Emotional Wellness Boot Camp: Emotional Health

Boot Camp.  2021.  Melissa Style.  It may be a month late, but the important thing is that you start.  Today.

So let’s begin to talk about Emotional Health...Do you ever feel a gush of mixed emotions, but you can't seem to express what you are feeling? Overwhelming, scary, paralyzing and highly uncomfortable feelings that you cannot put into words.  I have been there!  Often.  It comes with being human.It is very important to be aware of your emotions and to know how you feel. Being emotionally healthy is as crucial as being physically fit. Emotional health is primarily your ability to manage and be aware of both your positive and negative emotions. It is your experience with your emotions - the good ones, the bad ones and even the ugly ones.Being emotionally healthy means having suitable coping mechanisms and knowing how to deal with your emotions. This doesn't mean that emotionally healthy people aren't ever angry, sad, exhausted, or stressed. Neither are they always cheerful and happy. Emotional well-being pertains to acknowledging your emotions and managing them effectively, whether the emotions are positive or negative. 

The Significance of Awareness

Now that we understand what emotional well-being is, how about learning the 'why' aspect? Why is it important to be aware of your emotions? Let me ask you one simple reflective question. What words do you generally use to describe how you feel? Most of us use common words like happy, sad, stressful, relaxed, etc. However, we feel as if these words aren't doing justice to what we feel a few times. I, on some days, feel some emotions I cannot describe in these aforementioned terms. We might end up feeling that our emotions are complicated. However, the problem lies with our ability to express and our awareness of emotions. We need to be mindful of exactly WHAT we feel. There are over 300 words designated to different types of emotions, and yet we try to generalize our emotions into the categories of happy and sad. Once you understand how exactly you feel, you have secured the first step towards an emotionally healthy lifestyle. In other words, when we are aware of our emotions, we can easily verbalize, communicate and deal with how we feel.   After knowing your emotions specifically, and being able to name them,  it is easier to find an effective coping mechanism or even reaching out for professional help if needed.On the other hand, failing to express or understand your emotions can lead to many social, physical, and mental downfalls. You might end up struggling with your emotional health. This can negatively impact your overall lifestyle in ways such as low performance at work or school, isolation from friends and family, feeling hopeless and worthless, interpersonal conflicts and deteriorating relationships, irregular sleeping or eating patterns, a surge in the use of substances, shopping, food, etc.   As a result, it is essential to pay adequate attention to your emotional well-being and be aware of how you feel. 

The Equation of Culture and Emotional Health

Culture is a very intrinsic part of our life and largely impacts our decisions. We cannot subtract culture and society from our lives. It is vital to learn how our emotional health might be affected by our culture. In a lot of cultural settings, emotional health is a stigma. It is known to be a weakness to ask for help. Being emotionally unhealthy isn’t considered a genuine issue. Therefore, people are reluctant to be open about their emotional instabilities. They shy away from asking for professional help and let their problems pile up, which can be fatal. One needs to realize that even though it is taboo to prioritize emotional well-being, it is crucial to break this taboo. Normalize asking for help and working on your emotional well-being. It is entirely okay to be vulnerable sometimes.  Yes - even you.  The skeptical one reading this blog.Many cultures might not promote or support the resources for emotional health as much as they should. However, this should never stop you from availing any emotional health services or discussing your emotional health with your peers or family. This also implies that you should look out for your friends and family and provide them with the comfort to converse about their emotions. 

The Journey towards a Better Emotional Health

What does one do when they decide to get physically fit? First, they work out and optimize their diet. Similarly, when one makes an informed decision to get emotionally fit, they need to take specific steps to uplift their emotional well-being. 

A few simple alterations one can make for a healthy lifestyle and emotional prosperity can be as follows:

• Talk about your feelings, express them freely

As mentioned above, talking appropriately about your feelings and emotions can be liberating. It can help you feel less troubled. 

• Notice your actions and reactions.

Reflect on what makes you happy and excited and what brings frustration and stress into your life. Try to avoid the latter. Cut down on activities that you think are harming your emotional health. 

• Eat and sleep sensibly.

Be informed of how well do you sleep and eat. Avoid emotional eating or sleeping too little or too much. Your sleeping and eating cycles can highly impact your ability to deal with emotions effectively.

• Stress Management

Whenever you feel heavy and stressed, look for peaceful and practical solutions. Try opting for meditation, deep breathing, exercising, or ask for professional help.

• Live a balanced life.

Strike a balance between work and personal life, play and rest, hobbies and job, etc. Make time for yourself and for the things that inspire you. Give yourself a moment to enjoy every day!

• Stay connected!

Keep in touch with people you love. Talk to them, meet them or spend some quality time together. This will help you release tension and feel joyful. In addition, staying connected will help you discuss your emotional health more comfortably. Your friends and family might even help you deal with negative emotions or burnouts sometimes!

• Take a break.

If you feel overwhelmed with your work or exhausted with all the emotional burnout, take a short break. Calm down and use effective coping mechanisms to deal with your emotions carefully. It is okay to take a break and slow down!

• Focus on your physical fitness. 

Physical fitness can help you energize yourself. You feel fresh and active. Regular exercise can result in an improved sleep cycle, eating habits, and concentration level. Physical and emotional fitness go hand in hand!

• Ask for professional help if needed.

You aren't weak if you ask for professional help. If we have a broken arm, we go to the doctor. Similarly, if we are emotionally unhealthy, we need to look for help. Professional help is a challenging yet essential step to acknowledge and treat your emotional health. Give yourself a chance to improve. 

Love yourself!

The key to emotional well-being is accepting and loving yourself. One needs to understand that highs and lows are a part of life and that they have got the potential to overcome any emotional burnouts. 

You Got This, You Are Doing Great!

Mood swings, emotional breakdowns, isolations, etc., might seem to be exhausting. But you need to prioritize your emotional health, understand your emotions, and implement simple and easy practices, as mentioned earlier, in your life. Finally, never hesitate to ask for help.  I am in this with you and would love to partner with you on this journey called life you are on. If you need help working embracing who you are as a human, as well as a professional  – let’s chat!  I provide online therapy in Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, California, Texas, and Pennsylvania.  I’m proud to offer online therapy for helping professionals, online therapy for busy professionals, and Therapy for Therapists™. I specialize in treating imposter syndrome, burnout, and anxiety using The Daring Way™ and offer online workshops to clients who want to overcome shame. Contact me today and let’s be rockstars together!If you want to know more about me you can read about me as a therapist. Or, if you’re curious about my therapy practice then check out my FAQs, or read my mental health blog.As always, take care of you and know that you are not alone –