Emotional health is an important part of your overall wellbeing. Work productivity, stress management and self-awareness improve with good emotional health. It also becomes easier to work with others and contribute to your community. With good emotional health you will feel a sense of satisfaction, want to laugh and have fun, balance work and play and maintain fulfilling relationships.
Your physical health is also linked to emotional health. Low blood pressure, reduced risk of heart disease and weight management has been correlated to proper emotional health.
Here are just eight of the many ways you can improve your emotional health:
- Recognize what triggers negative emotions. Be aware of what makes you angry, sad or happy. Find ways to change or improve the things negatively affecting you.
- Express your emotions in healthy ways. Holding onto negative feelings causes added stress and eventually causes problems in your life. Talk to those closest to you when something is frustrating you or making you sad.
- Manage your stress. Try to leave or change situations that cause you stress. Practice relaxation through yoga, meditation, deep breathing or exercise. Find what helps you cope.
- Find your balance. Society sometimes has the motto of all work and no play. For good emotional health, you must find a balance between the two.
- Maintain your physical health. Stay active, eat healthy, get enough sleep and only drink alcohol in moderation.
- Spend time with others. Face-to-face connections are important. Try to get away from your computer or phone screen. Call a friend or loved one to schedule a lunch date. Join a social group to meet people with common interests.
- Discover your purpose and pursue it. Focus on what is important in life. Maybe growing in your field at work, spending more time with your family, caring for a pet, volunteering or all the above. Spend some of your time doing something that feels meaningful to you.
- Adopt a positive attitude. Appreciate what you have and all the good things in your life. Use positive self-talk, forgive others and yourself, surround yourself with other positive people and practice being grateful.
