Emotional well-being: an introduction

What is emotional well-being? Emotional well-being is a fundamental part of a person’s overall health. When a person is emotionally healthy, he has awareness and control over his thoughts and emotions and is perfectly capable of taking valuable decisions in life. It does not depend on what is happening around him but rather his interpretation of what is happening. A person with positive emotional energy is also able to cope with whatever challenges life throws at him. Therefore, simply put, emotional well-being is a simple realization that it is okay to not be okay.

Physical Well-Being

Physical Well-Being is one whose importance has always been taught to us. Exercise, proper sleep, and a balanced diet- that’s how we’ve been taught to stay physically fit. As the pandemic hit in 2020, physical well-being, health, and staying fit became our utmost priority. The health we had so clearly forgotten amidst our hectic lifestyles and rapid lives was the one thing we were supposed to protect as the world faced peril.

The term “physical well-being” doesn’t just refer to the absence of disease, in fact it has five main aspects- sleep, eating well, physical activity, hygiene and relaxation. All five of these aspects combined makes a physically fit person. Something most people fail to recognise is that physical well-being is very intricately connected to emotional and mental well-being. Just as our mood affects our appetite, our appetite also affects our mood. Emotional and Physical well-being go hand-in-hand, after all, it’s a two-way street.

The Real Essence of Emotional Well-Being

What does emotional well-being actually mean? Is it just an incidental reaction to when life does us good? Or is it an objective one has to attain in life? The simple answer to both the questions is no.

Emotional well-being is often mistaken to be inconsequential, sometimes wrongfully thought of as a ‘mood’ and at times misinterpreted as a terminal in life. But the real meaning of emotional well-being is much deeper and significant. Emotional well-being isn’t merely a feeling, it is a skill. Emotional well-being isn’t merely a mood, it is a state. Emotional well-being isn’t a destination, it is a process. Therefore, its real meaning lies in the fact that it isn’t about where you’re going, it is about how you drive.

Why is Emotional Well-Being important?

Emotional Well-Being is one that hasn’t been given the recognition and importance it so clearly deserves. We always underestimate the importance of emotional well-being for we do not understand that it affects our physical well-being as well. Building our emotional and mental well-being doesn’t mean that we will no longer have days when we feel low, or that we will stop having negative thoughts. It means that we recognize the simple fact that we are human and understand how to cope with these thoughts in a positive manner, and do not harm ourselves or our mind in any sense.

When we learn how to manage our emotions in a healthy manner, it empowers us to make more rational and wise decisions. Being emotionally well also leads to us having a better understanding of our own minds and their functioning, and an even deeper understanding of our unique healthy coping mechanisms.

How can Emotional Well-Being be improved?

Emotional health is a skill. It is not something we are born with, it is something we must inculcate into our lifestyle. It’s as important as a balanced diet, as important as physical fitness and as important as a good night’s sleep. Like any other skill, regular practice leads to eventual perfection. In order to improve our emotional health, we must use a proactive approach and practice it everyday.

A few ways to improve our emotional well-being are as follows:

• Practicing mindfulness to become more self-aware: understanding your emotions and your healthy coping mechanisms.

• Practice gratitude in order to develop positive thinking: being grateful will lead to a positive thinking attitude and a feeling of self-love.

• Catching your own self-judgments: when you realize you’re engaging in negative self-talk, treat yourself the way you’d treat your loved ones.

• Spend time with your loved ones: this helps in developing a support system and knowing that you are loved.

• Talk about it: understand that talking about your mental health is important and valid.

And the list goes on!

The Effect of Emotional Well-Being on Physical Well-Being

The human body responds to the way we feel. The physical well-being of a person is intertwined with his emotional well-being because emotional well-being, to be put in the simplest way, translates to positive thoughts and these thoughts are nothing but a play of our neurons and hormones.

The connection between the mind and the body is so strong that the mental and physical states feed into each other in both a positive and a negative way-

• Poor emotional health has been proven to be responsible for weakening the body’s immune system, making it more prone to colds and other infections.

• Anxiety often leads to high blood pressure, dizziness, cramps and discomfort in the stomach.

• Exam stress increases vulnerability to infections.

• Stress from lack of control in workplaces increases vulnerability to cardiovascular diseases.

And the list continues to grow…

Therefore, it is extremely crucial to understand the role that emotional well-being plays in one’s life. Caring for the mind is as indispensable as caring for the body because one cannot be healthy without the other.

(Written by Nandinii and Aadvika)