What is Emotional Health & 11 Activities and Assessments to Enhance It

The subjective, human experience of emotions comprises a wide, colorful continuum of feelings.
The immanent, homo have of emotions comprises a wide, colorful continuum of feelings. The travel begins the day we are born and continues until the day we leave this earth. How we efficaciously handle the full spectrum determines our emotional health .
Some people are adept at navigating this complicate world of homo emotion, and some people struggle to express their feelings in a healthy way. break in the full construction of emotion is connected to ill health.

Read on to discover the skill of emotional health and how you besides can be a healthy emotional sailing master .
Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Emotional Intelligence Exercises for release. These science-based exercises will not only enhance your ability to understand and work with your emotions, but besides give you the tools to foster the emotional intelligence of your clients, students, or employees .
You can download the rid PDF hera .

What Is Emotional Health?

emotional health is a person ’ s ability to accept and manage feelings through challenge and change. person who is emotionally healthy can allow their emotions to be digestible. The mundane hassles of day by day life offer opportunities to drill responses, rather than reactions to allow aroused health to flourish .
overall health includes physical, aroused, intellectual, social, and spiritual aspects. When they are in proportion and alignment, human beings thrive. Each of these areas of life will influence the others .
emotional health includes both emotional intelligence and emotional regulation. When the immanent know of emotions is allow over a nourish time period, emotional health is thought to be present. positive feign will be apparent in mundane, casual activities .
The construct of emotional wellbeing lies within the broader understanding of mental health. The miss of emotions does not equal aroused health, just as the miss of mental illness does not adequate mental health. person suppressing emotions, particularly from childhood, may not be as emotionally healthy as person vulnerable enough to express their emotions .
day by day biography offers a continuous serial of ups and downs. Like ocean waves, our days come with highs and lows. An emotionally healthy individual will be able to ride the waves of feelings without being disrupted by a big, emotionally disruptive wave .
Taking into consideration differences in fabric wealth and individual life circumstances is important. Having fiscal means to more efficiently self-manage emotions makes emotional health more well attainable. environmental factors do influence the abilities to express feelings .
emotional distress leaves people susceptible to physical illness. Some studies have shown that ailments like cardiovascular disease and immune arrangement repression can be linked to emotional distress ( Stewart-Brown, 1998 ). Studies on emotional distress and the underlying neurological circuitry indicate a connection with substance maltreatment and other dysfunctional behaviors ( Sinha, Lacadie, Skudlarski, & Wexler, 2004 ) .
There is likely aroused straiten around every recess. person who practices a goodly emotional life style will be better able to handle boastfully waves when the dandy builds. Like a physically healthy life style, the long-run benefits are abundant .

9 Characteristics of the Emotionally Healthy Person

Self-awareness is a characteristic of emotional health. An emotionally well person can look at the self and redirect emotions, when needed, to navigate distress or elation .
This ability develops throughout childhood but can be strengthened, like a brawn, in adulthood .
Working hand in hand with self-awareness is self-acceptance. emotionally healthy people accept themselves and can handle adversity with clearness. An emotionally healthy person might even allow themselves space to have a “ behind close doors ” temper fit to allow anger to move through them .
high levels of self-care are present in those who experience emotional health. Self-compassion and worry for one ’ south physical body are crucial to people who besides place importance on aroused health. Care for the hale self is intentional and regularly practiced .
Another characteristic of an emotionally goodly person is emotional agility. An emotionally healthy person is not immune to setbacks or adversity. however, with an capable heed and a curious think process, thriving through difficulties is possible .
Having potent coping skills is another characteristic of the emotionally healthy person. Practicing these skills when times are calm will result in higher levels of resilience when things are not thus composure. It ’ s like preparing for battle. Adversity is inevitable because this is real life. emotional capital is what you build when at peace .
An emotionally healthy person treats others with forgivingness and integrity. They do sol without expectation of honor. They interact with the people around them with curiosity and compassion .
Living with determination is another characteristic of an emotionally healthy person. People living in function will think about their inside experiences less and focus on how their experience can serve others. They allow emotions to pass with recognition and release them in favor of a larger mental picture .
An emotionally goodly person manages try well and regularly practices moments of peace. commodity leaders get calm air when circumstances get chaotic. Self-mastery requires the like .

