Emotional Health

 Hi everyone!

I am Kelly Ward - Your host 

Welcome to HAPPY DAYS! 

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Today I want to discuss emotional health and what that means, as well as how to improve your emotional health so that you always remain calm and centered through any situation that life may present to you. 

Something that tends to affect our emotional health are factors like anxiety, where we become stressed out and anxious about something that has not even happened yet or we focus on our past mistakes and live with shame, guilt and resentment. All I have to say is 'to live in the past is to die in the present.' When you actually understand the concept of what that means, your perspective will change and you will become free, because you release all of that pressure you hold onto that stops you from actually living your life. 

I am guilty of that because I still get anxious about everything, and what helps me move past those emotions, is bringing myself back to the present moment and trying to identify the value those thoughts have in my life...if it has none, I let them go and I try and do something in that moment, that is going to help me de stress and be more present. Whether its meditation, reading a book or going for a walk...I try and find healthy and positive ways to deal with my anxiety because I don't want to be the one holding myself back from enjoying life and enjoying every moment. 

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So what is emotional health?

Emotional health is basically an aspect of mental health. It helps you with your ability to actually cope with both positive and negative emotions, which includes becoming aware of your emotions. When you are an emotionally healthy person and you are able to deal with your emotions in a healthy way, you usually have a good coping mechanism for negative emotions and you also know exactly when you need to reach out to seek professional help. You know what is good for you and what you need to cope with whatever you are feeling so that you can solve the issue and move forward. 

For example if you have good emotional health, you are able to notice when upsetting or negative emotions arise. This basically helps you to identify how you are feeling and process those emotions in a healthy manner. Instead of lashing out at someone who has hurt you or angered you, you rather choose to approach the situation in a more calm and compassionate manner. 

It can be hard sometimes to be handle to control our emotions because we are human, but it is possible. We sometimes use the excuse that it is too hard to achieve that level of emotional stability and calmness, however you need to ask yourself - how much mental work are you willing to put in every day in order to achieve the emotional strength you desire and the positive perspective you want to achieve so that when situations in life happen, you are able to deal with it and have the confidence and belief in yourself that you are able to rise above anything. It is possible. If you really want the positive end result, you have to be willing to put in the work. For example - so many people want to be wealthy and successful but not many people are actually willing to put in the work to get there. Life owes us nothing, if you want something, you have to work for it. 

Good emotional health is when you are curious about your own mind and thoughts, when you begin to actively engage with understanding your own emotional well being. It is when you start to share your feelings appropriately with someone you trust instead of keeping everything to yourself and trying to deal with it on your own. This has massive benefits to your emotional health. When you notice and face your emotions when they start to arise instead of trying to suppress them. This is what it means to really have good emotional health. 

So how do you actually build good emotional health?

Firstly emotional health is not the same as mental health, even though the two can be used together sometimes. Emotional health is actually being in tune with your emotions, in terms of vulnerability and being authentic to what you are truly feeling. Having good emotional health is beneficial in developing resilience, self awareness and over contentment in your life. Keep in mind that when you have good emotional health, that does not mean you are always happy or free from negative emotions. That is also not realistic because life has seasons. However it is about having the necessary skills and tools to help you to manage the ups and downs of life. Let's be real...who wouldn't want that?

Notice when negative emotions start to arise so that you are able to identify them and process them in a healthy manner. Identify your own self judgements where you basically take that critical inner voice and develop it into an opportunity of  more positive, self love and compassion. You would ask yourself- 'what makes it challenging for me to treat myself the same way I treat others?'

When you are also curious about your emotions, behaviors and feelings, you start to ask yourself 'why do I tend to react this way?' or what experience in my past has led me to react this way in situations and how can I change this?

So why is it so important to have a good emotional health?

Well...

1. You develop stronger and deeper relationships with others and yourself.

2. You have resilience to stressful situations and stress in general.

3. Your self esteem improves.

4. You develop a more positive outlook on life. 

Sounds amazing doesn't it?? 

You need to ask yourself if these factors are what you want to achieve in life and if it is worth it for you to actually put in that effort and work to achieve these amazing skills in your life. 

Emotional health is more of a process than a goal because it helps you to develop and strengthen your emotional awareness so that you are prepared for the good and bad in life. It does also not mean that you need to be in a good mood all the time either, it is about developing an understanding of what you are feeling so that you can actively make positive changes and respond better to any situation. 

We all know that emotions can get the best of us however taking the time to learn coping strategies to help you to respond to situations instead of reacting will help you tremendously in your life. You will begin to act out of self awareness and intelligence. The coping strategies that I use are journaling, listening to music, meditation or going for a walk- being outside. Exercising helps to nourish your mental and physical health even if it is just for 20 minutes a day, it helps really sharpen your focus and develop strong emotional health too. 

Surround yourself with positive people because the people you surround yourself with really create your reality as well. By getting quality sleep, you improve the functioning of your brain and also by practicing mindfulness, it also helps you to focus on one thing at a time and to try and bring your awareness to the present instead of focusing on what's to come or what has happened. 

For example sometimes we also tend to focus on our body image and the body expectations we currently have and place on ourselves because of what we are influenced by on social media. Now everything is more amplified, our minds are conditioned to what we are suppose to look like or what is seen as perfect. Especially now, there is definitely a type of body that is more accepted now and we add so much pressure on ourselves, for what?? 

It affects our overall emotional well being, it stops us from living our life, it influences us to be just like everyone else so that we can be accepted. I encourage you to just be you, to be yourself, to take the time to sit with yourself and identify what makes you happy...what do you actually like? That is what matters, so block out the noise and don't allow anything to harm your emotional health. It is not worth it. 

I really hope this episode has inspired you and also encouraged you to find positive ways to develop your emotional health so that you become stronger from within. 

Thank you for listening every week! I wish everyone an amazing week ahead and I love you all.

Thank you for hanging out with me today!

Bye everyone!