Six-Part Health Series (Part 3): 10 Things You Can Do For Better *Emotional* Health (from the Avidity Medical Design Blog)

Emotional health impacts your physical health and your overall happiness, yet it is a difficult thing to improve without purpose. The steps to better emotional health will help to bring you calmness and inner peace. This doesn’t mean you won’t ever have a bad day, but it means you will be able to better cope with bad days and fully enjoy the good things in life. 

10 Things You Can Do For Better Emotional Health in 2020

1. Sleep Well.

When you aren’t sleeping well, you may become irritated or angry more easily. It also decreases your ability to handle stress. This decrease in coping ability leads to poor emotional health. Over time, it can also impact physical health. 

2. Eat Right.

There is evidence that concludes that the food you eat can impact your emotional health. Getting proper nutrients makes you feel good, and this improves mood. Conversely, meals high in unhealthy fats or toxins can make you feel sluggish and depressed. 

3. Exercise Regularly.

When you exercise, your body releases endorphins. These chemicals reduce anxiety and improve mood functions. They also increase self-esteem. Regular exercise is also good for your physical health and body image. 

4. Meditate Consistently.

Any exercise in mindfulness is a benefit to emotional health because it gets us out of our heads and back to a healthy emotional center. If formal meditation is not appealing to you, go for a walk or do some gardening. Anything that keeps the body busy so that the brain can have a break is a positive action. 

5. Connect with Friends or Family.

In today’s consumer-driven world, we often are tricked into thinking it is our belongings that give us happiness. This is not true, and it is other people and our connections to them that drive happiness. If you are feeling isolated, reconnect with friends or family to regain your sense of community and support. 

6. Learn to Say No.

While some people need to reconnect for emotional health, others need to disconnect. It is okay to say no when asked for help. If you are stretched too thin because you are helping others, learn to say no. You need to practice self-care for a little while and then get back into help mode. 

7. Don’t Judge.

Judging others is an unhealthy activity for your emotional health and doesn’t produce any good results. You can’t possibly put yourself into someone else’s shoes, and most of the time, their actions aren’t of any consequence to you. Instead of judging, listen and offer help when you can. 

8. Appreciate the Here and Now.

Many of us are constantly trying to improve ourselves. We want to be thinner, richer, and more popular. In reality, what you’ve got right now is underappreciated. You have a life, and you can improve it. Appreciate the present and the future, and your emotions will migrate to a more positive place. 

9. Volunteer to Improve Your Emotional Health.

Helping others improves your emotional health because it feels good and you are no longer focused on your own stress. Volunteering is a pro-social way to help others that builds connections and yields happy results. 

10. Take Time for Yourself.

Taking time for yourself does not mean wasting time watching television. It means investing your time in a hobby or event that will make you feel like you again. If this means a spa day, great. If it means finishing a project, even better. Taking time for yourself means prioritizing yourself, so you don’t feel like you’ve been run over by life. 

These 10 steps are pretty straightforward, and if you invest some time on each of them, you are surely going to improve your emotional health. Not only will you experience less extreme emotions, but you’ll be a happier person with a renewed sense of calm. 

For more help with improving your emotional health, check out Avidity Medical Design Academy’s course entitled, “How to Prevent Medical Conditions Caused By TOXIC People in Your Life (and Be Healthier!)“

For more informative articles on healthcare, follow the Avidity Medical Design Blog. To enroll in a healthcare course, visit Avidity Medical Design Academy. For instructional design course development services, visit Avidity Medical Design Consultants, LLC.