What Is Emotional Health?

What is emotional health? For me it's being emotionally balanced, being able to manage difficult situations without falling into a pit of despair. Emotional health is really the same as mental health if you're looking at it from a holistic perspective. Therefore emotional health is not merely the absence of a mental disorder, but a broader concept of the individual's ability to not only survive but thrive in life.
The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.

The Emotions

Our feelings are the gauge that show us how we're thinking: if we're feeling the negative emotions, then we're thinking primarily negative thoughts; if we're feeling positive emotions, then we're likely to be thinking mainly positive thoughts.

Which of these emotions are you feeling most frequently?

Why Is Emotional Health Important?

As I've said throughout this site, as mothers our first commitment should be to look after ourselves: our physical, mental and spiritual health. If we don't we will not be in the optimum condition to nurture and teach our children how to live. We need to remember that children learn much more through watching us than they do through listening to us.

My Mental Health Problems

I have previously suffered from two bouts of depression, the second requiring medication. Even after I came off the anti-depressants, I still felt angry about the situation, very critical of the world in general and easily annoyed. These persistant negative emotions were doing me a lot of damage and probably would have put my marriage in jeopardy had they continued for much longer. Thankfully, watching "The Secret" gave me a friendly metophorical kick up the backside, telling me that things weren't as bad as I was thinking they were. I slowly pulled myself round to right thinking, by learning about the power of the mind, and nurturing myself.

How Can I Improve My Emotional Health?

I think that anything that helps you to feel less negative and more positive is good. Whatever that is will be different for each individual. Here are some ideas:

watch a good comedy

go on a long walk in beautiful countryside

have a long soak in a deep bubbly bath

remember a particular happy time and relive the emotions

learn a new skill

take regular exercise (proven to have mental health benefits)

go to bed early

read a good book

get a spa treatment

spend time with friends and family

So, what is emotional health? I think it's being able to live the life you want to live and not being held back by emotional baggage.

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