Pillar 3: Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness is best described as how we manage our feelings and how we satisfy our emotional needs through the practice of healthy and constructive habits. Maintaining emotionally beneficial habits is essential to feeling content with your lifestyle, your social circles, your emotional well-being, and your daily priorities. Sometimes, when we neglect these necessities, we feel increasing feelings of anxiety, loneliness, burnout, frustration, sadness, and anger. There are several steps to help evaluate your emotional wellness. 

Steps of Emotional Wellness

• Feeling comfortable speaking with someone about your emotional concerns and sharing your needs.
• Feeling free to say “no” when you need to without feeling guilty
• Feeling content most of the time
• Being able to take breaks from tasks without feeling overwhelmed
• Being able to relax
• Feeling content with who you are

According to studies by ValuePenguin.com, 78% of Americans feel stressed at least one day in a typical week — and 15% of them are stressed every day. 

How do we relieve stress and emphasize emotional wellness?

Step 1: Identify your emotions

There are two types of emotions: Primary and Secondary Emotions. 

Primary emotions are those that occur as a direct result of an experience. 

For example: A person may feel happy after going home on a Friday after work. 

Secondary emotions are emotional reactions we have to other emotions:

For example:  A person may feel angry as a result of becoming anxious about having to go to work Monday morning.

Step 2: Daily Affirmations

Be conscious and intentional about the improvements that you want to make. Set aside five to ten minutes to affirm yourself. Some people do this by looking in the mirror or meditating. Give yourself honest compliments and acknowledge your progress. Tell yourself that you ARE capable of reaching your goal. 

e.g.: I am strong enough today. 

I am valuable.

I am doing my best and I am worthy of appreciation. 

Step 3: Focus and Manage Time

Reserving time to work on your emotional wellness is a healthy habit because essentially you set aside time to appreciate yourself, acknowledge your positives, and work on the parts of yourself that you want to improve. 

9 Points to Remember When Addressing Emotional Wellness 

1. Be positive and open-minded.
2. Get connected to social support systems and have an accountability partner.
3. Be sure to get quality sleep.
4. Establish boundaries when necessary. 
5. Don’t “spread yourself too thin.”
6. Be mindful.
7. Cope with loss and frustration appropriately. 
8. Accept yourself.
9. Ask for help.

Check-in with your emotional wellness: 

• Do you see stress as something you can learn from or something to avoid?
• Are you aware of your bodily sensations, emotions, and behaviors when you are stressed?
• Do you allow yourself to experience emotions, just as they are? 
• How do you care for yourself on a daily basis?
• Are you able to ask for help when you need it?

Tips:

• If you are experiencing difficulties managing your emotional health, be sure to reach out to a mental health provider. It can be helpful to process, reflect, and vent during times of feeling overwhelmed. 

• Set aside time to participate in activities that make you happy. 

Assignment:

• This week’s challenge is to participate in two emotional wellness activities for at least 30 minutes. Below is a list of suggestions. 

List of Suggestions:

• Listen to music
• Go for a walk
• Go to a park/beach
• Exercise
• Cook a healthy and delicious meal
• Garden
• Read a new book
• Meditate
• Take a warm bath/shower
• Talk to a friend

Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is relax. Giving yourself the opportunity to unwind will help maintain your inner peace and keep you in a mentally healthy state.