Any competent doctor will tell you that you need to control your psycho-emotional state; if you can’t do it yourself, you can even be prescribed medications. Why is this so important? When stressed, the hormone cortisol is released. It affects the functioning of all body systems. Because of this, the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems is disrupted, which can lead to deterioration in well-being, sleep problems, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
People who know how to cope with stress and avoid conflict situations tend to lead fulfilling lives. They have enough energy for work, friends and hobbies. Mentally balanced people have happy families, give birth to healthy children and raise them to be just as psychologically balanced.
INFLUENCE OF STRESS ON HUMAN HEALTH
Scientists have proven that the body of people who are constantly exposed to stress wears out 40% faster than those of those people who live in peace. Frequent stressful situations cause the following symptoms:
- Redness of the skin, various rashes;
- Feeling tired and exhausted even after a full sleep;
- Loss or gain of body weight;
- Constant feeling of anxiety;
- Tremor (shaking) of the limbs;
- Stool disorder.
If you do nothing, there is a high chance of developing the following pathological processes:
- Panic attacks;
- Depression;
- Heart failure;
- Stomach ulcer;
- Hypertension;
- Anorexia;
- Stress can also cause a decrease in sex drive in both women and men.
Surround yourself with pleasant aromas
Use your sense of smell too. Analyze which smells are associated with positive emotions or memories. It could be your favorite perfume, the smell of the sea, the aroma of flowers, pine needles or citrus fruits. Each of us has our own associations, which certainly need to be used.
If since childhood you have associated the aroma of tangerines with celebration and exciting fun, then quickly go to the store for this fruit and create the right atmosphere around you.
Do not forget that our orientation towards smells is inherent in us at the genetic level. We instinctively evaluate even the people around us by the aroma emanating from them. That's why we are always more drawn to communicate with those whose smell we like.
If you feel that your mood is starting to fall, drop a couple of drops of your favorite perfume on your wrist and inhale it until you realize that your emotions are restored.
SLEEP AS THE BASIS OF GOOD WELL-BEING
Adequate rest and healthy sleep are the first rules of a stable psyche. A well-rested person is more resistant to stress. The norm is considered to be 7-8 hours of sleep (and at least 9 hours if a person trains hard or works on his feet).
If there is not enough sleep, the stability of the nervous system decreases. You've probably observed how small children become capricious when they are tired and want to sleep. A similar condition is observed in adults who regularly do not get enough sleep - it becomes difficult for them to control their emotions, they feel irritation and aggression.
To improve the quality of your sleep, be sure to create a comfortable sleeping environment in your bedroom - darken the room, ventilate it before bed, and try to make the room quiet. Maintain a sleep schedule - try to go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time every day and not deviate too much from this schedule, even on weekends. If these measures do not help, contact a neurologist or somnologist. Your doctor will help you improve your sleep and quality of night's rest.
Basic indicators of a healthy psyche
The health of the human psyche is characterized by a large number of indicators. In addition to the absence of obvious signs of mental pathologies, a person must be resistant to numerous stressful situations, as well as respond adequately to different circumstances. At the same time, there are a number of parameters and factors that directly or indirectly influence the mental state of people at any age.
Systematic social and economic pressure are among the main risk factors, having a significant impact on the health of the human psyche. In addition, all people have individual factors that influence the vulnerability of the psyche, which is why care should be taken to strengthen mental health in order to be able to withstand any determinants.
MEDITATION AND PSYCHOTHERAPY, THEIR INFLUENCE ON HEALTH
Meditation is a great way to cope with depression and stress without medication.
The effect of meditation on the body is:
- Improving brain function. It has been scientifically proven that a course of meditation helps restore brain cells;
- Reducing the risk of developing heart disease;
- Eliminate feelings of anxiety;
- Developing mental resistance to stress;
- Increasing immunity and strengthening the body's defenses.
Scientists from Washington conducted an interesting study. 15 colleagues from one enterprise voluntarily took part in it. Before the rehabilitation course, each of the volunteers underwent a stress resistance test. It turned out that 14 out of 15 workers live in constant stress and cannot effectively cope with nerve-wracking situations.
