We humans are a beautiful blend of different aspects, including physical, spiritual, and emotional, all of which are equally important for our overall wellness.
Most of us tend to focus on the physical aspect of our wellbeing. Probably because that is the part we get to see every day. However, neglecting the other parts can still be damaging to us.
Defining emotional wellbeing is not as easy as defining physical wellbeing.
The National Institutes of Health states that emotional health is:
the ability to “successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times.”
Just as we feel it when we are physically unwell, we also feel it when we are emotionally unwell. When struggling with emotional wellness, one might experience:
- Low self-esteem
- Inability to control emotions
- Being irritable
- Unhealthy eating and drinking habits
- Self-isolation
- Unwanted negative feelings
- Irregular sleeping patterns
Sadly, not all of us know how to take care of and improve our emotional wellbeing.
But we have some tips that can help you improve your emotional health.
5 Ways to Improve Your Emotional Health
Stay active.
Exercising regularly is good for both the physical and mental health.
It helps alleviate symptoms of poor mental health, such as depression and anxiety.
Our bodies release endorphins that improve our mood and in turn, our general well-being and productivity. Even on days when you don’t feel like getting up and working out, push yourself, and your mental and physical well-being will thank you.
Being in control of your body and constantly pushing your limits also makes you feel in control, thereby enhancing your ability to cope.
Appropriately express your emotions.
Emotions can certainly be overwhelming, and learning how to understand and communicate them effectively is not something we can do overnight.
Be patient with yourself as you learn to identify your feelings. Once you’ve mastered that, the next step is to express them appropriately. Often we misplace our emotions and direct them to the wrong person.
For instance, when you’re not happy with how your boss or colleague spoke to you at work, you might find yourself shouting at your partner or kids because you are unhappy.
Feeling unhappy about such a situation is a valid feeling, but those feelings should be directed to the appropriate person.
In this case, you should communicate with your colleague about how they made you feel, rather than redirecting your negative emotions to your family.
Failure to direct emotions to the relevant person might ruin the other good relationships you have!
Prioritize your mental health.
Between trying to stay alive, and afford a standard lifestyle and a social life, we usually have a lot going on, and sometimes we don’t make time for our mental health.
Most of us survive on cruise control and focusing on our mental health sounds like a luxury we can’t afford.
When you plan your week, remember to leave a slot for yourself and your mental health. Set time aside to do the things that recharge your mental battery.
This could be:
- some time alone
- a hot bath
- or just a time to watch your favorite TV show
Before being emotionally available for others, you have to be available for yourself.
Improve your sleeping patterns.
Remember when we were young and we had to take naps at least once during the day?
Those were fun times, and now I wish I was allowed a nap at work as well. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the pleasure of taking naps during the day, so we need to ensure that our sleeping patterns grant us the much-needed rest we deserve.
Have and abide to a strict bedtime routine. Try your best to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. Reducing screen time before bedtime has been shown to also reduce stress levels.
Be grateful.
Finally, your life is not perfect, but there surely are some wonderful things worth being grateful for.
Rather than dwelling on all the things that are not going your way (which you most likely can’t fix), focus on the good. When you find yourself overwhelmed by your problems, name any three things you are grateful for.
This gratitude mindset will help you realize that things are so much better than you realize.
You Can Improve Your Emotional Wellbeing
In many communities, mental health is still a taboo topic that is poorly understood and never discussed.
As a result, so many people don’t know that they can improve their psychological well being. They lose touch with that aspect of themselves and become convinced that they can’t do anything about it.
I hope this article serves as a reminder that you can affect your emotional wellness.
Having a healthy emotional wellbeing doesn’t mean you will be smiling every minute of every single day or you’re always happy. It simply means that you’re able to handle your emotions well.
In everything you do, remember to always be kind to yourself.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published Dec 13, 2022 and has been updated to improve reader experience.
Photo by Min An
