It is rightly said, that to feel is to be human. Your emotions play a vital role in who you are as a person, and how you react to your surroundings. Which is why taking care of your emotional well-being is extremely important, especially in the current times we are living in. Now, if you’re wondering what exactly emotional well-being entails, and why is it so important, read on to have your questions answered.
What Is Emotional Well-being?
Simply put, the emotional quality of an individual's experience is referred to as emotional well-being. “A range of demographic, economic, and situational factors influence emotional well-being. Economic factors such as money may interact with situational circumstances (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) to influence emotional well-being, according to recent research,” says Ms Mehezabin Dordi, clinical psychologist, rehabilitation, and sports medicine department, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai
She further adds, “Reduced emotional well-being has implications for mental health issues such as stress, sadness, and anxiety. On the plus side, improved emotional well-being has been linked to improvements in coping capacity, self-esteem, work performance and productivity, and even lifespan.”
Why Is It Important To Maintain Your Emotional Well-being?
Emotional well-being is crucial to overall health. Ms Dordi shares, “Emotionally healthy people have control over their ideas, feelings, and actions. They are capable of dealing with life's difficulties. They have the ability to keep challenges in perspective and recover from failures. They are confident in themselves and in their relationships.”
However, it is imperative to understand that being emotionally healthy does not imply that you are always joyful. It implies that you are aware of your feelings. Whether they're positive or negative, you can deal with them. “People who are emotionally healthy nonetheless experience tension, rage, and despair. They do, however, know how to deal with their unpleasant emotions. They can detect when a situation is too big for them to manage alone. They're also aware of when to seek help from a medical expert,” explains Ms Dordi.
Emotional well-being enables you to work efficiently and cope with the challenges of daily life. It has the ability to assist you in realising your full potential. It enables you to collaborate with others and contribute to society. It also has an impact on your physical health in a variety of ways. Ms Dordi expounds, “It also helps us build stronger and more meaningful connections, as well as improve our self-esteem. Having a positive view makes you feel more energised and allows you to focus and think more clearly, whereas poor emotional health depletes your mental resources and leads to tiredness. Emotional health is a skill, according to research, and there are steps to mastering it.”
Ways To Boost Emotional Well-being
Ms Dordi lists out the following ways you can boost your emotional well-being:
1. Be conscious of your emotions and reactions: Pay attention to the feelings you experience on a daily basis. Observe how life events affect you and trigger powerful emotions such as anger, grief, or irritation. Make an effort to confront or change those issues.
2. Express your feelings: Allow people close to you to know when something is hurting you by expressing your feelings in suitable ways. Keeping sadness or anger inside adds to your stress level. It can cause issues in your personal life, as well as at job or school.
3. Before you act, think: Allow yourself time to reflect and to be calm before acting on your instincts.
4. Learn relaxing techniques to help you manage stress: Deep breathing, meditation, listening to music, and exercise are examples of these.
5. Establish a balance: Maintain a good balance between work and personal life, as well as physical activity and rest. Make time for hobbies and activities that you enjoy.
6. Take good care of your physical well-being: Get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, and eat healthy meals. Don't use drugs or drink too much alcohol.
7. Stay connected: We require positive interpersonal ties. Loneliness is extremely damaging to one's physical and emotional well-being.
8. Find humour: Being able to laugh at some things and find humour in life is a terrific approach to reduce stress and improve your overall emotional well-being.