An often neglected but crucial part of human existence is emotional health and well-being. According to David Weisburd, your emotional well-being has a lot to do with your overall health. When you are emotionally healthy, you have power over your behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.
Contrary to what most people believe, being emotionally healthy doesn’t mean that you need to be happy all the time. David Weisburd explains that it just means you are aware of your emotions and are in a position to deal with them, whether they are positive or negative. You will still be susceptible to sadness, anger, frustration, and even stress.
Knowing how to manage your feelings goes a long way to help you understand your limits, what you can comfortably handle on your own, and when to bow out or ask for help. According to David Weisburd, emotional well-being is a skill you can develop over time.
The relationship between emotional well-being and physical health
On your path to achieving good physical health, you need to remember that emotional health is an equally important part of the equation. David Weisburd explains that emotional health helps you navigate the stresses thrown at you daily, especially in a fast-paced world where people are drowned in responsibility. DAVID WEISBURD also points out that being emotionally healthy can help you realize your full potential and overcome the limitations you have placed on yourself.
“Your emotional well-being also impacts your physical health,” notes David Weisburd. “Therefore, your path to improved health needs to start with attention to all parts of your body. Research has proven that your mental state goes hand-in-hand with good physical health.”
The path to emotional well-being
This path takes you on a preparation journey to help you be able to face events out of your control. When faced with difficult situations, your emotional strength is put to the test, and your reaction determines whether or not you are emotionally healthy. David Weisburd recommends that before choosing a plot of action, it is best to go through the following:
- Respond instead of reacting
Your first reaction should be to breathe, ground yourself, and take a pause. This is a recommended three-step technique that helps you control your emotions and respond appropriately to situations. When you breathe, you notify your brain of a need to relax, and that gives you the time to ground yourself. Essentially, by this, you do something to distract yourself from the complications or hardships. This, in turn, helps you get back to the present moment. The pause gives you time to stew over what you really want to say or do from there.
David Weisburd explains that your response to any situation is a show of your emotional intelligence. However, when you react immediately, you come from an emotional place. Emotional well-being is about consistently responding instead of rushing to react without forethought.
- Question your thoughts
David Weisburd recommends developing a pattern of self-inquiry to make better decisions. In challenging situations, negative thoughts often take up the majority of the six-thousand thoughts that the average human has every day. When your mind conjures up adverse outcomes, it is important to question whether they are really true or plausible. Delve deep and pick apart these emotions, consider how these emotions make you feel, and how your life would be without these thoughts.
It is important that you develop the skill to turn your negative thoughts into positive ones. David Weisburd explains that you should turn around the thoughts that challenge your health and question them until you make your way back to a state of emotional well-being.
How to improve your emotional well-being
David Weisburd points out the following Simple practices that can help you achieve emotional well-being:
- Being aware of your emotions and reactions — It is very powerful when you know how to identify the things in your life that bring about sadness, anger, and negative thoughts. This gives you a starting point, and you can start to address them.
- Find appropriate ways to express your feelings — Some of the ways people express their feelings only compound the problem. David Weisburd recommends that you change how you react and express your feelings. For instance, you may share your feelings instead of bottling them up.
- Manage your stress — When you have a handle on your stress, you have better responses to stressful situations. David Weisburd states that learning how to meditate, exercise, and even utilize breathwork will help you boost your emotional well-being.
- Strive for balance — A healthy balance is crucial to your emotional well-being. With the right balance, you can focus on the positive things in your life and become less bothered by the negative ones.
What to consider
In theory, it all sounds straightforward; however, David Weisburd understands the amount of effort and commitment required to achieve emotional well-being. Therefore, if you struggle to achieve good emotional health, it is prudent to ask for help and support from friends, family, and even counselors.
David Weisburd explains that you can bounce back from anything; the key is to ensure that you watch your thoughts, words, and actions because they all lump up to become your habits, character, and eventual destiny. The challenges you face should not strip you of your emotional well-being; instead, they should strengthen your resilience.
This article was written in cooperation with Digital Nod