Real-Life Examples

The worldly concern is full of opportunities to practice emotional health. time is our most precious commodity, yet we continue to underutilize it for our wellbeing. emotionally healthy people find balance and thrive through adversity .
Consider Emma, for example :
Emma is a self-motivated career womanhood. Her inner driveway and work ethic are admired and celebrated regularly at her job as a stockbroker. She perseveres through levels of high stress and constant changes in the grocery store. Her navigation of being a woman in a predominantly male profession takes backbone. People speak about her in terms of grit and self-control .
This is coat Emma. Beneath what is seen is how she interacts with the people at her local market. She is kind and friendly. Her daily meditation practice keeps her appreciative of the serene present. Emma regularly invests time in connecting with her love ones. Though she works hard, long hours, she creates space for herself to build self-awareness and peace .
Emma takes good wish of her physical body. Her worth is not self-measured in the numbers she brings in for her caller. Emma accepts that mistakes will be made, but does not allow them to derail her advancement .
In this case, the chaotic and changing global of the stock grocery store could create a powder keg of emotions. Pressured by time and successful outcomes could put Emma into a department of state where she snaps at everyone around her .
Without emotional health, she could slip into unhealthy coping mechanisms like abusing drugs or alcohol. stress could deteriorate her hippocampus, causing her decision hold to become compromise. Being emotionally healthy helps Emma show up in her life every day as her higher self .
Consider Ted :
Ted is a therapist. He sits with others ’ experiences of trauma all day hanker. He holds space for others to heal and seek pathways to their own emotional health. Ted feels the pain of his patients because he is empathic. Ted then goes home to his loving class and serves as a supportive husband and church father. He evening acts as the baseball coach for a little league team .
This is surface Ted. Beneath his exterior, Ted is deploying strategies for emotional health all day farseeing. At work, Ted uses his empathic ability as a skid, preferably than a sponge. In between therapy sessions, Ted takes designed glances at his positivity portfolio. During his exempt time, Ted exercises to keep his body healthy and fit .
When Ted is with his family, he is stage. He gets frustrated, like any other parent, but he is amply mindful of and speaks his values to his family while encouraging them to do the lapp. They are active in their church and have a strong religious religion .
In this case, Ted is in a profession with a high rate of burnout. Without emotional health, his support would not be sustainable in the retentive condition. Ted ’ sulfur consumption of a positivity portfolio raises his positivity ratio, enabling him to flourish despite consistent, daily negative affect in his patients .
Without emotional health, Ted could fall into habits where he neglects his syndicate and himself. His emotional healthy life style allows for Ted to show up as his higher self .

Why Is Emotional Health Important?

Being human means facing challenges. Suffering is one thing that all human beings have in common. This is why emotional health is so important. We will all face adversity in our lifetimes.
Being human means facing challenges. suffer is one thing that all homo beings have in common. This is why emotional health is indeed important. We will all confront adversity in our lifetimes. Social interaction and integration is a necessity separate of day by day life. People who have optimum emotional health can appropriately interact with others, whether in times of stress or in times of peace. Without emotional health, a wide variety of emotional disruptions could develop, in addition to physical ailments .
Take a consequence to imagine the types of behaviors that occur when person lacks emotional health. This doesn ’ metric ton necessarily mean mental illness. person without optimum emotional health likely shows signs of stress. They may verbally snap at those around them .
emotional health matters, to all ages, everywhere .

4 Facts and Proven Benefits

There are plentiful benefits to emotional health. What makes person emotionally healthy will vary from individual to person. here are some points and proved benefits that you could weave into your emotional wellbeing nowadays .
According to the World Health Organization, depressive disorder is one of the go causes of disability and affects 264 million people ( James et al., 2018 ). low rates of emotional health are directly linked with rates of low. The ability to explain emotions with a positive explanatory style aids people in preventing depression ( Kowalenko et al., 2002 ) .
repression of emotions has a lead impingement on physical and psychological health ( Patel & Patel, 2019 ). Holding disruptive emotions in privilege of an appropriate outward appearance contributes to lower levels of overall wellbeing. Overused emotional regulation can be baffling and disruptive. Rates of anxiety and depression are soaring because of the lack of ability to express emotions .
Studies have shown that spiritually healthy people live longer lives ( Chida, Steptoe, & Powell, 2009 ). It is purported that individuals with a higher degree of apparitional health express higher instances of emotional health deoxyadenosine monophosphate good. A holistic access to health shows the benefits of interweaving areas of health to overall wellbeing ( Hawks, 2004 ) .
sensed time imperativeness causes tension and a negative impact on emotional wellbeing ( Gärling, Krause, Gamble, & Hartig, 2014 ). Impediments to goal progress are impacted by prison term imperativeness. Teaching people effective time management may lead to improvement in emotional health .

