How to Maintain and Improve Your Emotional Well-being

We are embodied thinking and feeling beings, and that’s just how we were made. Our thoughts and our feelings interact in complex and sometimes obscure ways that can leave us bewildered about ourselves. Sometimes our minds and reason lead the way, but at other times we are all heart, and we do things we can’t make sense of. At times, our hearts and minds are in alignment, but at other times they are not, reducing our sense of emotional well-being.

Your well-being isn’t just about whether your body is okay, nor is it only about your mind or your emotions. Wellbeing is about all those elements and aspects of ourselves receiving adequate care and attention. Neglecting one affects the others. For instance, how you feel affects a wide range of things, including your ability to handle day-to-day tasks, manage your relationships, react to the circumstances you encounter, and make decisions.

It is important to take care of every aspect of your well-being, including your emotional well-being.

What is emotional wellness?

According to the National Institutes of Health, “emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times.” When unpleasant or unwelcome things come your way, you can become overwhelmed. A person with good emotional well-being can roll with the punches and take those difficult situations in stride.

Some things can undermine a person’s emotional health, and these include experiencing chronic stress from relationships or work, the lack of a support network, adverse experiences like trauma, negative self-talk that generates self-doubt, setting unrealistic expectations for yourself or others, being trapped in the comparison game, unhealthy or toxic relationships, and feeling unfulfilled and without a clear purpose.

Every person has their capacity for what they can handle, and when that capacity is exceeded, it undermines one’s well-being, resulting in low self-esteem, emotional reactions, intense and frequent mood swings, social withdrawal, and an increased risk of issues such as anxiety and depression.

Improving your emotional well-being

Your emotional health affects other areas of your life, including your physical and mental health, your work, and your relationships with others. Some strategies that you can use to promote your emotional well-being include:

Reducing stress

Stress negatively affects your body and mind if you don’t have ways of releasing it. Getting regular exercise, setting priorities and goals to guide your efforts, taking regular breaks, getting enough rest, being compassionate with yourself, and having clear boundaries can all help reduce your stress levels.

Getting better quality sleep

Sleep is crucial to a person’s well-being, but when you’re under pressure, you’re likely to sleep less due to anxiety and because you use sleep time to advance other projects. Carve out time to sleep, because you think more clearly, focus, and work at your best when you’re well rested. By avoiding stimulants, limiting your use of electronics before bed, and making your room dark and cool, you can get better sleep.

Having healthy coping tools

Life isn’t always going to go your way. We experience losses, we fail to accomplish our goals, and our expectations are sometimes disappointed. Making sure to eat right, get some exercise, reach out to friends in times of need, and make use of tools like therapy can help you cope with the losses and challenges that come your way.

Cultivating social support networks

We are deeply social and relational creatures, and when we have meaningful relationships, this promotes our well-being. Find ways to connect with others, whether by joining groups with shared hobbies or interests, reaching out to loved ones to check in, volunteering for a cause you care about, or being intentional about eating dinner at the table with family.

Building resilience

Resilience is the quality of being able to bounce back after a setback. Some people have an innate resilience that allows them to face challenges well. However, resilience is also a quality that a person can learn. By practicing gratitude, taking on a growth mindset that sees setbacks as opportunities and not immovable obstacles, and being willing to have a different perspective on problems, you can build resilience.

Being mindful

Sometimes we can go through life without really thinking about what we’re doing. We run from one activity to the next, and we aren’t always aware of what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we feel about it. Slow down and take each moment in; the sights, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells. Becoming more aware of where you are and who you’re with can help you be more intentional and grounded.

Next steps

Additionally, with help from a therapist or counselor, you can learn healthy coping mechanisms and find space to explore what you’re feeling and how you’re experiencing the world. Your counselor can also help you develop a vocabulary to express what you’re feeling without blaming or shaming others so that your needs are met. Contact our office today to learn more.