What Is Good Emotional Health
Good Emotional health is crucial to living a productive, successful, and happy life. According to the Mental Health Foundation, emotional health is defined as, "a positive state of wellbeing which enables an individual to be able to function in society and meet the demands of everyday life."
Individuals who have good emotional health are in control of their behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. They are able to tackle life’s challenges, bounce back from any roadblocks or setbacks, and are able to keep problems in perspective. They do not allow themselves to be consumed by the negative and do not wallow in self-pity. Those with good emotional health are able to cultivate and keep strong relationships with others while keeping a sense of positive self-worth.
Good emotional health does not mean a person is happy 24/7. Instead, it means they are in tune with their emotions and are able to process them. Someone with good emotional health still experiences and feels negative emotions such as sadness, anger, and stress.
They are able to see the negative emotions for what they are and move on from them. Someone with good emotional health understands when a situation is beyond their control and is ready willing and able to ask for help when needed.
Having good emotional health is not something a person is born with. Instead, it is a learned skill. It may take time and effort to develop.
Below are some ways to create, maintain, and improve good emotional health.
● Be Conscious of Your Emotions and Reactions: Learning about yourself is the first step in having good emotional health. We tend to neglect our negative emotions until they are way out of flux. Learning to become aware of when, where, and why our emotions are coming from is key. This will allow us to identify the tools we need to use to address or change our emotions and then our reactions to those emotions.
● Appropriate Expression: Keeping our emotions bottled up and inside is not good for anyone. Whether positive or negative, it is important to release your emotions. This should be done in appropriate ways. Talk to friends, and family, write in a journal and create art, or workout. If you’re unable to express yourself appropriately, seek professional help.
● Pause Before Acting: No matter the situation, take a moment, breathe, and give yourself time before acting. This will allow you the ability to take in all relevant information and process a response instead of solely reacting based on emotion.
● Find a Balance: In order to maintain good emotional health, you need to cultivate balance in your life. It is important not constantly to live in a state of multitasking. Multitasking non-stop is not good for our mental health. Multitasking does not allow you to focus entirely on the task at hand. Set aside specific time for work, family, rest, and play. During those times stay completely present and in the moment. This will allow you to truly enjoy what you are doing and will keep your life in balance.
Having good emotional health can also improve your physical health. Lower blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing the risk of heart disease all correlate with good emotional health.
Good emotional health gives you the opportunity to reach your full potential. Individuals with good emotional health are able to cope with unexpected struggles and challenges, work productively, build long-lasting relationships, be contributing members of society, and build a happy and successful life.