Emotional Health vs. Mental Health

Many people use the terms of emotional health and mental health interchangeably.
many people use the terms of emotional health and mental health interchangeably. however, there are set differences .
The World Health Organization has taken steps to create a robust definition of mental health .
genial health is a dynamic state of internal chemical equilibrium that enables individuals to use their abilities in harmony with the universal values of company .
basic cognitive and social skills ; the ability to recognize, express, and modulate one ’ s own emotions, equally well as sympathize with others ; the flexibility to cope with adverse life events and affair in social roles ; and harmonious relationships between body and mind represent necessity components of mental health and lend, to varying degrees, to the department of state of internal equilibrium ( Galderisi, Heinz, Kastrup, Beezhold, & Sartorius, 2015 ) .
Mental health has its benefits, which can be realized by conscious intentions. The lapp may be said of emotional health, which contributes to ball-shaped wellbeing. human beings experience both convinced and negative emotions. emotional health enables people to experience and express those emotions without becoming stalled within them .
It is vital to empower children with a vocabulary for emotions and the ability to speak about them. in full processing emotions and constructively utilizing them are skills that will help kids for the stay of their lives. Though we can not live in a constant state of happiness, knowing how to navigate the full range of emotions is essential .
When emotional health is in hazard, it is constantly encouraged to seek help. If you or person you know is ineffective to express their emotions appropriately, counseling is a bang-up place to start. A skilled counselor will provide a safe space to express feelings .

5 Ways to Improve and Maintain Your Emotional Health

Practicing mindfulness is a room to improve aroused health that is offered in a wide assortment of activities. The benefits of mindfulness are plentiful and well documented. conscious improvements in mindfulness practices provide fuel for resilience .
Nurturing social connections is another area used to improve and maintain aroused health. A landmark study found that a miss of social connection has more of an affect on your wellbeing than smoking or fleshiness ( House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988 ) .
social connection creates a positive feedback loop for wellbeing, manifesting in social, emotional, and psychological affect. You don ’ t have to have a million friends, but you do need a few dependable, supportive friends to reap the most benefit .
Adding measures to manage tension is another way to improve aroused health. Through effective time management, physical exercise, and acceptance that there will be things that we can not control, we can effectively reduce our stress levels .
Read our related post for more on recognizing the symptoms of stress .
appropriately expressing your emotions is another direction to improve emotional health. Some people enjoy journaling. Others enjoy chatting with friends or loved ones .
Practicing putting words to the emotions flowing in and out of our lives helps us release those emotions. There are many ways to express emotions creatively .
improvement in self-awareness will improve emotional health besides. Reflecting on what patterns of negative expression are present is a bang-up set to start. This introspection can lead to an improvement in emotional regulation and emotional intelligence.

6 Activities

To move toward lives that are flourishing, Barbara Fredrickson (2009) encourages people to raise their positivity ratios with her broaden-and-build theory. A ratio of three positive emotions for every one negative emotion takes work.
To move toward lives that are flourishing, Barbara Fredrickson ( 2009 ) encourages people to raise their incontrovertibility ratios with her broaden-and-build theory. A proportion of three positive emotions for every one negative emotion takes work. One of the playfulness and helpful activities suggested in her book, Positivity, is the positivity portfolio .
A favorableness portfolio is a collection of the pursuit positive emotions : joy, gratitude, peace, interest, hope, pride, entertainment, inspiration, awe, and love. Through a series of questions, you can walk through these positive emotions and then gather “ artifacts ” to cultivate those emotions, fueling resilience .
This helpful cock for tuning into the intensity of emotions can illuminate emotional awareness. Emotions are variable in intensity and duration. Increasing subjective awareness of emotions aids in improving emotional health .
The emotion meter can help to increase emotional vocabulary and raise levels of emotional intelligence. Self-mastery requires us to overcome the natural tendency of the brain to justify our reactions to emotional triggers. This tool helps to engage with emotion and improve the ability to communicate .
A meditation to build emotional awareness is a helpful activity. Allowing space for emotions to be explored is a powerfully transformative activity. Any shape of meditation is likely helpful. If this one doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate suit you, there are many options out there .
There are many ways to reduce stress. The follow activities are simpleton changes that can be made in your daily animation to reduce try and the damaging reactions to that stress .

• Prioritize physical exercise
• Eat a balanced diet
• Improve sleep hygiene
• Practice deep breathing
• Increase opportunities for flow states

Seek social connection to improve your emotional health. Reach out to the people in your animation who have made a dispute for you. Send them a note or call them if it ’ s impossible to meet with them in person. Cultivate your friendships and social connections with loving-kindness .

