How to Take Care of Your Emotional Health

Self-care is one of the most important things that we need to incorporate into our 
everyday lifestyle yet it is often the most overlooked, especially when it comes to our 
emotional health. People who are emotionally healthy are able to handle the stresses of 
life, manage their emotions, and feel relatively happy no matter what comes their way. 

Do you often find yourself feeling stressed, blue, and unable to cope, no matter what 
situation you are in? If so, this is a good indication that you need to take better care of 
your emotional health. Here are some ways that you can do so: 

1. Accept and Identify Your Emotions

As humans living in a busy society, we have a tendency to bottle things up. We think, I'll 
take care of that later or I don't have time to deal with this right now. While this may 
work temporarily, the whirlwind of feelings that you have set to the side will gradually 
build up until they explode out of you in a horrible display of anger or sadness. 

Rather than hiding your emotions, feel them wholly and identify them as they come. If 
you feel sad, allow yourself to feel sad. If you feel angry, allow yourself to feel angry. 
Working through your emotions as they come is very important to maintaining your 
overall emotional health. 

2. Express Yourself Appropriately

Continuing from the previous point, you will need outlets where you can pour all of these 
feelings and energy into. For example, if you are feeling angry, a good idea to let that 
anger out would be too scream into a pillow or write down your anger into a journal. The 
greatest thing to remember is that your chosen technique isn't harmful to you or to 
anyone else. These techniques will help you maneuver through your emotions and back 
into a feeling of peace. 

3. Use Healthy Relaxation Techniques and Coping Mechanisms

You can't be expected to maintain your emotional health if you've never learned how to 
cope or relax when faced with negative emotions. For those of you who can relate to 
this, here are some healthy ideas for how you can cope with negative emotions:

Exercising
Meditating
Journaling
Talking with a Friend
Engage in a Hobby That Excites You
Aromatherapy
Taking a Warm Shower or Bath
Spending Time in Nature
Listening to Music
Painting

This is by no means an exhaustive list and there are plenty of amazing ideas that can 
be found on the internet. If you find that a certain coping mechanism doesn't work for 
you, don't be afraid to use another one. We are all different and the methods that we 
need to handle our emotions differ as well.

Sometimes we may feel that our emotions are far beyond our control and when this 
happens, we may find ourselves faced with a mental health disorder. If you are having 
trouble coping and it is getting in the way of your life or causing you to engage in 
harmful behaviors, reach out to a mental health professional. These people will provide 
you with the advice and coping skills necessary to get your emotional health back on 
track!

