5 Signs of Good Emotional Health
Modern life is full of economic, societal and familial pressures that didn’t used to exist. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by day to day living, and emotional health can help you keep things on an even keel. Your ability to handle your daily responsibilities and relationships is influenced by your levels of mental stress, and managing them better can support you in staying healthier and happier long-term.
Research shows that emotional health is a skill. There are steps you can take to build emotional wellness, and how you react to feelings or experiences can change over time.
What is Emotional Health?
Emotional health or emotional wellness refers to a person’s ability to manage their thoughts and feelings daily throughout life’s many ups and downs. Having good emotional health doesn’t mean you don’t feel sad or angry, but you can process and respond to those emotions in ways that help rather than harm you.
Good emotional wellness plays an important role in your self-awareness, resiliency and overall sense of well-being, as well as how you respond to and are perceived by others. It can influence your view of people and the world, as well as how you respond to feedback or criticism.
Emotionally healthy individuals have control over their emotions, share feelings appropriately, bounce back from setbacks, and can generally cope with life’s challenges.
Self-Esteem and Emotional Health
Self-esteem is a crucial element of mental and emotional well-being. It refers to one’s confidence in their own worth or abilities, and is based on opinions or beliefs about the self. Low self-esteem is associated with mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety, and symptoms of poor physical health too. Working on building self-esteem can have a positive knock-on effect on emotional wellness, and vice versa.
Signs of Poor Emotional Health
- Ongoing fatigue and low energy
- Sleeping too little or too much
- Overeating or undereating
- Battling to maintain personal hygiene and care
- Feeling anxious or irritated with loved ones
- Letting work performance suffer
- Physical symptoms of mental stress such as heart palpitations or high blood pressure
- Compromised self-esteem or self-confidence
5 Signs of Good Emotional Health
Self-Awareness:
Individuals who are self-aware are able to view their actions from a perspective outside of themselves. They perceive themselves accurately and understand how their behavior comes across to other people.
Emotional Flexibility:
A person’s ability to deal with mental stress or discomfort is known as their emotional agility. Those with less of it may repress emotions, ignore them or be reactive to them. Those who are more flexible are better able to accept their feelings and adapt to challenging circumstances. They are also less likely to resort to unhealthy behaviors and coping mechanisms.
Strong Coping Skills:
When emotional wellness is high in an individual, they tend to have a battery of healthy skills to help them cope better, such as relaxation techniques, getting support from friends, pausing to rest, and finding time for hobbies.
Relationship Boundaries:
Regulating your emotional health requires having boundaries in relationships: personally, professionally and in your community. Being able to say no without being guilty, letting go of relationships that don’t serve you and communicating boundaries to others are all signs of emotional health.
Living with Purpose:
Purpose looks different to different people and refers to an individual’s drive and passion to pursue certain goals. Rather than simply existing and moving through the motions of each day, those who live with purpose have chosen a direction for their life that feels meaningful, and around which they shape many of their choices and decisions.
Having good emotional health doesn’t mean you feel happy all the time. It means you are in control of your feelings and behaviors and can keep problems in perspective. If you are emotionally healthy, you are able to cope well in challenging situations, but also know when to seek help from others. Developing your emotional health can have a reciprocal positive effect on self-esteem and improve the quality of your relationships with others.
Health and Well-Being: Is There a Difference Between ?
Health and well-being are buzzwords that have never been more prevalent than they are today. These words are often used together and have become fairly synonymous over time. Are health and well-being the same thing? If not, how do they intersect, and what are the foundations for good health and well-being? Let’s unpack the details below.
What is Health?
When looking for definitions of health and wellbeing, health is considered a state of being, where both mental and physical elements of the individual are without disease or injury. Physical health refers to living in a body that is capable, strong, and free of illness. Mental health refers to those same things, but in context of the mind. When you are mentally healthy, you are able to navigate life successfully, managing setbacks without debilitating stress or sadness. Together, mental and physical health influence all aspects of your life. In recent years, broadening definitions of health have contributed to this inclusion of better understanding mental health, and the recognition of public mental health as something integral to public health overall.
What is Well-Being?
Firstly, the concept of well-being sits outside the medical model of health. This is because to be with or without well-being is not considered a diagnosis. Well-being can be broadly defined as the maintenance of physical, mental and emotional stability and balance: feeling good and functioning well, rather than simply being free of illness. Identifying a state of physical and mental well-being points to the many varied subjective elements that are at play in individuals. For this reason, it is broadly accepted that there is both objective and subjective well-being.
Objective well-being is usually based on measurable human needs and rights, such as physical health, education, safety and food security. Subjective well-being – also called personal well-being – is measured by an individual’s report of aspects of their life, such as their emotional state, life satisfaction, and meaningfulness of their life.
How do Well-Being and Health Affect Each Other?