The workers completed an eight-week meditation course under the supervision of a specialist - and a repeat test showed that the workers became much calmer and learned to control their emotions. Psychotherapy also shows good results - it helps solve problems and combat anxiety.
Listen to your favorite music or sounds
Our brain is designed in such a way that surrounding sounds and images have a direct influence on it. With the help of sound you can scare, make you laugh, excite, upset and delight. Therefore, it makes sense to use appropriate sounds and music to lift your mood and improve your emotional background.
Remember your favorite musical compositions and listen to them for at least 10-20 minutes - you will see that your mood will begin to change. Think about what sounds are associated with pleasant emotions. This could be the sound of waves, birds singing or the crackling of wood in a fire.
Find these sounds on the Internet and listen to them with your eyes closed, return emotionally to the pleasant state that is associated with them, imagine yourself in this environment, live this moment again. You will definitely feel better - try it.
HOW TO LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR PSYCHOEMOTIONAL STATE?
How to maintain health and increase stress resistance?
- Don't take on several things at once. Complete every task you start without being distracted by extraneous factors. If your job does not allow you to do only one thing, make a schedule for the priority of tasks and, in the time allocated for a task, do only it.
- If you are nervous about a situation, ask yourself if there is something you can do. If not, then you need to come to terms with the fact that this situation and its result are beyond your control and try to distract yourself with something else. If you can, no need to worry, just do it.
- Try to develop independent self-esteem. Of course, listening to a negative assessment and scolding is unpleasant - but, if you think about it, this assessment has nothing to do with you. This is just the opinion of another person, which can be taken into account if the person is important to you, but should not be taken as an objective reality. Evaluate yourself.
- Set realistic goals for yourself. Not the easiest, but achievable. When determining the deadline for completing a task, reserve 15-20% of the time for force majeure situations and the human factor, then delays will not unsettle you.
- Light physical activity helps stabilize the psycho-emotional state - nothing calms you down like a light jog or swimming.
- Go to bed no later than 11 pm, try to sleep at least 8 hours.
- Organize your workplace in such a way that it is pleasant to be there and easy to find everything you need.
- Eat the right foods. For the stability of your psycho-emotional state, it is very important to eat a balanced diet. B vitamins are especially important.
- At least once a week, do something that makes you happy. Meet with friends, dance, eat delicious food, play computer or board games.
If nothing helps, and you feel that it is difficult for you to cope with stress on your own, contact a specialist; you may have depression. In this case, you need qualified treatment.
Less than 30 days
Most people begin to take their physical and mental health seriously when not just alarming symptoms appear, but real destructive problems. During a sore throat, we remember that we need to wear a scarf, and we learn to get rid of stress when we are deeply depressed. But as soon as improvements come, we immediately return to our old life.
Surprisingly, we spend much more time on physical problems and spend a lot of effort and energy on them. It doesn't matter why this happens (for example, physical illnesses may manifest themselves more clearly), but this is true.
However, physical pain is not always stronger than mental pain. Unfortunately, we look in the mirror more often than we look into our souls.
This article will help you look at the emotional and mental issues that may be overlooked in the rush of your days, and then provide you with the tools you need to improve your long-term well-being.
What is emotional health
Emotional health is a state of positive psychological functioning. It includes a person’s ability to feel good regardless of external circumstances.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, emotional health is a state of well-being that enables a person to function harmoniously in society and meet the demands of everyday life.
A person whose level of emotional health is high enough shows resilience during life’s troubles. At the same time, he treats them completely differently than someone who has big problems with this area of life.
The two definitions we gave above are a good starting point for an initial understanding of the problem, but for the purpose of this article, we need to delve deeper and find out what it means to live an emotionally healthy life.
Signs that you are emotionally unhealthy
There are no absolutely mentally healthy people in this world, so the main thing is to understand how far the problem has gone and learn to normalize the mental state at any level. Analyze the following signs and find out what condition you are in. Whatever the result, we advise you to use our tips, which we will provide later.
Touchiness
Of course, sometimes we have very good reasons to be offended by loved ones or strangers. But even if they exist, this does not mean that such behavior can be considered healthy.
