By Luis Figueroa, wellness coach
The Mind-Body Connection in Emotional Wellness
Emotional well-being is an important part of being healthy. It is about having the ability to experience whatever is happening in our lives and, when things are difficult, bounce back in a healthy way. Sometimes we experience unpleasant feelings when things are challenging, and these feelings can stay with us. We can get into cycles of negative thoughts and feelings, and these can feed off each other. When this happens, we may experience poor sleep, irritability, mood changes, and difficulty concentrating. By remembering how closely our minds and bodies are connected, we can interrupt patterns of negative thoughts and feelings and create a greater sense of emotional wellness.
Taking care of our minds:
- When a challenging feeling comes up, ask yourself, “What am I thinking about right now? Am I living the way I want to live my life?” If you find that you are thinking negative or self-defeating thoughts, interrupt them with a more positive thought. Redirect your thoughts toward things that are positive in your life, and your feelings and emotions will follow.
- If you think that you are not living your life the way you’d like to be living, direct your thoughts to ways you can change your life to support your well-being. When we choose to redirect our thoughts and actions to more positive ways of living, our emotional well-being increases.
Taking care of our bodies:
- When we feel emotionally unbalanced, our bodies can also get out of balance. If we do things to keep our bodies healthier and stronger, we can increase our emotional wellness.
- Exercise is a great way to increase endorphins, the hormones that help us feel happier and more positive about our lives. Get outside and do any kind of movement that works for your body. Enjoy the outdoors.
Taking care of our relationships:
- When we put it all together, taking care of our minds and our bodies, we can combine this with making sure our relationships with others are positive and strong. Connect with friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors. When we do this, we allow others to support us, and we can provide support to them.
- When we connect with others, we feel as if we are part of a community and we know that we belong. That is an important way to increase our emotional well-being.
For more on this topic, watch this short video on emotional well-being, and share it with a friend who may want to learn more.
Tip: Try mindfulness or meditation for a daily practice to maintain emotional wellness. Seek professional support if you need it. La Clinica is always here for you with wellness classes and services. We offer appointments with our behavioral health clinicians and wellness coaches virtually and in person.