One time speculation regarding emotional health has been firmly established as fact, and that is it’s impossible to separate a healthy body from a healthy mind and spirit. Developing excellent emotional health is the key and integral part of our overall wellness.
Yet most will still however continue to neglect nurturing their emotional health, and as a result, will damage their physical health during the process. Stress which is usually caused by emotional issues which are unresolved, for instance, is a leading contributor to illness. Fortunately, there are a few methods how you’re able to immediately improve the state of your emotional health.
Controlling Emotions Related To Physical And Mental Health
Getting angry, feeling fear, experiencing joy, are a few common feelings which we immediately think of when we’re asked about “emotion.” Psychologists will usually define emotion as an instinctive mental response to an event, certain people or circumstances. It can also be our own thoughts as well as our memories.
Emotions will constantly weave in and out of our conscious and our unconscious thoughts at all times. This regardless if it’s a critical juncture in our lives or during those inconsequential moments of our daily living.
Biologically, our emotions are deeply rooted in self-preservation, which triggers physiological reactions which enables us to be able to find food, react to “fight or flight” responses and reproduction.
Since “emotion” is a Latin verb for “move,” emotions in essence are pure impulses to act forward. The instinctive plan for us being able to handle what ever life throws at us, which evolution has instilled upon us.
Since we as humans are highly evolved social species, our emotions has continued to develop into facial as well as body expressions. So we as members of the “gang” are able to signal and display our wants and needs to others. What emotions are able to do is convey information without speaking.
Whether it’s in our decisions that we make or the way that we conduct our relationships, emotions will have an enormous say over our lives. Certain emotions even have the power of making us sick or curing us of illness.
It’s been discovered that emotions will relay impulses directly to the immune system via a shared link, and that is the autonomic nervous system. So when we display grief or any other pain induced emotion, that will immediately translate that feeling potentially causing our immune system to slow or shut down, placing our health at risk to a whole variety of illnesses. And conversely, displaying healthy emotions can positively boost our immune system creating resistance to disease.
People are able to reason and control their emotions much like they’re able to reason with cognitive information. So you’re able to technically solve emotional problems just as a scientist or mathematician is able to solve math problems.
But keep in mind that certain emotions, such as anger or grief are more difficult to reason with effectively since the emotional response is external and at times impulsively uncontrollable. In some situations, identifying the right emotions which you’re currently displaying can be extremely difficult.
How We Develop Our Emotions
There’s a handful of experts who believe that we’re born with a full array of emotions. The theory is that we’re born with basic instincts and urges, along with the capacity for feeling every emotion. As we develop our personalities and then our relationships with others, these instincts as well as urges then develops into full-fledged emotions.
The Various Components Of Emotional Health
Always Know Your Emotions
People who are emotionally healthy are always in touch and control of their emotions as well as identifying and acknowledging them as life’s experiences.
The Ability To Process Your Emotions
After connecting with your emotions, those who are emotionally healthy can develop appropriate ways to express them at the right time.
Recognizing Other Peoples Emotions
Being aware and sensitive to others and their emotions while having the ability to empathize with them is important. The ability to be able to identify their own emotions will enable them to identify the emotions in others, while having the intuitive sense of knowing what that emotion feels like.
Being Self Empowered
Those who are emotionally healthy will honor their emotions, which then empowers them to completely fulfill their goals.
Developing Emotionally Healthy Relationships
Emotionally healthy people are able to build and then maintain strong functional relationships.
Emotions And Our Lifestyle
If our emotions actually has impact on our lifestyles, then the reverse is true as well. Does the way that we live our lives, the foods that we eat, the physical and mental activities that we engage in, even who we happen to worship, directly influence our emotional health. The initial evidence points to yes.
When we take certain vitamins and minerals, they can stimulate the production of certain chemicals in the brain, which are known as neurotransmitters. What they do is regulate our physical as well as our mental functions, which includes how we process our emotions.
What’s particularly vital are all the B vitamins, such as thiamine, vitamin B12 and folic acid. Even just minor deficiencies of these nutrients can potentially lead towards mood swings and irritability, as well as hampering our ability to be able to concentrate and stay motivated.
Consuming poor unhealthy foods can also adversely affect our emotional health. For example, those who consume excessive amounts of coffee will usually demonstrate some of the same physiological symptoms as those suffering from anxiety. A diet of too much sugar has been linked to sudden aggression, depression and impaired judgment.
Exercising on a consistent regular basis is a lifestyle factor which can contribute significantly towards better emotional health. Studies have proven that just short stints of physical activity of any kind, ranging anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, is able to alleviate mild depression, reduce stress and calm aggression in people of all body types and ages. So go out for that brisk walk.
Getting adequate sleep will refresh as well as revive both the body and the mind, allowing us to be able to think as well as understand and control our feelings a lot more clearly. Those who are sleep deprived will tend to become easily angered and stressed while having less perspective and control over their emotions, than those who maintain proper regular sleeping patterns.
Our immediate surroundings also has an effect on our emotions. External unwanted noise caused by “urbanization” can elevate stress levels, while poor air quality can trigger anxiety and aggression.