Emotional health: 7 tips to improve it

It's not all about taking care of your own body: you also need to adopt psychologically healthy habits.

Emotional health is an important part of our overall well-being, which also includes our physical and social health.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.

What is emotional health

For a long time it was affirmed that the general health was equal to the absence of disease; nevertheless, in the year 1.947 the WHO defined this concept as "a state of complete well-being, physical, mental and social". In other words, to enjoy good general health, we must have good physical health, enjoy psychological wellbeing and enjoy social wellbeing, which includes not only good quality interpersonal relationships and friendships, but also a decent job, a stable economic situation, etc.

When we talk about mental wellbeing, we are referring to emotional health, a complex concept that refers to the emotional health of a person.a complex concept that refers to feeling good about oneself and being aligned with one's 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, are able to cope with adversity and deal with stress, enjoy balance between work, rest and leisure, are self-confident and have 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 with carrying out healthy habits. That's why you can follow a series of strategies that will help you enjoy greater emotional health.

1. Take an Emotional Intelligence workshop

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, communicate betterThey communicate better, have healthier interpersonal relationships, among other virtues that you can check in the article: "The 10 benefits of emotional intelligence".

Fortunately, it is possible to improve emocinal intelligence and the ability to understand and regulate emotions. There are many workshops that help you become an emotionally intelligent person.

2. Play sports

General wellbeing, as I have mentioned, is composed of three main areas: physical, mental and social health. These vital areas are related to each other, so that physical health has a positive impact on our mental wellbeing, and physical exercise has a positive impact on our mental wellbeing..

In this sense, physical exercise becomes essential, as we explained in our article "The 10 psychological benefits of physical exercise". Doing sport not only helps us to enjoy a better cardiovascular health and a good body, but also allows us to release endorphins, serotonin, noradrenaline and other neurotransmitters. They give us pleasurable sensations and improve our mood..

3. Engage in activities you enjoy

A great part of psychological well-being and emotional health has to do with enjoying our own life. Knowing what we like to do and what gets us into a "flow state" is the first step to enjoying a fulfilling life. An important part of social well-being is having a decent job and being well off financially, which influences our emotional health, but not everything in life has to be that.

Do you like to paint or play the guitar in your spare time? Do you feel a sense of ecstasy when you dance? Whatever it is that makes you happy, include these activities in your weekly routine for greater emotional health.

4. Strive for personal growth

Many studies have shown 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 to a state of existential crisis and depression. Therefore, it is important to it is important to define what our concerns are and where we would like to be in the future. and where we would like to be in the future. Whether in terms of studies, work and any area of our life.

And it is that when we connect with our vital objectives and with what we really want and, of course, we fight for it, our trip towards the personal development becomes something exciting, something that gives us life and that allows us to enjoy a great emotional health.

5. Set realistic goals

As you have seen in the previous point, having life goals is key to our well-being. However, unrealistic goals have a negative effect on us, because 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, goals 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 have a positive influence on our emotional health ... not only that!Not only that! They also influence our general health, including our physical health.

One of these studies is the one conducted by scientist Yang and his collaborators, who, after analyzing the health of people with healthy interpersonal relationships and those who were isolated, found that the former had better general health: good Blood pressure, lower 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 state of mind 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 do not know what Mindfulness is, the 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".