Healthy Tips For Your Emotional Well-Being

As is the case with almost everyone, you may occasionally suffer from anxiety, a bad temper, irritability, anger or mood swings. In our article today, we'll review some healthy tips which can help you take better care of your emotional health, or simply put, your ability to understand and appropriately express your emotions, and to nurture meaningful social interactions & connections.

Let's explore 'negative' emotions, as they are quite hard to tame. They feed in the darkness of your fears and insecurities, often fueled by feelings of:

• Not being 'good enough',
• Not being loved, or
• Not belonging

You will also become emotional when some of your other core-needs are not being met, such as:

• Physiological needs
• Financial needs
• The need for security or safety
• The need for self-esteem, respect, recognition, achievement
• The need for personal growth
• The need to make a contribution
• The need for freedom, autonomy or independence
• The need for fairness or justice

And you can struggle with your emotions if you hold on to (unhealthy) beliefs that will never be satisfied; for example:

• "I must be make more money to be financially safe"
• "I must prove that I am better than people think I am..."
• "I must become the best at..."
• "Others owe me respect / obedience etc. "

While coaching can best help you actualize your needs and evolve your belief system, a number of practices can help you enhance your emotional health. I'd like to share some healthy tips here for you to practice on your own time.

HEALTHY TIP #1 - Do walk!

"A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." - Paul Dudley White

HEALTHY TIP #2 - Power-up your life!

Imagine that you could walk on 3 feet - when one or even two are weak, you can still move ahead.

The same principle applies to positivity boosters; so find yourself a third passion besides family and work. It can be sports or physical activities, community work, arts & crafts, cooking, traveling etc. - as long as it keeps you positively moving forward.

HEALTHY TIP #3 - Identify your recurrent emotional triggers

Identify your emotional patterns and then work-out the 'downward arrows technique' (Page 11 & 12), to build an action plan to improve things.

HEALTHY TIP #4 - Take responsibility for your emotions

Say "I feel angry", not "you make me angry".

When in conflict with another person, remember to address his/her behavior(s) and not criticize the person.

HEALTHY TIP #5 - Hold yourself back from reacting immediately when you are upset

Imagine you just received that aggressive or disrespectful email and you are enraged...

"Take five" to cool down, and don't respond before your adrenaline is fully released.

Go out for a 5-minute walk when the pressure is high, or just go to the washroom and freshen your face; listen to your favorite soothing music for 5 minutes when you 'boil' inside; look for a while at an object or a picture you love, until you calm down.

Then set up a face-to-face discussion when possible - they diffuse tensions way better than email wars!

HEALTHY TIP #6 - Don't sleep over your negative emotions

If your negative emotions keep you awake, stand up from your bed and write them down, then apply the 'downward arrow technique'.

"If you can't sleep, then get up, and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep." - Dale Carnegie

HEALTHY TIP #7 - Focus on the positive everyday

Take five minutes in the early morning to meditate or just reflect about the positive things in your life and what you can be grateful for.

HEALTHY TIP #8 - Consciously choose to see the positive in dangers

Train your mind to see the good in every situation, for in every 'risk' or 'crisis' there is opportunity aside of danger. The Chinese chose to signify 'risk' or 'crisis' with the 2 characters on the left.

"There is no education like adversity" - Benjamin Disareli

So be thankful for the next challenge in your life or career and cheer yourself up: "I will rise to the occasion and learn from it".

HEALTHY TIP #9 - Start with 'Thank You' when you reply to a hostile statement

Train your mind to see the good in every situation, for in every 'risk' or 'crisis' there is opportunity aside of danger. The Chinese chose to signify 'risk' or 'crisis' with the 2 characters on the left.

HEALTHY TIP #10 - Stay detached but empathize with the other party in a conflict

As Steven Covey phrased it:

"Seek to understand first"

Ask the 'opposing' party about their concerns, fears, beliefs, assumptions or interests before you share yours.

HEALTHY TIP #11 - Surround yourself with enough positive people

If some people stay deeply negative around you after you read this, invite them to go... and seek professional help.

HEALTHY TIP #12 - Do at least one kind act a day

With absolutely no expectation of return. Try it out: it does wonders to your inner happiness, which in turn keeps you more at peace.

HEALTHY TIP #13 - Tell 'significant others' they are important to you

As easy as that is, it strengthens the relationship and enhances all parties' self-esteem. It makes it easy to address issues later on.

HEALTHY TIP #14 - Laugh enough... at least once a day!

"Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine." - Lord Byron

Save short videos of your favorite stand-up comedians on your computer or mobile devices and play them regularly.

HEALTHY TIP #15 - Give a long hug to someone you love!

Research has proven that a 20-second hug releases oxytocin, the natural bonding hormone and neurotransmitter (which is an anti-depressant and anti-anxiety).

For a partial illustration of a transformation towards greater emotional well-being, check out pages 15 and 16 of this document.

Enjoy the gifts of your greater well-being this weekend!

Here's to your Greatness,

Jean-Francois Cousin