Emotional health is an important part of our overall well-being, which also includes our physical and social health. Nowadays, there is a lot of talk 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 give you some tips to enjoy greater psychological well-being.
For a long time it was stated that general health was equal to the absence of disease; However, in 1947 the WHO defined this concept as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” 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 employment. decent, a stable economic situation, etc.
When we talk about mental well-being, we are referring to emotional health, a complex concept that refers to feeling good about yourself and being aligned with your 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 great meaning and purpose, they are able to face adversity and deal with stress, they enjoy a balance between work, rest and leisure, they trust themselves and have a high self-esteem.
Tips to improve emotional health
Enjoying good emotional health has a lot to do with how we perceive the world around us and carrying out healthy habits. That is why you can follow a series of strategies that will help you enjoy greater emotional health.
Emotional Intelligence is one of the most important constructs in 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 healthier interpersonal relationships, among other virtues that you can see in the article: “The 10 benefits of emotional intelligence”
Luckily, it is possible to improve emotional intelligence and the ability to understand and regulate emotions. There are many workshops that help you become an emotionally intelligent person.
2. Do sports
General well-being, as I have mentioned, is made up of three large 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 essential, as we explain in our article “The 10 psychological benefits of practicing physical exercise.” Doing sports not only helps us enjoy greater cardiovascular health and a good body, but it also allows us to release endorphins, serotonin, norepinephrine and other neurotransmitters. They cause 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 lives. Knowing what we like to do and what makes us enter a “state of flow” is the first step in enjoying a full life. An important part of social well-being is having a decent job and being financially well-off, 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 free time? Do you feel a sense of ecstasy when you dance? Whatever 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 life goals promotes our mental well-being and keeps us motivated. In fact, not knowing what we want in life or where we are headed can lead us to a state of existential crisis and depression. Hence It is important to define what our concerns are and where we would like to be in the future. Whether it be in relation to studies, work and any area of our life.
And when we connect with our vital goals and 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 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. Now, unrealistic goals have a negative effect on us, since They cause us frustration and can affect our self-esteem.
When setting goals it is always necessary to take into account what our resources are. Likewise, objectives should be challenging, but also achievable. You can learn 10 tips to achieve your goals by clicking on this link.
6. Enhance positive relationships
There are several studies that affirm that Positive interpersonal relationships positively influence our emotional health. Not only that! They also influence our general health, including physical health.
One of these studies is the one carried out by scientist Yang together 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 research was published in Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
7. Live in 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 non-judgment, enjoy better emotional health. If you still don’t know what Mindfulness is, 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.”
8. Maintain a rich social life
Emotional well-being is not achieved through an individual struggle to feel better; It is a shared experience; After all, the human being is a fundamentally social animal. We cannot expect to be well if we lead a lifestyle based on isolation since we are not made to live that way.
So, make sure you surround yourself with people who connect with you and who contribute things to you on a daily basis; Don’t focus on being with those who only offer you a promise of status or who only have popularity and little else; It is better to be with those who, even if it is through a simple way of life, allow you to trust them and establish relationships as equals.