Health and well-being are intricately connected and are hard to separate when determining cause and effect. When physical and mental well-being suffers, it can negatively affect health, and vice versa. For example, stress can impede well-being, which in turn may increase your risk of chronic illness – poor physical health. Conversely, the presence of physical illness may negatively affect your overall well-being, even contributing to mental illness such as anxiety or depression. Again, the reverse can also be true: depression may cause physical symptoms in some people, such as a change in weight, gastrointestinal issues, or sexual dysfunction. The bottom line? It is impossible to maintain peak physical and mental health when well-being is suffering, and vice versa.
5 Quick Tips to Improve Health & Well-Being
The New Economics Foundation (NEF) developed the “Five Ways to Well-being” framework in 2008. This set of evidence-based actions to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the whole population is broadly recognized by governments and organizations and used in many different applications promoting good health and well-being.
The five instructions included in this framework are:
Be active: This includes participating in physical activities around you or finding a method of moving you like enough to practice daily or regularly.
Take notice: Being aware of what happens around you and engaging all your senses helps you to feel present. Trying something new each day can help to keep you stimulated and more likely to focus on the current moment, rather than ruminating about the past or future.
Give: Identifying those who need support, offering love and care where you can, and treating others with respect can enhance personal feelings of well-being.
Keep learning: Having a growth mind-set fosters curiosity and positive feelings. Do your best to learn something new each day, staying informed, emulating mentors and enquiring about and learning from the experiences of others around you.
Connect: As social creatures, we need to prioritize interaction with others. This could include nurturing deep relationships with friends and family, joining social clubs, as well as seizing the opportunity for positive interactions with new people, even in passing.
More than simply just “nice to have”, good health and well-being are essential elements for personal fulfilment and human functioning. A foundation of mental and physical wellness contributes positively to every area of your life, promoting stability and resilience. Growing your understanding of both physical and mental well-being and health can help you learn to generate more of it in your life.
Importance of Mental Health
Not everyone has a full understanding of the concept of mental health or the importance of mental health in helping you deal optimally with life’s challenges.
Learn more about the importance of mental health below to better understand its implications for health and well-being.
Understanding the Importance of Mental Health
Mental health refers to how effectively you are able to use your cognitive abilities to manage all facets of daily functioning, e.g.
- Making informed decisions
- Regulating your thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behaviors
- Interacting with others, intimately and socially
- Setting and achieving goals
- Learning and working productively
Recognizing the importance of mental health is an important contributor to leading a meaningful and productive life.
What is Mental Illness?
When a condition arises that impairs your ability to function productively each day, it is referred to as a mental disorder, mental condition, or mental illness. It can affect anyone at any time, at any stage of life, and may be short-lived or chronic. The importance of mental health becomes more apparent when realizing that the influence of a mental disorder is not limited to an individual, but may spread to others, e.g. family, friends, work, and even the community.
Some mental illnesses may present as physical problems (e.g. headaches or stomach pains), while depression and anxiety can increase the risk of physical conditions (e.g. heart disease, diabetes, or stroke).
Mental disorders include:
- Anxiety disorders (including panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias)
- Depression (bipolar disorder, and other mood disorders)
- Eating disorders
- Psychotic disorders
- Personality disorders
Prevalence of Mental Health Issues
Mental illness is prevalent world-wide. Many of those experiencing mental illness do not seek help, largely due to stigma associated with the disorder.
The importance of mental health has been highlighted by a large-scale study covering 29 countries world-wide:
- One out of every two people in the world will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime.
- Mental health disorders typically first emerge in childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood.
- The three most common mental health disorders among women are:
- Depression
- Specific phobia (a disabling anxiety that interferes with daily life)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- The three most common mental health disorders among men are:
- Alcohol abuse
- Depression
- Specific phobia
Mental Illness: Development and Intervention
Understanding how mental disorders arise and evolve leads to an appreciation for the importance of mental health.
They do not usually arise from a single cause but from complex interactions between biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. These are called risk factors. A mental illness can be triggered by a stressful event or develop gradually in stages.
The Phoenix Recovery Center in Utah describes mental illness as a progression through four stages:
Stage 1: Initial Symptoms (Warning Signs)
The first signs of mental illness can be difficult to recognize. Symptoms may include:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Struggling to get out of bed in the morning because of mood
- Loss of interest in things you usually find enjoyable
- Inability to perform usual daily functions and responsibilities
- Decline in school or work performance
- Worrisome thoughts, tension, insecurity
- Wanting to be alone: withdrawing from family and friends
Stage 2: Symptoms Intensify
Symptoms become more obvious and stress on the individual escalates. Resulting implications may bring more awareness to the importance of mental health.
Strategies that focus on self-care can be employed: taking time to do things that help you to increase energy, live well, and improve both physical and mental health. Even small, regular acts of self-care can have a big impact on daily functioning.
Strategies include:
- Eating a balanced diet and staying hydrated
- Taking breaks and time for yourself
- Getting a good night’s sleep
- Opening up to friends or family members who can provide emotional support and practical help
- Exercising regularly
- Practicing gratitude, i.e. reminding yourself daily of things you are grateful for
- Exploring relaxation or wellness programs, or apps
- Trying to understanding what causes or triggers mild symptoms and what coping techniques work for you – everyone is different
As the stress intensifies, individuals may be motivated to indulge in more destructive behaviors, e.g. substance abuse (alcohol/drugs), self-medication, sexual acting-out, or gambling. Seeking treatment during the first two stages is more beneficial, before symptoms start to interfere substantially with one’s life.
