To put it simply, emotional well-being is the axis that allows us to successfully perform and manifest almost every task, function and thought in a healthy, fulfilling and effective way.
It is a vital component of our overall health. Though it might seem impossible amidst the current worldwide pandemic we face, there has simply never been a more important time to achieve and safeguard a better state of health, either.
How do we define good health though? And why does emotional well-being play such an integral part in achieving it?
The Definition Of Health
According to the World Health Organization, the definition of health is:
"A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing."
Despite this it's amazing how over the years, the physical aspects of our health have been prioritised far more than the emotional and social parts. Even though they're just as vital for our well-being.
For a long time, many people felt like speaking about emotional health was actually a taboo subject and almost something that couldn't be discussed.
Luckily, times have changed dramatically.
Responsible Institutes & Bodies, work places and society in general now understand that social and especially emotional well-being are vital areas to develop if we want to achieve better health.
It's really easy to understand physical well-being because we can see it. But how do we recognise emotional well-being?
Emotional Well-Being Explained
The Mental Health Foundation describes emotional well-being as:
"A positive sense of well-being, which enables an individual to be able to function in society and meet the demands of everyday life."
This description suggests that when a person is emotionally "well", they're able to function normally in their social life. This means that their relationships with partners, friends, colleagues and family are likely to flourish too.
The following areas all relate to emotional wellness:
- The ability to perform exercise
- A willingness to perform activities with friends and family
- The capability to fulfil potential in a professional environment
- The ability to make logical decisions in relation to finances and other life choices
- Combating mental illness prevalence
It's surprising that emotional well-being was almost pushed to the side for so long, because arguably it's the most important aspect of our health. Without it, we simply can't focus properly on the other areas.
Recognising Emotional Imbalance
Now that you know what emotional well-being is and the areas that it can affect. The golden question is, how do you know when it isn't in an "ok" state?
It's all about understanding how you function when you feel like your usual, happy self, then recognising instances where you're feeling or behaving in a way that simply isn't representative of the "normal" you.
For example, you might be a very outwardly affectionate person with your partner. When you see them after a full day's work your typical behaviour on an average day would probably be to embrace them and ask how they are.
If you were experiencing emotional imbalance or your emotional well-being wasn't in its typical state, your response to your partner may instead be to act withdrawn and to not engage with them.
Another example could be performing exercise. You might be a keen exercise enthusiast normally and find it easy to motivate yourself to train. When suffering from a lack of emotional well-being however, you may struggle to get through your exercise session and lack in motivation.
There are many, many more examples of how we can recognise a lack of emotional well-being.
Ultimately, being emotionally "well" is all about recognising how we feel when we're in a feel good or typical place whilst also being able to effectively recognise and regulate our feelings when we aren't in order to return ourselves to that frame of mind again.
Practice Makes Perfect
As a professional coach, emotional well-being is one of the most crucial aspects of coaching sessions with clients. We each have a place of wisdom and well-being inside of us. If we can achieve it, we can unlock a healthier and happier existence.
This is largely because emotional well-being serves as the foundation that allows somebody to develop a strong emotional and physical framework, following which they can achieve total stability in every other area of their life.
Trying to achieve your dreams and ambitions without taking care of your internal well-being is a little bit like trying to sustain a planet without an atmosphere. It'll all come crashing down, sooner or later.
We all have very different requirements when it comes to achieving emotional well-being. How one person achieves it is different from how another gets there. There isn't one set path for achieving a healthier state of mind.
Regardless of what you need to feel "well" on an emotional level, the actions you need to perform in order to get there largely take on the same form. The solution is all about identifying which keys you require in order to unlock the door to your own state of emotional positivity.
The most effective way to identify them is by reflecting inwardly and talking to others. When you're able to identify what makes you feel positive, negative, neutral and every shade in between. You then simply need to gain a wider perspective using external input from others.
This can be someone that knows you well, or someone neutral like a life coach who can provide an entirely impartial non-judgemental perspective.
Once you've used self awareness and external perspective to identify your key positivity triggers. It's then simply a case of putting the practice time in and placing an emphasis on performing the actions that allow you to keep your mind tuned into a healthy and progressive frequency.
Everybody Has A Story
How are you doing in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic? Are you still finding the time to focus on your emotional well-being?
I'm hoping to share a few of my own experiences during the pandemic since the beginning of 2020 as well as some practical tips to be more aware of and improve your emotional well-being in a series of upcoming posts. In the meantime, I'd love to hear about the activities you've been performing to improve your emotional health in the middle of it all, too.
Not only do I find it really uplifting to find out all about peoples focus on positivity and better health, but so do millions of others. Sharing your own life experiences allows so many others to connect with your experience and make things better for themselves, too.
Every time a story or positive comment is shared, it helps somebody. It'd be great if you could take a little time to improve someone's day. Always remember that the key to emotional well-being lies not only in inward reflection, but also external engagement and action.
Whether it's through sharing your story with other people, be it your friends, family or a professional coach. As long as you invest some time into communicating your emotional state freely the long term returns will be overwhelmingly beneficial for creating a healthy lifestyle.
