Emotional Wellness

Emotional wellness is the ability to remain balanced in the face or stress, problems or hardship.  A healthy awareness or ourselves and empathy of others will allow us to communicate effectively and fairly.  Increasing emotional wellness does not mean that we spend all our time naval gazing, but rather that while we are aware of all the physiological factors and our quest to fulfill our desires, we are able to keep our emotions in check enough to allow our logical brain come up with solutions to whatever problem we may be faced with.

Symptoms that we are not emotionally well would be:

• Regular and excessive crying
• Regular and excessive moments of anger and frustration
• Poor communication resulting in a breakdown of relationships
• Dependence on another person for ‘happiness’
• Undue physiological stress because of imagined fear
• Lack of motivation
• Sudden and unexplained increase or decrease in socializing habits
• Sudden and unexplained increase or decrease in weight
• Suicidal thoughts

If we think that our emotions are running out of control, we may seek the advice of a trusted friend, counselor, or Doctor to listen to us and prescribe a solution.

Just as any wellness area has certain parameters that we should take into consideration, when thinking about emotional wellness there are lots of factors that come into play including:

• Existing health and physiological responses that may trick us into feeling a certain emotion such as fear.
• Hormones that come into play, such as from the menstrual cycle or circadian rhythm

What are Emotions Anyway? 

Some scientists believe they are simply chemicals translated into meaning.  Others believe that they are related to do with fulfilling our needs and goals.

We may feel an emotional response from:

• Doing practical day-to-day tasks
• Judging our own abilities
• Being supported by someone or thing
• Being confronted by obstacles

We all have certain needs and goals – see Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.  We need our physiological needs to be taken care of such as food to eat, a place to live, rest and feel secure.  A family and good companionship, along with respect by others in our community.  Achieving a certain status or receiving special attention.  Meeting our goals and being creative.  Building something for the future and helping others.  Sometimes we may feel emotionally drained when our needs are not being met.

We may have an out of proportion emotional response to a small act, such as dropping a plate, because we are tired, or because our back aches too much to pick up the pieces, or because we are worried that it is a symptom of a serious disease, such as multiple sclerosis (physiological); because we have a personal attachment to the china that was once a gift from a loved relative (love/belonging); because our partner will scold us severely (love/belonging/safety); because we are angry at how clumsy we are (esteem).

How Can I Increase my Emotional Wellness?

According to one article, (https://psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-emotional-intelligence-eq/) you can increase your emotional quotient by paying close attention to:

• Self-awareness
• Self-regulation
• Self-motivation
• Empathy
• Social skills

In particular, seek ways to improve your own abilities and skills, and common sense or ability to be street smart (esteem).  Practice solving problems.  Don’t view each obstacle as another damnation of your future dreams, but allow each experience to make you into a bigger person as you conquer your problems. Grow your support network and practice giving to others.

Other ways you can increase your emotional wellness include:

• Practicing being positive and laughing off stress.
• Reducing negative self-talk or pessimistic predictions
• Smiling – smile for longer than you usually do
• Increasing endorphins by exercise
• Being self-sufficient and independent
• Setting priorities based upon your values
• Taking responsibility for your decisions
• Learning from your mistakes and just “getting back into the saddle again.”
• Commitment to raising your standards

Finally, take action.  Be proactive.  Don’t be afraid of failure.  Thomas Edison failed countless times before perfecting the light bulb.  Your idea is simply that, until you execute it!

Holistic Health for Caregivers

Caregiving

Emotional Wellness | Environmental Wellness

Financial Wellness | Intellectual Wellness

Occupational Wellness | Physical Wellness

Social Wellness | Spiritual Wellness

Go to our home page at http://caregiverfatigue.com/ and learn more about us.