And if you are also offended for no reason, then this is one of the most striking signs that you should take a closer look at. When you are easily hurt, it indicates multiple problems hidden deep within.
Intrusive thoughts
A simple principle applies here: the more negative obsessive thoughts and the longer they remain in consciousness, the greater the harm to the psyche.
Only you can choose what thoughts to keep in your head. And if some of them are destructive and still affect you for a long time, you need to take immediate action and improve your emotional health.
Frequent mood changes
Mental instability is one of the most striking signs. Alternating between sadness and happiness several times a day is not normal. A person who loses his temper due to slight provocation or irritation is emotionally unstable.
We tend to constantly justify our mood changes by external factors. However, they should never completely throw you off balance.
Poor relationships with others
If you often get into conflicts and look for flaws even in loved ones, you should start improving your emotional health.
There is an opinion that the person who finds fault and conflicts with others is trying to get rid of internal pain and aggression. Think about how your relationships change when you don't get enough sleep or have a stressful day.
Low or high self-esteem
If you have low or high self-esteem, this is a significant indicator of emotional problems. The situation becomes worse if you are thrown from self-deprecation to a feeling of superiority. In this case, there is a risk of becoming schizophrenic.
Bad relationship with yourself
We are engaged in an eternal dialogue with ourselves. And if your inner voice often criticizes rather than praises, humiliates rather than inspires, then you have big problems.
Answer honestly whether there are similar signs in your psyche. This will help you recognize the problem and begin to deal with it. Otherwise, you risk destroying your emotional health.
How to Improve Your Emotional Health
Below are a few tips to help you increase your emotional health over the long term. When you start introducing them into your life, you will begin to experience satisfaction and increase your level of happiness. As a result, self-confidence will begin to grow along with motivation. Suddenly it turns out that you are able to enjoy things and have not lost your zest for life at all.
Let us make a reservation once again: this is a process that will require a long period of time for “treatment.” We sometimes take longer to treat a sore throat than our soul, so the world is filled with people who lose their temper over any stupidity and do not know how to cope with even the simplest problems.
Emotional health is very similar to physical health. You can start exercising today, but you won't see immediate results. Or, for example, you will immediately get good results and be very pleased with them, and then there will be a temporary decline, during which the main thing is not to quit the “treatment.”
Recommendation One: Guard Your Mind
Emotionally healthy people do not succumb too quickly to fear, anxiety, and stress. This means that they notice the negative impact of such emotions in time and immediately overcome them. They know how to separate themselves from what they are experiencing.
When circumstances don't turn out the way you wanted, it's easy to fall under the influence of destructive thoughts and emotions, uncontrollable anxiety and bad habits.
The best tactic is to guard your mind. This means:
- Don't watch the news.
- Do not enter into conflicts (except for individual cases when your honor is hurt or injustice occurs).
- Learn to break the chain of negative thoughts.
- Read inspiring and motivating books.
- Create your own mantras and affirmations.
- Stop watching what upsets you.
Start by not cluttering your brain with negative information. This does not mean running away from problems, it is a way to avoid creating unnecessary worries for yourself when you are emotionally sensitive and unstable. Protect yourself from everything unnecessary that causes unpleasant emotions: within a week you will feel better - the human body comes to its senses surprisingly quickly if the poison stops getting into it.
Tip Two: Feed Your Mind
If you have limited access to negative information, a vacuum is created that needs to be filled with something useful. You need new knowledge and skills. This will help you get new ideas and look at yourself and the world around you differently.
Feed your mind with:
- Books
- Educational videos
- New people
- Visiting new places
- Any inspiring information
But be careful: you must understand that the first and second recommendations are not temporary, but forever. Once you realize that these tips work, it will be tempting to go back to old habits. As a result, the original behavior will return: more negative information and less positive information.
Recommendation three: take care of your body
Emotionally healthy people understand that their body and mind are inextricably linked and mutually influence each other.
Understanding this, they find at least an hour a day to take care of their body:
- Running
- Swimming
- Eat healthy food
- Get enough sleep
- Are in sunlight
- Doing morning exercises
This helps them to always be in a good active mood. Of course, they drink little or not at all, do not smoke or take drugs.
