Feelings Faced, Forced or Forgotten - Exploring Emotional Wellness

Exploring Emotional Wellness

One often forgotten component of overall optimal health is our emotional health. Our feelings have important implications for how we view ourselves, our relationships and the world around us. This ability to maturely face and express these feelings can help us to meet life’s challenges without becoming overwhelmed or hopeless and without the need to dominate and force those around us.

Emotional Wellness emphasizes an awareness and acceptance of one’s feelings. It includes the ability to adjust to the various obstacles one may encounter in life, the development of autonomy, the ability to realistically assess one’s limitations and the maintenance of satisfying relationships.

Take this quick Emotional Wellness Quiz

1. I have a sense of fun and am able to laugh at some of the situations I find myself in?

2. I don’t judge others based on my expectations of them?

3. I generally face problems directly?

4. I cope with change effectively?

5. I have a positive self-image?

6. I can speak up for my needs?

7. I do not hold grudges?

8. I have several people in my life that I can count on for support?

9. I am generally optimistic about my self and the future?

10. I can effectively express both my positive and negative emotions?

Total ______

8 or less. Keep working – there is room for improvement

By being realistic about others and ourselves, by being aware of and accepting of our feelings, and by maintaining satisfying relationships, we will be one step closer to reaching our goal of optimal health. Beverly Beuermann-King Click to tweet

Signs of emotional wellness:

The ability to talk about feelings and needs
The ability to say ‘no’ to those things that are not apart of your priority without feeling guilty
Being mostly happy and satisfied with the various aspects of your life and the relationships you develop
Having several people in your life that you care about and can call upon when in need
The ability to relax and to take care of your needs
Feeling good about who you are

Beverly’s Hot Tips Building Resiliency and Achieving Emotional Health:

1. Recognize the types and strength of the various feelings related to various situations

2. Develop a realistic attitude about what you and those around you can achieve

3. Develop supportive relationships

4. Take care of your physical health – get appropriate sleep, exercise and nutrition

5. Practice positive thinking and self talk in the face of difficult challenges

6. Be respectful of other’s ideas, opinions and talents

7. Be flexible

8. Learn to give to others

9. Keep a sense of humour and learn to play

10. Keep a gratitude journal

Emotionally Healthy Children

As parents and caregivers of developing children, we often worry about assisting them to become competent, capable and healthy adults. We are concerned about their self-esteem and their overall emotional health. Modeling by constructively expressing both negative and positive feelings and thoughts is the first step to having emotionally healthy children.

Here are some additional tips that you may find helpful.

5 Tips for helping children achieve emotional health:

1. Help your child to put a name to their feelings. Help them to expand their vocabulary beyond using ‘happy’, ‘sad’ and ‘mad’.

2. Challenge unrealistic expectations when they become further interpreted as a self-failure or become expressed as frustration

3. Remind the child of the number of different people that they can go to in difficult situations

4. Teach children the importance of developing friendships and what it means to be a ‘good’ friend to someone else

5. Help children to find positive ways of expressing difficult emotions

Reaching Our Goal Of Optimal Health

By being realistic about others and ourselves, by being aware of and accepting of our feelings, and by maintaining satisfying relationships we will be one step closer to reaching our goal of optimal health.

If you have some strategies to share – comment on this posting!