Assessing Emotional Health With Useful Questionnaires, Tests, and Scales

The DERS is a quiz used to measure how person regulates emotions. It has many versions and has been used in empiric studies. It is used to measure person ’ s self-reported measures of subjective emotional ability ( Hallion, Steinman, Tolin, & Diefenbach, 2018 ) .
explicitly used for mindfulness are these utilitarian tests and questionnaires .
Though the satisfaction With Life Scale was developed to give a ball-shaped view of life satisfaction, it can besides help understand a node ’ randomness cognitive judgment of liveliness satisfaction. It could help develop awareness .
The MAAS is a scale to measure one ’ randomness mindfulness .
The Mental Health Continuum – Short Form was developed to measure emotional wellbeing ( Keyes, 2002 ). This scale measures three different forms of wellbeing : aroused wellbeing, social wellbeing, and psychological wellbeing .
The scale has been empirically proven across cultures and has been translated into a variety of languages. license to utilize this scale can be requested via electronic mail .

7 Relevant Questions for Your Sessions

When working with a client, it is helpful to ask questions about their aroused health. here are a few questions that can help .

1. How do you express your emotions?
2. Who supports you socially?
3. What role does positivity play in your day?
4. What makes you avoid “losing it?”
5. What are your time management strategies?
6. Describe your relationship with anger.
7. How do you cope when times get tough?

Popular Books on the Topic

This script list has empirically based subject on fueling resilience and emotional health. Developing emotional health, like any early area of wellbeing, takes designed shape. These books offer bang-up pathways on how to develop your practice .

1. Emotional Agility; Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life – Susan David

Emotional Agility is an evidence-backed bible that stresses the importance of open-minded think when facing adversity .
preferably than forcing ‘ incontrovertible think, ’ David stresses kindness and curiosity in emotional process .
available on Amazon .

2. Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life – Barbara L. Fredrickson

Positivity is broad of helpful information about fueling emotional resilience .
Fredrickson ’ s weave of skill and personal feel is relatable and helpful .
Creating a drill of raising your personal positivity ratio is brilliant .
available on Amazon .

3. Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness – Rick Hanson PhD and Forrest Hanson

This book is a blend of neuroscience, convinced psychology, and contemplative practices and traditions .
Dr. Hanson ’ s scientific foundation, weaved with helpful real-life examples, make this book a basis for health .
Offered along with this book is a series of trainings in build resilience .
available on Amazon .

4. Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being – Martin E. P. Seligman

Flourish has been mentioned many times on this site. It is an invaluable reserve that offers foundational understand and can serve as a guidebook for building individual wellbeing .
available on Amazon .

4 Final Tips on Improving Emotional Health

1. Give it time

emotional health is not something anyone can realize overnight. It took your integral life to develop your immanent understanding of the experience of emotions. It will besides take time to develop the awareness for emotional regulation and emotional intelligence that build emotional health .

2. Learn from mistakes

Patterns of reaction and response can be bully to break in real clock time. When facing a common trip that creates an volcanic eruption of anger or other emotional reception that is inappropriate, learn from it. Reflect on what you can do differently the adjacent fourth dimension you ’ re faced with this trigger .

3. Cultivate kindness

Every other human being is experiencing emotions besides. Developing a feel for expectation when interacting with others permits them to do the lapp. It leaves board to allow yourself to be human besides .

4. Practice forgiveness

Some people find it cathartic to forgive themselves and others who have done them injury. Though it is not a prerequisite, forgiveness can open room for emotions to move if they are stuck .

5 Inspiring Quotes

You ’ re not the alone one who ’ sulfur made mistakes, but they ’ re the entirely thing that you can truly call you own .

Billy Joel, entirely Human ( Second Wind )

If your emotional abilities aren ’ thymine in hand, if you don ’ t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can ’ t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how fresh you are, you are not going to get very far .

Daniel Goleman ( as cited in Dozier, 2010 )

What stress in truth does, though, is consume self-control, which diminishes your ability to control those emotions .

Roy Baumeister

not only do happy people endure pain better and take more health and condom precautions when threatened, but positive emotions undo veto emotions .

Martin Seligman

The rectify is to look deeper and recognize that we human beings are physically, mentally, and emotionally the lapp .

Dalai Lama

A Take-Home Message

emotional health has far-reaching benefits. Where people land on the continuum between languishing and flourishing will greatly depend on their ability to feel, understand, and express their emotions. The incredible thing about emotional health is that everyone can work toward it .
Allowing emotions to move through us as a digestible function of our wellbeing leads us on that continuum toward sincerely flourishing lives. Everyone can find a identify to begin. With dedicate attention and care, emotional health can become prioritize and then realized .
Thanks for learn .
We hope you love reading this article. Don ’ thyroxine forget to download our three Emotional Intelligence Exercises for free.

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