As we go through all the aspects of wellness it is important to remember they are all connected. One wellness will suffer if other ones are not also lined up. Too much attention to one area of your life will weaken others and eventually even the areas you paid attention to will start adding to your stress. The key to combat this is to live a balanced life; only with balance can we find deep satisfaction. Where do you see this being most true is in emotional wellness. Our emotional wellness is the canary in the coal mine for when there is imbalance in our lives. Before health conditions settle in from lack of physical wellness or before ennui from lack of intellectual wellness, we will start having less than ideal moods or mood swings. When your emotional aspects of life start faltering, it becomes obvious very quickly and can even lead to destructive behaviors like binge drinking.
Emotional wellness is defined as awareness and understanding of your emotions and the ability to handle change and challenges in your life. A thing to remember is that emotional wellness does not mean being happy all the time. I think sometimes in modern society we get confused and think only positive emotions are valid. If you are unhappy it does not mean you are not well, simply that something made you unhappy. Emotional wellness is understanding your emotional spectrum and how you react to things in your life. It is also about accepting these emotions. Of course those suffering from mental health challenges have the further task of knowing the difference between an episode and an appropriate emotional reaction, but this does not negate the fact you experienced these emotions. Being able to identify our emotions and express them in a constructive way is integral not just for our own personal wellness but for our personal lives to flourish as well.
To begin with our tips for emotional wellness we will first offer an assessment. Select from a range of 1-4, 1 being never, 2 rarely, 3 sometimes and 4 usually to rate each statement.
1- My life has purpose.
2- I am flexible and able to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
3- I have healthy ways of coping with stress and disappointment.
4- I am able to express my emotions without arguing.
5- I am able to bounce back from disappointment.
6- I am grateful for my life.
7- I can make decisions and stand by them.
Tally up your score and see where you stand! A score under 15 needs immediate attention and a score of 15-19 needs some improvement. If it turns out you need to work on your emotional wellness check out our suggestions following.
Be Mindful
Mindfulness is so important for our emotional wellness. We at Bullionite absolutely love the philosophy of mindfulness. We have tons of articles here to get you started on the road to mindfulness but to touch on it briefly, mindfulness is the ability to be in the moment. Be Here Now as the old adage goes. To be truly in the moment experiencing your emotions but also not letting them control you is a lifelong practice and one we are eager for you to start. Check out our lessons on mindfulness to learn more.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep directly affects our emotions. We need 6-8 hours a night and yes, this can feel impossible sometimes between business and insomnia but we are here to help. We also have several articles on how to get quality sleep here and even how to identify what makes you unable to sleep here.
Strengthen your Personal Connections
Those who you care for are the most important people in your life. Despite this, we tend to treat these people the worst. Pushing off calls and contacts if something comes up because we know they love and understand us. While life does happen, do not neglect these relationships. In the end they are what makes life worth living. Make appointments to talk or hang out with loved ones monthly if not weekly. This will reduce your stress and build strong emotional wellness.
Cope with Loss and Disappointment
Life is not all roses and we will come into incredible sadness and devastating losses in life. There is no avoiding it. But what we can avoid is letting these tragedies forever change us for the worse. If you find you are struggling coping with loss, consider entering solo or group counseling to help arm yourself with the toolkit to access your emotions properly.
These tips are just the jumping board for emotional wellness. If you are not emotionally well it can sometimes be a very long road to recovery. Especially if it has caused negative impacts in your social and health lifestyles. But it is never too late to start trying and it is never too late to start living your best life.
What are your favorite stress reduction techniques? How do you stay connected with loved ones? Reach out to us with any questions or comments at info@bullionite.com
These exercises are offered only as suggestions and don't take the place of medical advice. If you are currently seeking medical help or counseling, run these exercises past your doctor before trying them. These exercises are also not meant to substitute medical advice or medications previously prescribed.