Your emotional well-being is just as important as being physically healthy. Since your mind and your body are connected in many ways, it is crucial to keep both working as well as possible, but for many people, it is the physical symptoms that are treated and the mental problems are ignored or brushed to one side. This needs to change to give you complete emotional well-being, and here are some ways to do it.
Maintain A Good Blood Sugar Level
When your blood sugar level drops, or spikes, your emotional well-being can quickly be affected. When you don’t eat regularly every 3 to 4 hours or so depending on your own metabolism), you can feel irritated, anxious, unable to concentrate, and generally down.
Start the day by eating breakfast to kick start your body and mind, and then eat small, regular meals throughout the day. Try to avoid sugar if you can, eat good amounts of fruit and vegetables, and don’t forget to drink plenty of water too.
Keep Active
Physical activity keeps us fit and healthy, but it also boosts our emotional well-being, improving our mood considerably. When we take part in any kind of physical activity, our bodies release endorphins. These rush around the body and make us feel good, reducing the amount of cortisol (stress hormone) we are producing at the same time.
Even if you don’t feel like exercising, it’s important to do it. By the end of your workout, you’ll feel great. Make sure to engage in both strength and cardio training.
Drink Less Alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant, and that means that it can heighten feelings of depression and anxiety and generally lower your mood, even if you think that it’s doing the opposite. Your reactions will be slower too, and you might feel out of control in whatever situation you are in.
Drinking less alcohol will help you keep your emotional well-being levels high, and after a while, you will find that you feel fitter and healthier in general when you drink less.
Ask For Help
When you are feeling low, or if you think you are suffering from a mental health condition, ask for help. There is no shame in this, and speaking to the right people will make you well again. Sometimes all you need is someone to talk to, to express how you are feeling and rant about what is troubling you – a good friend will listen to you, or perhaps a therapist if you want to speak to a stranger instead.
If you think you might have a mental health disorder such as depression, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, or anything else, then you should always ask for help from specialists such as those at www.therecoveryvillage.com.
It is easy to try to ignore it when you are feeling unwell mentally, but the repercussions of such an illness will reach far and wide, and affect every aspect of your life. To boost your emotional well-being, lead a healthy lifestyle. Be mindful over the foods you consume, your alcohol intake and ask for help if you need it.
Mandy X
Photo by Peter Conlan on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