As you noticed, to improve your emotional health, you need to take care of your body as a whole. There is no magic pill in this matter, there is only long-term work on yourself.
Recommendation Four: Nurture Your Relationships
We are surrounded by people everywhere, and besides, by nature we are social creatures. Nowadays it has become fashionable to be an introvert and be proud of it, but this does not mean that you should not learn how to maintain good relationships.
Healthy interactions with people provide the mental, physical, and emotional support needed to cope with the difficult challenges life throws at you.
You need to not only take something, but also give in return. Selfish relationships ruin the lives of both parties: there is no winner in this game. Try to be sincere, honest and provide your help without expecting any favors in return.
Recommendation Five: Maintain a work-life balance
Perhaps you are very passionate about your business and are ready to do it all day long. However, work is not everything.
A happy and fulfilling life is only possible if you maintain a balance in at least the following areas:
- Job
- Family
- Rest
- Entertainment
- Education
Of course, sometimes you need to sacrifice some areas, but at the same time understand that you will definitely make time for those areas that you have not worked on for a long time.
Even if you feel like you've found your calling, other areas of your life can help you gain inspiration and new perspectives, and look at your work in a completely different way.
Recommendation six: free yourself from negativity
Negativity penetrates us not only in the form of news and other external information. Often it is forged from the inside, which, by the way, takes a lot of energy and time.
Stop making mountains out of molehills and considering yourself a global sufferer. If you encounter a problem, great, start solving it by applying all your past experience or discovering an unexpected solution.
Recommendation seven: learn to cope with negative emotions
Negative emotions are overwhelming and depressing. With their long-term influence, there is no desire to overcome problems; you just want to sit on the sofa and look at one point.
To be an emotionally healthy person, you need to learn not to allow negative emotions to influence decisions or the logic of behavior.
If you want to read step-by-step instructions and get full guidance on how to do this, read one of the lessons on emotional intelligence called “Managing Negative Emotions.”
Recommendation Eight: Create Daily Rituals
Almost all great people created their own daily rituals. Moreover, these are not only our contemporaries like Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss, but also individuals who have long been firmly entrenched in history - from Benjamin Franklin to Abraham Lincoln. Of course, each of them had their own rituals, but if you analyze them, you can find many intersections.
It turns out that approximately 50% of the “principles” of rituals are the same for everyone. Choose something for yourself from the following list and stick to this healthy habit for the rest of your life:
- Reading
- Meditation
- Logging
- Gratitude journal
- Setting goals
- Visualization
- Self-reflection
- Morning work-out
- Reading affirmations
- Mantra reading
- Yoga
- Prayer
- Silence
These techniques will help you boost your energy levels, clear your thoughts, and gain motivation and enthusiasm that will last you throughout the day.
We advise you to choose about 4-5 points and try them, starting after waking up.
Recommendation Nine: Develop Self-Control and Self-Discipline
If you think that, for example, eating junk food is not evidence of low levels of emotional health, then you are very mistaken. The same applies to any behavior that requires self-control and discipline.
If we do not cultivate these qualities in ourselves, then we begin to behave like capricious children with all the ensuing consequences: the desire to get everything at once, to make impulsive purchases and much more.
Simply put, you cannot be emotionally healthy unless you have developed self-control and discipline. The ability to resist temptation indicates that you do not allow unnecessary passions and emotions to get the better of you. They do not control you, but vice versa.
We advise you to avoid temptations. This time we will give another piece of advice: buy something that you really like to eat and put it in front of you. You must wait a day, but do not touch this product. Look at it, take your thoughts away, drool, but don’t eat. Support yourself with the thought that you are developing one of the rarest qualities in our modern age.
Final Thoughts
Improving your emotional health is not “one more thing to pay attention to.” Perhaps this is the first thing to do. The overwhelming number of problems arise precisely because people simply ignore their emotional health.
They work hard, spend a lot, vacation in warm countries, get married and have children, but in the end they often feel unhappy. No matter what external factors you surround yourself with, without order within yourself, you will not experience true happiness.