Stage 3: Symptoms Disrupt Daily Life
The symptoms of mental illness occur repeatedly and start to become so severe that the individual is no longer able to function effectively. Without treatment or intervention, there is a danger that the disorder can become damaging in the long-term.
Stage 4: Presence of Severe Symptoms
This is the most severe stage, when an individual’s mental illness can become life-threatening. Moreover, this is a stage when the person is most likely to cause self-harm (e.g. suicide) and display aggression towards others.
Seeking help at this stage is imperative and can be life-saving. It is never too late to seek treatment.
Nurturing Good Mental Health
Maintaining good mental health can have a protective effecton one’s general wellbeing – underscoring the importance of mental health. More specifically, good mental health not only reduces the risk of mental illness, but may also result in more favorable outcomes, if and when treatment is sought.
Important Ways to Improve Mental Health
World Mental Health Month, held annually in October, is a stark reminder that not only are mental health issues pervasive worldwide, but they are on the increase. Mental health plays a major role in influencing your overall health and general wellbeing, and learning how to improve your mental health can contribute significantly to a more satisfying and productive life. Exploring ways to improve mental health can also increase your resilience to everyday stressors.
Review Your Mental Health State
Learning how to recognize coping mechanisms specific to you can help to improve mental health. Try writing down your feelings each day for a week. Find a quiet spot free from distraction, where you can reflect on your day. Here, you can highlight the intensity and frequency of any negative feelings you experienced. Ideally, reviewing your mental health will become a daily habit in the future.
Early warning signs of compromised mental health may include:
- Sudden shifts in emotions (mood swings, feeling depressed, irritability, sudden anger)
- Recurring fears and anxieties
- Increased social withdrawal and isolation
- Apathy: loss of interest or enthusiasm for activities previously enjoyed
- Significant increase in the use of alcohol or other addictive substances
- Feeling overwhelmed or finding it hard to complete your daily responsibilities
- Unexplained physical symptoms, e.g. headaches, stomach aches, or muscle tension
You may find:
- You do not exhibit any early warning symptoms and feel confident that you are coping. However, an absence of these mental health symptoms does not automatically imply good mental health. You will still benefit from trying to improve your mental health: the goal is to maximize your wellbeing.
- You are experiencing anxiety. Having one or two of the warning symptoms is not a diagnosis of a mental condition, but may possibly indicate a need for further evaluation. Try to identify what is triggering these negative emotions. Learn about ways to improve your mental health and practice them regularly.
- You are experiencing several symptoms which are persistent and are resulting in considerable impairments in your relationships with others or your ability to function at work. You should consult a medical health practitioner. If you have suicidal thoughts or intention, or thoughts of harming others, seek professional help immediately.
Important Ways to Improve Mental Health
Learn to let go of things you cannot control
There are many things you cannot control, change, or influence, such as government policy, the weather, or the feelings and behaviors of others. Try blocking out the effect of these uncontrollable events on your emotions. It will help free you to focus your energies on the things you are able to influence.
Make relationships a priority
Social interaction is considered to be a basic need, just like food and water.
Meaningful relationships contribute to your sense of belonging, your contentment, and even your longevity. Make time to maintain and increase your face-to-face connections with others: reconnect with old friends, or meet up regularly with current friends. This extends to strangers too; exchanging pleasantries with those who come across your path also fulfills your need for interaction. Family and friends double up as a source of emotional support too: reach out to them when you feel overwhelmed.
Care for your body
Be physically active
There is a significant correlation between mental health and physical health: an improvement or deterioration in one can lead to an improvement or deterioration in the other. Regular exercise can boost your mood, your energy levels and your general wellbeing, and help you to sleep better too. Find activities you enjoy and consider exercise within social groups such as walking clubs, Pilates, or team sports, which are often more motivating and pleasurable.
Maintain a healthy diet
There are important physical benefits from following a nutritious diet. It helps you to maintain a healthy weight, bolster your immune system, and live longer, by preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. It can also improve your psychological wellbeing.
Get quality sleep
Both quantity (seven to nine hours) and quality (uninterrupted) sleep are imperative. Regular, quality sleep restores your energy levels and your mental capacities, and is necessary for coping with daily stress. Practice sleep hygiene, e.g. no screen time two hours before bedtime and keeping your bedroom dark and quiet during sleep.
Find purpose and meaning in life
Purpose is what motivates you to take on each new day. It encompasses what you care about, what you want to achieve, and how you are going to reach your goals. Having purpose and meaning also improves your mental health and thus your ability to manage stress. Find purpose by identifying things you care about, reflecting on your core values, recognizing your strengths and talents and drawing inspiration from people that you admire.
Learning effective ways to improve your mental health need not be over-complicated. Start by selecting a few strategies that you feel might work well for you and then commit yourself to improving your mental health by incorporating the strategies into your daily routine.