In today’s ever-connected and always-visible world, physical appearance and health have become a sort of social commodity. Online, there is a constant focus on physical fitness, fashion trends, and new hygienic rituals. While this is fine for many, for some, it overshadows something that is much more crucial: emotional health.
Emotional health is vital to an individual’s well-being. This is true in how we see ourselves, how we see the world around us, and how we build the types of positive relationships that will benefit us throughout our lives.
Many people understand the basic concept of managing emotions as understanding feelings like sadness, happiness, nervousness, and anxiety. However, most do not understand the broader concept of “emotional health.” Acquiring a more thoughtful and fundamental comprehension of emotional health can go a long way toward a better understanding of ourselves and others’ needs.
What Is Emotional Health?
Many people confuse emotional health with mental health. While this isn’t entirely wrong, it is slightly off-base. That is because emotional health is just an aspect of one’s overall mental health. So then, what exactly is emotional health?
Emotional health is the ability to cope with the emotions that arise from mental health issues, and it is essential to note that this includes both positive and negative emotions.
Emotional health is not simply being aware of the emotions themself—though that certainly is a factor—it is also about utilizing the most effective coping skills that one possesses toward managing emotions.
What Is Included in Emotional Health?
Much of emotional health is encompassed in one’s ability to manage their emotions reasonably and healthily. For example, when the emotion of anger arises, rather than lashing out, an emotionally healthy individual may utilize calming mental and physical tools such as pausing before reacting and slowing their breathing.
Emotional health is also important for those that struggle with issues of mental health, as well as those that do not possess any mental disorders. Managing emotions and acquiring positive emotional health is something that can be beneficial to everyone. The only difference, perhaps, is that someone struggling with deeper issues of mental health may need more outside help to address it.
Additionally, emotional health is a result rather than an inevitability. Someone must first put in the work and take action before they can establish a healthy foundation of emotional well-being. One of the best ways of framing it is via the term “emotional hygiene.” Just as we must take care of our physical body with patterns of healthy behavior, we must also do the same for our emotional stability.
What Contributes to Emotional Health?
Now that we have a better understanding of emotional health, we can begin to investigate ways to attain and maintain it. There are countless ways to achieve mental health and three pillars by which one might categorize them.
Those pillars are:
- Clinical
- Therapeutic
- Holistic
#1. Utilizing Clinicians for Emotional Help
For those that are experiencing more severe symptoms of emotional distress, addressing it medically may be a practical option. Whether it is through medication-assisted treatment (MAT), or more neuroscientific therapies, utilizing medical help is critical if the need calls for it.
#2. Therapy and Emotional Health
Many therapies fall into the category of clinical, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR). There are also therapies such as group therapy and family therapy that have been shown to help those struggling with emotional health not just address their issues but also make more positive connections with like-minded people.
#3. Holistic Practices for Emotional Health
While earlier we mentioned society’s excessive focus on the physical body, that does not mean that there is no connection between our physical and emotional selves. When we are physically active, it has been shown to positively affect emotions. This is compounded when utilized in tandem with breath work and meditation.
Why Is It Important to Maintain a Practice That Addresses Emotional Health?
As with other aspects of our lives, managing emotions is something that must be nurtured throughout our lives. This focus on emotional health may seem a little intense at the beginning, but with a healthy regimen of emotional hygiene practices, it can begin to feel like second nature.
There is a saying in many recovery programs that refers to living life on life’s terms. This is precisely the reason why maintaining emotional health can be so critical to overall well-being.
Life can get messy at times. That is just part of the human experience. However, when our emotional health is sound and good, we can be capable of handling anything that comes our way.
Get Help Managing Your Emotional HealthCTA
Many people underestimate the importance of attaining a practice that addresses their emotional health. While many believe in the importance of physical and mental health, emotional well-being can often be overlooked. When one becomes more familiar with the significance of emotional health, one soon begins to realize that it is integral to living a full and healthy life. At The Phoenix Recovery Center, we believe in creating lasting solutions that will address the immediate needs of individual emotional health and what that emotional health looks like in the future. Gaining emotional health can be essential in living life to its fullest. For more information, call The Phoenix Recovery Center at (801) 438-3185.
