Self Care

 

Are you aware of your Emotional Health??

 

Emotional health (EH) is our capacity to express our feelings in appropriate ways and our ability to cope with various emotions. EH is also about how we think and how we feel. It is about our sense of wellbeing, our ability to cope with life’s events and how we acknowledge our emotions as well as those of others. EH involves our ability to manage and express the emotions that arise from what we have experienced.

The pandemic has wrought havoc on millions of lives, hit home hard for many of us and brought the world to its knees.  This is new for many generations living today - the last major such event being a 100 years ago. 

Stress, anxiety and uncertainty have upended our lives. Fear of loss - material and mortal seems to hang over us likes a dark cloud.  Lockdowns, vaccination shortages and in your face print, TV and social media coverage is only increasing our sense of gloom. 

However, in all this there is a silver lining. It starts first with acceptance. Acceptance of the fact that human life is subject to time and in this chronological dimension both the good and as well as the bad come and go. Neither is permanent.  Only the bad seems to linger longer though that is an illusion. 

Acceptance leads to endurance and resilience.  The ability to live through these difficult times with the firm knowledge that in a time bound world the tide of bad things will change. 

Well-being that is a result of strong mental, emotional, physical and spiritual quotients is the way to build resilience. That is what we need to do as we navigate these times.  Lend a helping hand to whoever you can however small for you are far luckier than you can imagine. 

Hence its increasingly becoming more important to be emotionally healthy and pay attention to our well-being during these tough and unprecedented times.

Emotional health problems are disorders that could affect your mood, thinking and your behaviour. Some of the signs of emotional health problems could include anger, anxiety, disgust, fear and sadness to name a few. But by far the most common emotional disorders are anxiety and depression.

Emotional Health is an important part of our overall health. People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors and hence are able to cope with life’s challenges. They are easily able to bounce from setbacks and are also able to work in any group environment or setting. There is no doubt that in today’s world or emotional quotient is more important than IQ.

Some of the ways of improving EH is by practicing emotional regulation. This is important because emotions can sometimes get the better of you but by learning coping strategies, we can respond rather than react to upsetting situations.

·       Second is by exercising regularly and maintaining an active lifestyle.

·       Strengthening social connections

·       Being mindful

·       Getting quality sleep

·       Eating healthy

·       Spirituality-irrespective of what religion you follow. This helps in having faith at a higher level

It is especially important during adolescent years to have a sense of wellbeing and emotional security since peer pressure is at its peak during this time and one is vulnerable to stress. Stress again could stem from various factors such as academics, peer pressure, body image issues etc.

Positive social and emotional development is very important and this development influences self-confidence, the ability to develop meaningful and lasting friendships. 

Social and emotional health affects children’s overall development. Those who develop strong social and emotional skills tend to be happier and are motivated to learn and perform better.

Finally, since we all live in a community, we have to learn how to cope with working, living and engaging with people.

Some of the characteristics of good emotional health are:

 

·       Positive self esteem

·       Sense of belonging

·       Sense of purpose

·   Positive outlook & Sharing feelings appropriately. Having someone to confide in can have massive benefits to your emotional health. 

·       Autonomy

·       Emotional stability in being able to manage their emotions

·       Resilience.

 

Emotional health & lifestyle.

Emotional well-being is essential to overall health and quality of life. Poor EH weakens the body’s immune system and hence it is imperative to maintain a balanced lifestyle in order to have good emotional health.  Balanced lifestyle could mean:

 

·       Being aware of your emotions and reactions

·       Expressing feelings in appropriate ways

·       Taking care of your physical health

·       Build a social support network.

·       Set priorities. Decide what must get done and what can wait. ...

·       Think positive. 

·       Try relaxation methods. 

·       Most importantly …Seek help.

 

Emotional health & Physical Health

Yes, definitely EH affects Physical Health. To have good EH the first step is to take care of your body by following a regular routine, eating healthy, exercising regularly and getting adequate sleep.

Poor EH can lead to psychosomatic issues. You tend to have a deep sense of lethargy and start withdrawing yourself from people. You stop exercising and that in turn leads to a whole lot of physical health related stress issues. So definitely emotional health has a bearing on physical health and it’s important to address the root cause.

 

Signs of Poor Emotional Health:

There are many signs of poor EH and some of the them are:

·       Consistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness

·       Irritability, anger and aggression

·       Frequent crying and breakdowns

·       Withdrawal from family and friends

·       Loss of interest in activities you used to once love

·       Changes in eating and sleeping habits.

 

The possible health goal is to first be aware of your emotions and reactions, expressing feelings, managing stress, connecting with others and most importantly finding purpose and meaning in all that you do and this is important in helping you to maintain good emotional health.

 

Don’t suffer in silence….

 Fundamentally help is available at three levels:

•  First is to talk and confide with your immediate family-parents’ grandparents, friends etc. They are your biggest support system.
• At the second level would be to talk to a trained counsellor who could help.
• At the final level and which is more at a clinical level would be to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist.

 

Please remember that you don’t have to suffer in silence and there are multiple avenues available these days to seek help from.