Emotional well-being

Life is tough. Life throws challenges now and then. So long we can manage them, life is thrilling but when we are not, it becomes painful and causes stress, emotional turmoil.

There are two ways to react to a situation in life. One is to respond thoughtfully, taking all factors into account - a reasoned and well-considered response. The other is reactive and impulsive, driven by the moment. While the former reflects mature and dignified behavior, immaturity, ego-driven tendencies, and negativity characterize the latter. Even in the face of daunting challenges, by responding in a measured and in an appropriate manner, you can overcome and move forward.

It is important to prioritize your emotional well-being. When you are in a state of mental tranquility and relaxation (rather than feeling agitated, annoyed, or irritable), you can effectively handle the different aspects of your personal and professional life, experiencing a variety of emotions without losing control. You are resilient.

What is emotional well-being?

Emotional well-being refers to our mental capacity to remain composed, collected, and empowered to cultivate optimistic thoughts and emotions (such as love, empathy, compassion, etc.) in challenging and stressful circumstances.

The important factor is bouncing back, the resilience to navigate difficult and critical life events.

For instance, if you fail in a competitive exam that you had high hopes for, how do you react? You calmly assess the reasons, implement necessary changes, and commit to putting in more effort in the future to either succeed or feel disappointed, discouraged, and bitter. Your ability to recover from setbacks is a clear indicator of your emotional well-being.

According to the Mental Health Foundation and the CDC: “A positive sense of well-being…enables an individual to function in society and meet the demands of everyday life. Well-being includes global judgments of life satisfaction and feelings ranging from depression to joy.”

Why is emotional well-being important?

Normally we all love our “self”. This self is our false sense of our personality - both ways, either we feel superior to others or inferior to others. This is our ego, our arrogance, our ignorance which reflects in our dealings with others.

1. When we discuss on some topic, we try to defend our point of view - right or wrong. The idea of any discussion should be to find out the truth-who says is immaterial. When we are emotionally healthy, we can enter a meaningful and purposeful discussion with anyone and on any topic -home or work.

2. We can maintain healthy relationships with our family members, colleagues, friends and neighbors as our attitude is of love and care.

3. We will digest critical feedback, criticism and complaints maturely.

If that doesn't take place, we usually carry anger, frustration, envy, and resentment, which can then show up in how we behave, interact, and view others and life. This behavior can negatively affect others, both in the workplace and at home, especially innocent children who cannot react or fight back, ultimately bearing the consequences.

“If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it—usually to those closest to us: our family, our neighbors, our co-workers, and invariably, the most vulnerable, our children.” - Fr. Richard Rohr

Relationship between emotional well-being and health?

Every aspect of our life, including physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual elements, is interconnected with our health and overall well-being. Engaging in any type of physical activity, whether it's walking, jogging, running, practicing yoga, going to the gym, taking part in competitive sports, or even just dedicating 30 minutes a day, can provide a significant boost to our brain function. This boost leads to increased energy levels, heightened awareness, and a more positive attitude towards life. Physical activity stimulates the release of beneficial hormones, such as dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin, which contribute to maintaining a positive, enthusiastic, and cheerful mindset. Regular physical activity can enhance sleep patterns, reduce tension, stress, and irritability, ultimately aiding in effectively managing emotions and achieving emotional well-being.

Take a breath, center yourself, and take a moment to pause

In a stressful situation, this simple three-step process can help you better control your emotions says

1. Breathe. When you breathe deeply, you send a message to your brain that helps you calm down and relax.

2. Ground yourself. Hold a pen. Grab the edge of a desk. Feel the floor under your feet. You return to the present moment and away from your challenging thoughts.

3. Pause. Wait. Now consider, “What do I really want to say?” When you know the words that will express what you need to communicate, you are in a state of emotional well-being" says Lois Melkonian.

How can you improve your emotional well-being?

Below are several methods that can assist you in managing and preserving your emotional well-being and enhancing your resilience:

Exercise-

The most vital element of physical health is to move. Our bodies are for movement. Earlier people used to do all things manually. But with a change of times, jobs and professions are such that involve no physical movement. So it has to be done as an activity in itself. It includes all forms of movement-walking, running, gymming, yoga, swimming or whatever you can think of. To maintain good physical health, experts recommend engaging in a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour of activity. But do it with regularity. Do it with awareness. As mentioned above, it will take care of your mental health too.

Establish a consistent schedule for your daily activities, such as waking up, exercising, eating, working, pursuing hobbies, and sleeping. This routine helps you take charge of your life and serves as a significant confidence builder.

1. Do some breathing exercises- Pranayama. Pranayama keeps your mind cool, calm, and relaxed. It increases and strengthens your immune system. It allows you to focus and concentrate on things you are doing, so your productivity goes up. You can practice meditation too for a few minutes every day. It is a wonderful technique to manage your emotions.

2. Observe your thoughts-start observing your thoughts without getting involved in them. Just observe them- negative and destructive or positive and progressive. Mere observation will keep the pessimistic thoughts at bay. We put security guards in our residential and office complexes. The presence of security guards ensures that no unsocial elements try to barge in. Similarly, observing thoughts has the same effect. In Bhagwad Gita this technique has been suggested as Sakshi Bhava- witness attitude.

3. Inculcate a hobby-all work and no play makes your mind dull, boring and monotonous. Life should be full of fun and enjoyment. But of the right type. Hobbies do that work. Have a hobby that comes easy to you-painting, dance, music, drawing, singing, gardening, writing. Habits make you forget about yourself. You take to a different world and give you a wow experience. They affect our mental health positively and make life enjoyable.

4. Life Attitudes-Giving is expansion; taking is contraction. Expansion is Life, contraction is death, so said Swami Vivekananda. So always try to give, give and give expecting nothing in return. Now giving is not only in monetary terms, give help, give support, give a broad smile, give appreciation, give encouragement, but give. This makes your own life fulfilling, and you receive blessings in abundance. Second, forgive others. Forgiving is a sign of maturity, a sign of mental health; don’t hold grudges against anyone. Holding grudges means you are making your own luggage heavy. As they say, travel light, so travel light, means forgiveness and move on. It also means to forgive yourself, too. Don’t judge yourself too harshly, don’t blame yourself always, don’t demean yourself, draw lessons and move on should be the mantra. Value your relationships. It involves investment-investment in terms of quality time, nurturing, caring, helping, supporting, inquiring and so on. If your relationships with your family members, friends and colleagues are harmonious and loving (not superficial and superfluous), it becomes a cause of supreme happiness and increases your self-confidence, too.

5. Sleep. Sleep at least 6–7 hours. During this time, your brain does a lot of repair and maintenance work to prepare you for the next day’s work. It also keeps stress away and your ability to fight the challenges of your life increases. It boosts your immunity too. You wake up fully refreshed and rejuvenated.

Conclusion

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” - Lao Tzu

Practice point-

Reading alone is inadequate. Taking action is crucial, as it can bring about positive changes in your life. Create a plan of action based on all six methods recommended enhancing your emotional well-being. If you find it overwhelming to implement all six at once, choose three that resonate the most with you and outline your intended actions for the next 60 days. Stay committed to your plan. If even three actions seem daunting, begin with at least some exercises if you genuinely desire to enhance your mental health.