Emotional health: 7 tips to improve it
Emotional health is an important part of our general well-being , which also includes our physical and social health. In our days, much is said about emotional health and happiness, but ... what exactly is emotional health? How can we improve it? In this article I will talk about this concept and I will give you some tips to enjoy greater psychological well-being.
- Related article: "Health Psychology: history, definition and areas of application"
What is emotional health
For a long time it was stated that general health was equal to the absence of disease; however, in the year 1947 the WHO defined this concept as "a state of complete well-being, physical, mental and social". That is, to enjoy good general health, we must have good physical health, enjoy psychological well-being and enjoy social well-being, which includes not only good quality interpersonal relationships and friendships, but also a job worthy, a stable economic situation, etc.
When we speak of mental well-being, we are referring to emotional health , a complex concept that refers to feeling good about oneself and being aligned with goals and motivations. It is a feeling of satisfaction, in which the future is perceived with optimism and hope. People with good emotional health feel that life has a great meaning and purpose, they are able to cope with adversity and deal with stress, they enjoy balance between work, rest and leisure, they trust in themselves and have high self-esteem
- Maybe you're interested: "The 8 benefits of going to psychological therapy"
Tips to improve emotional health
Enjoying good emotional health has a lot to do with how we perceive the world around us and with the fact of carrying out healthy habits. That's why you can follow a series of strategies that will help you enjoy greater emotional health.
1. Do an emotional Intelligence workshop
Emotional Intelligence is one of the most important constructs of psychology today, since emotionally intelligent people enjoy greater well-being, have greater self-knowledge, make better decisions, Manage stress better , they communicate better, they have more healthy interpersonal relationships, among other virtues that you can check in the article: "The 10 benefits of emotional intelligence"
Luckily, it is possible to improve the emotional intelligence and the ability to understand and regulate emotions. There are many workshops that help you become an emotionally intelligent person.
2. Do sport
The general welfare, as I have said, is composed of three major areas: physical, mental and social health. These vital areas are related to each other, so enjoying good physical health has a positive impact on our mental well-being .
In this sense, physical exercise becomes an essential, as we explained in our article "The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise." Playing sports not only helps us enjoy greater cardiovascular health and a good body, but it also allows us to release endorphins, serotonin, noradrenaline and other neurotransmitters they provoke us pleasant sensations and improve our mood .
3. Practice activities that you enjoy
Much of psychological well-being and emotional health has to do with enjoying our own life. Knowing what we like to do and what makes us enter "state of flow" is the first step to enjoy a full life. An important part of social welfare is having a decent job and being well economically, which influences our emotional health, but not everything in this life should be that.
Do you like to paint or play the guitar in your spare time? Do you feel a sense of ecstasy when you dance? Whatever it is that makes you happy, include these activities in your weekly routine to enjoy greater emotional health.
4. Fight for your personal growth
There are many studies that affirm that having vital goals favors our mental well-being and keeps us motivated. In fact, not knowing what we want in life or where we are going can lead us to a state of existential crisis and depression. So that it is important to define what our concerns are and where we would like to be in the future. Whether in terms of studies, work and any area of our life.
And it is that when we connect with our vital objectives and with what we really want and, of course, we fight for it, our journey towards personal development becomes something exciting, something that gives us life and that allows us to enjoy great health emotional.
Related article: "Personal Development: 5 reasons for self-reflection"
5.Set realistic goals
As you have seen in the previous point, having vital goals is key to our well-being. However, unrealistic objectives have a negative effect on us, since they cause us frustration and can affect our self-esteem .
When it comes to setting goals, it is always necessary to consider what our resources are. Also, the objectives must be challenging, but also achievable. You can know 10 tips to achieve your goals by clicking on this link.
6. Power positive relationships
There are several studies that claim that positive interpersonal relationships positively influence our emotional health . Not only that! They also influence our overall health, including physical health.
One of these studies is the one made by the scientist Yang with his collaborators, who, after analyzing the health of people with healthy interpersonal relationships and those who were isolated, found that the former enjoyed greater general health: good blood pressure , less body mass index, etc. The investigation was published in Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
7. Live the present and practice acceptance
Scientific studies also affirm that people who practice Mindfulness, that is, who develop a mental state in which they focus their attention on the here and now, with an attitude of compassion and not prosecution, enjoy better emotional health. If you still do not know what Mindfulness is, the psychiatrist Javier García Campayo explains it to you in the following interview: Javier García Campayo: "Mindfulness is here to stay, because it has enormous scientific evidence"
