Top ways to improve emotional health
If the world around you feels out of control, you’re not alone. Today’s ever-changing world can make it seem like tomorrow is a complete unknown. It’s easy to understand why so many people are unsure of how to take the steps necessary to create the life they want. The fast-paced uncertainty of the world has left so many of us wondering how to improve emotional health.
The first step is to stop letting the world around you dictate how you feel. Being immersed in uncertainty is no way to go through life. You can change your story and change your life. You can put yourself first. With these tips on how to improve your emotional health, you’ll begin to find meaning in life again.
What is emotional health?
Emotional health, or emotional well-being, is our ability to acknowledge and cope with our emotions and with life events that can affect those emotions. It’s a combination of emotional intelligence – or the ability to identify emotions in yourself and others – and emotional regulation, the ability to control those emotions in a healthy way.
Nearly one in five Americans live with a mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. But what is the difference between mental and emotional health? Emotional health is your ability to manage the emotions that arise from events and situations that happen around you. Mental health is how your mind processes and understands the information created from those experiences.
If your emotional health is out of alignment, it affects more than just your mind. Your struggles could start to manifest in physical ways, such as high blood pressure, chest pains, headaches, ulcers or other physical symptoms. When you aren’t feeling well physically, you can’t perform well in other areas of life.
Signs of emotional health include adaptability, resilience and confidence. Emotionally healthy people are self-aware. They are able to objectively evaluate their own emotions and decisions. Through their growth mindset, they are able to look at challenges as opportunities and find the lessons in their failures. They accept themselves and their emotions and use healthy coping mechanisms like journaling to work through them. When their emotional health starts to take a tumble, they know the steps they need to take to improve it.
How to improve emotional health
To create an extraordinary life, no matter what’s happening in the world, you must discover ways to improve emotional health. Use these emotional wellness activities to shift your mindset and improve your well-being.
1. Let go of what you can’t control
Do you always want to change others? Do you let circumstances beyond your control – like the weather, the actions of others or events in the world – affect your emotions? The need for control hurts our emotional well-being more than anything else. It’s natural to desire certainty, but you must realize that the only thing in life you can truly control is yourself.
2. Focus on what matters
Once you shift your focus away from things you can’t control, you’re free to focus on what matters: finding fulfillment in life. Does fulfillment really come from having perfect weather or letting yourself get burned out at work? Or does it come from spending time with loved ones, giving back to your community and building a life filled with positivity? Focus on what matters and learning how to improve emotional health becomes easier.
3. Practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude shifts your perspective and fills your life with positivity. As Tony says, “when you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” Negative emotions like fear and anger cannot coexist with gratitude. This ability to replace negative emotions with empowering ones is key to emotional well-being. You can incorporate a physical practice, such as yoga, meditation or journaling, into your daily gratitude practice.
4. Take time for self-care
Self-care likely comes to mind when you think of emotional wellness activities. That’s because self-care habits work. Healthy habits like eating an alkaline diet, finding exercise you enjoy and creating a morning ritual give you the energy and focus you need for emotional well-being. Be sure to take time to relax and pamper yourself, too. You can’t take care of anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself.
5. Connect with others
Connection is one of our Six Human Needs. These are our deepest needs as human beings that drive everything we do. When we don’t fulfill this need, we begin to feel hopeless, lonely and depressed. Reconnecting with others will make us feel more alive again. The connection doesn’t have to be romantic. Set up a weekly call or video chat with a friend. Join new groups online. Volunteer if you are able. Through friends, family or a romantic partner, create that community and human connection that makes life worth living.
6. Find your purpose
Do you know someone who never seems to let anything get to them? They’ve likely found their purpose in life. Everything you experience is connected to living out your purpose in some way. When you know your purpose, you realize that life is happening for you, not to you. Stop focusing on short-term goals and desires and look deeper. Focusing on your deeper purpose is a great way to improve your emotional well-being.
7. Get the support you need
Sometimes we all need a little help with our emotional well-being. If you’re experiencing a serious issue like panic attacks or depression, you may need support from a healthcare professional. But if you’re just feeling overwhelmed with all that’s going on in the world, you can turn to friends and family and let them know what’s going on. A Tony Robbins Results Coach can also help you get your emotional health back on track. Don’t be afraid to ask for the support you need.
8. Pick up a new hobby
In a society that seems obsessed with the hustle, so many people neglect enjoying hobbies. If it isn’t making them money, it doesn’t seem worth their time. This could not be further from the truth. Having a pastime that you enjoy and feel proud of will relax you, boost your self-esteem and improve your emotional health.
9. Take care of your physical body
Getting enough sleep, staying hydrated and fueling your body with healing superfoods goes a long way in helping you preserve your emotional health. Physical exercise will not only energize your body but it will also help improve your emotional health. When your body feels good, your mind feels good. Don’t neglect yourself for the sake of others.
FAQs on emotional health
What are signs of good mental and emotional health?
The signs of an emotionally healthy person include adaptability, resilience and confidence. People who take care of their emotional health are more equipped to take care of other aspects of their lives with ease.
What impacts emotional health?
Emotional health is impacted in so many ways. Stressful life situations, the inability to feel secure in decisions, world events and the quality of personal connections all have an effect on emotional health. Some ways to improve emotional health include taking care of your physical body, focusing on events that you can control and increasing your quality connections with other people.
Important note
The information and other content provided in this article, or in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice, nor is the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. See full disclaimer.
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