many decisions based on feelings because, as human beings, we always have hundreds of thoughts and emotions rushing through us.
To ensure that we aren’t losing control of our emotions or becoming unstable, a sound sense of reason is necessary. If we always let our emotions overcome us then we may be prone to make impulsive decisions that will get us into trouble.
To prevent anxiety or stress, we must also think very carefully about how to respond to different events. Our health is unstable when there is an imbalance between processing and reasoning, and we may get disoriented.
Those who are emotionally healthy can be called “emotionally stable.” As they are emotionally balanced they can control their emotions and don’t let it rule over their ability to think clearly. They can navigate their way through the difficulties of life and remain optimistic. They are able to recover from failures and have positive self-esteem.
Emotional Health and Physical Health
Emotional health does not only affect our relationships but our physical health as well. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) states that problems with emotional health, like depression, increase the risk for physical illness, particularly lifelong conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Your thoughts, feelings, and actions affect how your body reacts. You will have physical symptoms when you undergo extreme stress and anxiety. When left unchecked you can experience high blood pressure, or even a stomach ulcer or other gastrointestinal issues. Your body may use physical signs to tell you that you aren’t handling stress well.
Look After Your Emotional Health
If you are taking steps to take care of your physical health, it is equally important to look after your emotional health. Here are a few things you should start doing now:
Develop healthy daily habits.
Just as emotional health affects our physical health, our physical health also affects our emotional health. Eating healthy, enough sleep and regular exercise can improve our emotional and mental health as well.
Get enough sleep of 7 or more hours each night. You cannot perform at your best while you are exhausted. You can focus better, think more clearly, and react more quickly after being fully rested. When you eat healthy you also feel and think better.
Maintaining a diet high in healthy foods will help you experience fewer mood swings, a nicer perspective overall, and better concentration. A balanced diet also lessens the effects of anxiety and depression.
30-minutes of exercise each day can boost your mood and reduce stress too.
Be more mindful of the information and entertainment you engross in
Be mindful of how much news you are reading and watching. While it’s critical to keep informed, taking downtime is just as crucial. We all have a limit to what is beneficial and what we can tolerate, so be careful not to overburden yourself with regular updates.
Involve yourself in a variety of entertainment. Watch TV, read books, play a sport, go shopping, etc. Take a leap of faith and do something different that you’ve always been interested in (as long as it’s safe).. Don’t be just a couch potato. A 2021 study that was published in Psychology Research and Behavior Management found a link between binge-watching and symptoms of mental illness such stress, loneliness, insomnia, sadness, and anxiety.
Make use of your community and social networks. Be in the company of wholesome, positive individuals.
Build strong relationships with family and friends. They will provide you with inspiration and emotional support. Involve yourself in things you love to do in your community such as community garden or volunteer in a soup kitchen. When you perform acts of kindness, you get to experience “Helper’s High.” According to a psychological theory, deeds of compassion and charity provide a mild natural version of morphine high.
Have “Me Time”
Set aside some time for yourself each day.
You can go on a leisure walk. It can be a good time to do some breathing exercises. Just focus on the moment. Enjoy the sights and sounds as you walk.
You can create journal entries. At the end of the day, reflect on what you accomplished and relive happy moments. Consider issues you’ve been having from various perspectives. Consider difficult situations as chances for development. Take note of things you can improve on. Consider the bright side of things.
Get Reiki sessions or learn Reiki to apply Reiki on yourself to support your holistic health. While eating well and exercising is fantastic, you can level up your self-care routine by learning Reiki to take better care of your emotional health. You can even share Reiki with your loved ones, taking care of their mental, physical, emotional, energetic and spiritual health better too.
Practice being grateful. Make a point of writing down things to be grateful for every day.
Re-examine your views about life’s meaning and purpose. Consider how you can live your life according to the values that are essential to you.
Don’t think twice about seeking help
Look for help. If you’re having trouble coping or turn to substances to cope, speak to a mental health professional. You also have other options available like Intuitive Energy Healing sessions for better emotional health management where we identify, heal emotional blockages in your body or release stored negative emotions so that energy in your body can move better, promoting your physical health and so that you can feel much lighter mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
What We Can Learn From This
It is our emotions that make us human. The happiness and sadness we feel are how we experience life. And although we cannot always control what is happening around us, it is a gift that we can keep our emotions in check so hardships do not get the best of us. It is by taking care of our emotional health that we can keep the balance.
