Jenny Pena, NBC-HWC

People often mention health and wellness. They usually focus on the physical aspect. This includes exercise, hydration, and nutrition. Still, we are not just our bodies but our minds and emotions have a deep impact in our overall health.

To talk about how to build emotional wellness we should clarify its definition. The National Institute of Health defines it as the “ability to successfully handle life’s stresses.” It is also defined as the ability to “adapt to change and difficult times.” The National Wellness Institute defines it as an active process. Through this process, people become aware of a more successful existence. They make choices toward achieving it.

Two key terms sort of stood out from those definitions: ability and awareness. This means that we are to gain the ability to manage our emotions. We should also learn how to handle situations that are difficult and outside our control. Additionally, we need to have a sense of awareness of these emotions. This includes being able of properly identifying them. By doing so, we can have clarity on what to do. This will help us make the right decisions to stay balanced and build resilience.

While developing healthy physical habits like exercise and proper nutrition; sleep has a huge impact on emotional wellness. Getting enough sleep is essential. Having a consistent bedtime routine also helps. Sticking to a sleep schedule supports emotional wellness. I am going to list a few things that are key to building emotional wellness.

• Be Mindful – which simply means being completely aware of what’s happening in the now. You can achieve this by enjoying a walk and noticing the sights, smells, and sounds around you. Do a body scan meditation and bring attention to different parts of your body and how you feel. Take some deep breaths and focus on the air coming in and out. Practice mindful eating by being aware of the smell and flavor. Savor each bite slowly.
• Reduce Stress – this can be a challenge to some extent. Remember that while at times you can’t change a situation, you do have control over your reaction. You also have control over the perception you have of that situation. Some good strategies are have a clear set of priorities, building a good social network available if you need help and finding relaxation methods (such as breath work or meditation).
• Build resilience – resilience is the ability to have fewer negative emotions and bounce back from difficulties faster. Some ways to build this are taking time for yourself each day, look at problems from different angles, practice gratitude, explore spirituality and connect to beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life, and build a good social support system.
• Get quality sleep – Sleep is very important, and not only getting a good amount of sleep (preferably 7-8 hours every night) but good quality sleep. Some tips to improve sleep quality are having a schedule to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, having a bedtime routine that helps you relax, limiting the use of electronics, exercising daily and having good temperature and darkness in the room.
• Strengthen social connections – Social connections are important, so prioritize meeting new people. Some great strategies to achieve this are joining groups that are focused on similar hobbies, asking for help from others if you are a caregiver, building strong relationships with your family and volunteering for things you care about.
• Cope with loss – Loss of any kind can be challenging, during a time of grief take care of yourself by giving yourself time to process the emotions. Typically finding a caring friend to speak with, joining a grief support group, considering professional support are great tools. Remember that mourning can take time so be patient with yourself.  

If you feel you need professional support, reach out to your insurance provider or practitioner and ask about getting a therapist or psychologist. Depending on the emotions, you would benefit from extra support to help you navigate them and find balance and healing. Explore resources like the Emotional Wellness Toolkit from the National Institute of health (linked here) and the National Wellness Institute webpage for resources (linked here). I also have a very special offer below, to help you complete an assessment and develop an action plan to build resilience.

50-Minute Emotional Assessment Health Coaching Session

As a special offer, you can book a 50-Minute Wellness session to focus on Emotional Wellness for a discounted price of $99 using this link – here.

This is an opportunity to complete an assessment of your emotional wellness and create a plan covering one or two key areas of focus and developing goals and actions to support those areas.

If you would like to discuss your health and wellness goals further, see how you can incorporate a health coaching package or just assess if health coaching is right for you, feel free to schedule a complementary 20 minute discovery call using scheduler below.