Although emotional and mental health is connected, they have very different meanings. The difference needs to be understood because it’s crucial for your well-being. You need to balance your thoughts and emotions when coping with your life and relationships. If one is off, it will affect the other.
What is Emotional Health?
Your emotional health is a vital part of your general health. People who are healthy emotionally are in control of their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. This means that you are mindful of your emotions and are able to handle them. Here are the fundamentals of emotional health:
- Being tuned in to your emotions
- Being able to express your feelings
- Having the ability to accept your feelings
- Having the ability to explain your feelings and manage them
- Being able to do these things in an appropriate way
What is Mental Health?
Mental health affects how you feel, think, and act. It includes your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. You could think of emotional health as the software and mental health as the hardware. Mental health is how your brain functions and includes your emotional health with your spiritual, intellectual, and social health. In addition, mental health affects how you handle decision-making, relationships with other people, and stress management.
The Relationship
Although mental and emotional health is very different, you can’t really have one without the other. An imbalance in one will result in an imbalance in the other. Being able to direct your mental energy in a positive way is essential for emotional health.
The Contrast: Emotional Health vs. Mental Health
You could contrast mental and emotional health as thinking vs. expressing. If anxious or depressive thoughts obstruct your intellectual ability, you would then have problems evaluating the situation. This can lead to an inappropriate emotional response. To express your emotions productively, they have to be supplied with accurate information and correctly processed.
The Value of Healthy Mental Function
Because mental health includes our psychological, emotional, and social well-being, it also affects how we think, feel, and act. It controls how we handle stress, how we relate to other people, and whether we make healthy or unhealthy choices. Mental health is important in every stage of life–childhood through adulthood.
Symptoms of Negative Mental Health
If you haven’t been feeling like yourself, or just feeling “off” for an extended period, it’s a sign that you should think about taking steps to care for your mental health. Some symptoms of negative mental health can escalate if not treated:
- Substance abuse
- Constant worrying
- Hopelessness and helplessness
- Eating or sleeping too much or not enough
- Feeling like nothing matters, or feeling numb
- Lack of interest in usual activities or other people
- Anger, confusion, forgetfulness, worry, or fearfulness
- Continual traumatic memories or thoughts you can’t stop
- Shouting at or fighting with family and friends
- Thinking about suicide, dying, or self-harm
- Difficulty performing routine daily tasks
- Having delusions or hearing voices
- Extreme mood swings
If you’re experiencing one or more of these problems or feelings, it may be an early warning of a mental health problem.
8 Tips for Caring for Your Mental Health
Having good mental health is more than just not having a mental illness. It is vital to your general quality of life. Here are some tips to help get you started with some self-care:
- Exercise regularly to boost your mood and improve your health
- Eat healthy meals and stay hydrated
- Make sure you’re getting enough sleep–stick to a schedule
- Check out relaxation and wellness apps
- Set priorities and goals
- Practice gratitude–remind yourself what you’re grateful for every day
- Stay positive by challenging your unwanted negative thoughts
- Keep in touch with family and friends who can provide emotional support
Symptoms of Negative Emotional Health
You may be suffering from an emotional health problem if you are experiencing these symptoms:
- Severe fatigue
- Substance abuse
- Difficulty concentrating
- Loss of interest in activities
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Odd and unsettling thoughts
- Feelings of guilt and worthlessness
- Changes in sleeping and eating habits–too much or not enough
- Extreme happiness after periods of intense depression
- Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness
- Uncommon anger, hostility, or irritability
- High blood pressure
- Frequent crying
- Headaches
- Self-harm
The Value of Emotional Health
Emotional health has been defined by The Mental Health Foundation as a positive state of well-being. It allows you to function in society and meet the demands of everyday life. Prime emotional health allows you to:
- Have a functioning “inner” world
- Control your emotions
- Express your emotions
- Realize a general feeling of wellness
14 Tips for Caring for Your Emotional Health
When caring for your emotional health, the vital term is “self-awareness.” When an individual has an issue with their emotional health, it can be more apparent than when they have a problem with their mental health. These tips can help you keep your emotional health in balance:
- View your life with a sense of balance. Life will always be unpredictable
- Stay open and communicate your feelings
- Take care of your physical health
- Keep your brain active with hobbies, reading, etc.
- Develop resilience and learn from difficult situations
- Have a feeling of purpose in your day-to-day life
- Get enough sleep
- Assist other people whenever you can
- Learn time management
- Stay connected to other people
- Pay attention to your mental health
- Meditate
- Build a healthy support system
Premier Mental Health Treatment at Adler Health
Have you been feeling like something’s just not right with you? Are things out of control and you can’t understand why? Adler Health, located in Orange County, CA, can help you with this struggle.
We have inpatient and outpatient programs and experienced professionals who can design a program to help you specifically. You will be surprised to discover that there are people who understand and can help you, just like they have helped many others. Please contact us today.