In our Library you can read a review of Ilse Sand’s book “Close to the Heart. How to live if you are an overly sensitive person” from which you will learn about simple ways that will restore your lost emotional balance - you will become less vulnerable, get rid of the worries and stress of everyday life. And most importantly, you will learn to live in harmony with others, while remaining yourself.
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Go shopping
You are wrong to think that shopping only helps women improve their mood. Men get no less pleasure from successful purchases. Yes, they may spend little time choosing clothes and shoes, but try to take them to a hardware store or, for example, a fishing tackle store (weapons, sports accessories), and the situation will immediately change.
The desire to possess something awakens determination and an active life position. In this state, the body begins to work more harmoniously, the brain switches to analysis and comparison mode, and cognitive functions improve.
The realization that the mission has been completed and the purchase has been made stimulates the production of endorphins from the achieved goal. And endorphins will take care of raising your mood and emotional stability.
Find the meaning of life
Resilient people don't have a job - they have a calling. They have a mission and purpose that gives meaning to everything they do. And in difficult times, this goal pushes them forward.
According to Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's theory that work is one of the pillars of the meaning of life, the ability to see one's calling in one's work increases emotional stability. This is true even for people in low-skilled jobs (such as hospital cleaners) and for people who are unsuccessful in their chosen occupation.
"Unbreakable: The Science of Confronting Life's Challenges"
Touch nature
Nature has incredible energy, which should be recharged from time to time. It has long been proven that people living in areas where there are mountains, forests, large undeveloped spaces (fields, meadows, canyons) have a much more stable psyche and a better emotional background. It’s not for nothing that many people go to such places to rethink life and meditate.
Experience the power of nature for yourself. Go to the forest, organize a mountain climb, spend a weekend on the river bank, or just visit relatives in a village where there is nature all around, no fuss or unnecessary noise.
Walk barefoot on the grass, swim in the lake, walk in the field and pick flowers. A few days of such relaxation will return you to a great mood and inspire you to work.
Pamper yourself
Each of us has an “inner child” that wants to be pampered. Remember how in childhood, doing what we liked, we easily and quickly lifted our mood. Think about what makes you happy, what activity nourishes you emotionally.
This could be painting pictures, singing karaoke, swimming, cycling, trampolining, sports, dancing. Surely, in your arsenal there are favorite hobbies that are guaranteed to give you moments of happiness. Put everything aside for a while and devote yourself to an inspiring activity. You will see, having nourished yourself emotionally and lifted your spirits, everything else will be done much faster and easier.
Turn to spiritual practices
The main feature that unites people who were able to survive the tragedy.
Dr. Amad discovered that religious faith is a powerful force through which survivors explain both the tragedy and their survival.
"Unbreakable: The Science of Confronting Life's Challenges"
But what if you are not religious? No problem.
The positive effect of religious activity is that you become part of a community. So you don't have to do anything that you don't believe in, you just have to be part of a group that builds your resilience.
The relationship between religion and resilience may be partly explained by the social aspects of religious life. The word “religion” comes from the Latin religare, “to bind.” People who regularly attend religious services gain access to a deeper form of social support than is available in a secular society.
"Unbreakable: The Science of Confronting Life's Challenges"
Look fear in the eyes
Neuroscience says the only real way to deal with fear is to look it in the eye. This is exactly what emotionally stable people do. When we avoid scary things, we become even scarier. When we face our fears, we stop being afraid.
To get rid of the memory of fear, you need to experience that fear in a safe environment. And the exposure must be long enough for the brain to form a new connection: in this environment, the stimulus that causes fear is not dangerous.
Researchers hypothesize that fear suppression involves increased activity in the prefrontal cortex and inhibition of fear responses in the amygdala.
This method has proven effective when used to treat anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias. Its essence is that the patient is forced to face fear face to face.
Medic and Special Forces instructor Mark Hickey believes that facing fears helps you understand them, keeps you on your toes, develops courage, and increases your sense of self-worth and control over the situation. When Hickey is scared, he thinks, “I’m scared, but this challenge will make me stronger.”
"Unbreakable: The Science of Confronting Life's Challenges"
