Emotional Wellbeing

             

Health Tools          

Emotional well-being and mental health concerns are major health issues in their own way. But they can also greatly affect physical health. Stress, depression, and anxiety can contribute to a lot of physical ailments including digestive disorders, sleep disturbances, and lack of energy. The challenge can be two-way: treat the mental and emotional health issues while also caring for the related physical ailments.

Emotional and mental health issues can often be brought on by the strains of life situations, like caregiving for an older family member, dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, suffering the loss of a loved one, juggling the responsibilities of a busy lifestyle, or dealing with substance abuse.

How to work towards emotional well-being?

  • Learn to express your emotions in appropriate ways: Lashing out in anger is not an appropriate response, but feeling angry is. Learn to talk about how you feel with those you feel emotional towards, don't bottle them up - that is not emotionally healthy.
  • Be honest with yourself: If your emotional response is irrational - that's ok, be honest with how you are feeling, no matter how irrational it may seem, there is a
  • reason your are feeling that way.
  • Take notice of how you act to emotional feelings: How you act and how you feel are directly related, don't think just because you act with rage, you are simply angry. If rage is your reaction to fear, notice it, and prepare for that response next time.
  • After taking notice of your reactions, think: Think before you act, if you can judge your possible response, then you can stop yourself and think more rationally. Think, then act.
  • Create balance in your life: Harmony and balance are important, put aside time for work, play, exercise, love, sex - all are equally important and help achieve emotional wellbeing.
  • Think about physical health: If you are unwell, you will be feeling the stress of living with it. Pain, physical and emotional, effects your wellbeing.
  • Engage in relaxation techniques: Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, exercise, even just deep breathing can all help you deal with the stresses and strains of life.