Emotional Wellness: Ways To Improve Your Emotional Health

Bottling up our emotions or not accepting how we are feeling is not a sign of strong emotional health. Having strong emotional health means that a person can accept and control their feelings and emotions.

A person with good emotional health is someone who doesn’t react brashly to troubles but rather finds them challenging and a good way to practice their emotional response.

To maintain good and balanced overall health – physical, mental, and spiritual – a person has to have a strong emotional handle on their response to stress.

Emotional health is not the same as mental health. However, emotional wellness is a part of mental well-being. Lack of a mental illness does not equate to the mental health of the person just as the lack of emotions doesn’t equate to the emotional health of a person.

There are days in our life when the skies are cloudy and gray but some days those clouds go away and the sun shines down on us. The highs and lows are a part of life and an emotionally healthy and strong person might just be able to weather the cloudy days with a smile on their face without letting the torrent of emotional downpour whisk them away.

Emotional distress can often lead a person to develop physical ailments such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and a poor immune system.

Emotional Health Vs Mental Health

People like to use the term ‘emotional health’ and ‘mental health’ interchangeably. There is a significant difference between mental and emotional health.

What is emotional health? Emotional health focuses on a person’s ability to stay connected to their emotions and their ability to manage those emotions effectively. Mental health, on the other hand, refers to a person’s overall well-being including psychological, social, and emotional.

What is mental health? Mental health is a broader concept that focuses on how well you can process your thoughts, feelings, and emotions while emotional health is more focused on your ability to manage and control your emotions.

Poor mental health doesn’t mean poor emotional health. It isn’t necessary that a person with a mental health disorder might have poor emotional health. A person with a mental health problem might struggle with their daily activities but with the help of good emotional health, they might still be able to perform their daily tasks – albeit with difficulty.

Mental health isn’t about how you understand and process your thoughts and feelings, it is also about how you create a balance between the two. Emotional health is more focused on understanding and controlling your emotions

Examples of Emotional Health 

If you want to see whether you are emotionally healthy or not, notice these qualities in your daily life. If you have these qualities then you have good emotional health; 

1.  Curiosity: One of the best examples of strong emotional health is curiosity. Being curious about your emotions and mind can be one way to assure that you’re mindful of your emotional health.

2.  You share feelings properly: If you’re looking for another real-life example of emotional health, then look within. Are you comfortable sharing your feelings? Are you OK leaning on others for emotional support? If yes, then know that you’re in good emotional health.

3.  Acknowledging emotions as they come: If you need another example then here’s one! If you have good emotional health, then you know when your emotions arise and instead of ignoring them, you acknowledge them.

The Importance Of Emotional Health

Taking care of our mental health and emotional health is as important as taking care of our physical health. Maintaining good emotional health is as important as it:

• Increases our resilience to stress. Poor emotional health can cause physical distress and impact our immune system.
• Deepens relationships and increases empathy. Emotional health helps us connect and empathize with others.
• Increases self-esteem. It is common knowledge that our thoughts and feelings influence our self-worth. Good emotional health increases our self-awareness and helps us see the best in ourselves.
• Improves our energy. Good emotional health can help us have a positive attitude and improve our focus and energy

Signs You Have Poor Emotional Heath

If you feel like you’re in poor emotional health, then here are some common signs you need to watch out for;

• You feel drained at all times and never have enough energy
• You’re sleeping too much or too little
• Your performance at school and work is declining
• You’re unable to care for personal hygiene and needs
• You’re eating too much or not enough 
• You’re always anxious and/or frustrated with people around you
• You show symptoms of high stress such as high blood pressure and rapid heart rate
• You are losing confidence in yourself
• You feel stressed more than usual 

Traits of an Emotionally Healthy Person 

Want to know if you’re an emotionally healthy person, then check out these amazing traits of an emotionally healthy person; 

1. They are highly self-aware:

If someone is emotionally healthy, then they are self-aware and understand how they look and how they act around others.

2. They are emotionally graceful:

Another trait of an emotionally healthy person is that they are emotionally graceful, meaning that they can deal with their daily stressors and distress without much difficulty. They are quick to adapt and align with what’s best for them.

3. They have healthy coping skills:

Emotionally healthy and strong people have coping skills that are not only good for them and their situation but also healthy. Some of the common coping skills you can see emotionally healthy people use can include meditating, hanging around positive people, and engaging in hobbies.

4. They have a purpose in life:

Purpose, to an emotionally healthy person, can often align with the goals they have in their life. These people are aware of what will it take to bring them closer to their goals in life as well as their life’s purpose and they are not hesitant to follow it.

5. They are good at stress management:

Another characteristic of an emotionally healthy person is that they are good at stress management. They understand the positive side of stress and also the negative aspects of stress. When they experience stress, they quickly engage in practices that can help them manage their stress.

Ways To Improve Emotional Health

Maintaining good emotional health is a process and with the help of these techniques, you can strengthen your emotional health effectively

1. Emotional Regulation

Learning to cope and control your emotions is an effective way to improve your emotional health. With the help of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), journaling, music meditation, or just talking to a therapist, you can achieve good emotional health

2. Exercise

Maintaining a regular exercise schedule is also a good way to improve your emotional health as well as  your physical and mental health. Taking 30 minutes every day for any physical stress-relieving exercises can be helpful. Walking around in your garden for 15 minutes can also work well.

3. Social Interactions

Spending time with your loved ones can help you when you are going through a bad time. Your interactions with emotionally healthy people can be beneficial for your emotional as well as mental health.

4. Getting Good Sleep

Not getting enough sleep can make you more distressed and vulnerable to emotional activity. Sleep deprivation can harm your overall health including physical, mental, and emotional. It can also affect your performance at work and personal relationships. Getting at least 6–8 hours of sleep can help improve your emotional health.

5. Expand Your Support System

Having a support system can help improve emotional health. Having a group of people you can be vulnerable with can help. With these people, you can share your problems and they will listen to you. When you know you’re not alone, your emotional health will become better.

6. Invest Time In A Hobby

We all need a hobby – whether it is gardening, listening to music, or reading. To improve emotional health, you need to do something that brings you happiness and at the same time helps you relieve emotional stress. Having a hobby is also a great way to boost self-esteem.

7. Learn To Say “No”

When you try to take on more than your capacity, you’ll end up feeling stressed and eventually emotionally distressed. If you’re asked to do something that you can’t do, say “no”. Saying “no” can be difficult but it will help restore your emotional health in the long run.

Getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep can help improve your emotional health.

Final Words

Having good emotional health can influence your overall well-being. Good emotional health can help you increase your focus, increase your self-esteem, and help you maintain healthy relations with others.

Taking care of your emotional health is as important as taking care of your mental as well as physical health. If the above-mentioned tips to improve emotional health are unable to help you and your emotional state, please consult a professional mental healthcare provider.

Seeking professional help can always do the trick if self-help doesn’t.

“Emotions influence every action we take. So the more we are aware of our feelings, the more we gain conscious control over our lives.” – Jessica Moore

Stay healthy, stay happy!