3 Simple Ways to Check Your Emotional Health
By Genevieve Cunningham
Though we don't hear a lot about it, emotional health is a big deal. When we allow our emotions to get the best of us, it can cause excessive stress and worry and lower our overall quality of life. Unfortunately, unlike mental and physical health, emotional health gets very little in the way of attention. And finding ways to protect and improve emotional health is a difficult task. But if you want true health and happiness in your life, you need to know how to tame your emotions. If you need a little help getting your emotional health under control, take a look at these tips.
Keep a Journal
A journal is a great way to document things that are happening in your life, but when it comes to emotional health, it's also really good for just getting your thoughts and feelings out. Instead of allowing emotions to fester, just write them down. And since you don't have to let anyone else read it, you don't have to hold back. Get it out of your system, and then leave it or rip it up or throw it away … whatever makes you feel comfortable. You may be surprised at how much relief comes with this simple technique.
Keep a Close Friend or Two
In today's world, we tend to have hundreds or thousands of online friends, but we've let many of our face-to-face relationships suffer. But these personal friendships can be incredibly beneficial in our emotional well-being. If possible, keep a close friend or two in your life. These are the people who we can call up at anytime. People we can tell our deepest secrets. Having these kinds of people in our lives gives us a place to go with our emotional turmoil. They can offer advice or just listen. And we can do the same for them. If you don't have any of these relationships in your life, it's time to develop some relationships for your own long-term well-being.
Monitor Your Thoughts
Believe it or not, you are not what you think. A great tool for managing emotional health is to learn how to monitor your own thoughts. When you feel an emotional thought rising, stop and breathe deeply. Notice the thought that's passing through, but don't let it consume you. This can take a massive amount of practice to master -- hello, meditation -- but the results are more than worth the effort. Get control over your thoughts and you'll have more control over your emotions.
Emotional health may not get as much attention as mental and physical health, but it's equally important. Use these tips to get your emotions in check. With some practice and purpose driven action, you may be able to reach a new level of emotional wellness for a healthier, happier, and more productive life.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in San Clemente, Calif.
