5 Tips for Managing Emotional Wellness

Keeping your emotional well-being balanced is no easy task. Feelings can be hard to figure out and they might appear to be out of your control. Being able to manage your emotions and have healthy relationships with others is vital to your emotional wellness. Keeping these five tips in mind can help you achieve emotional balance in your daily life.

1. Awareness of Thoughts and Feelings

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand what causes negative emotions to spring up. It might feel like emotions or moods come and go with no rhyme or reason. Taking time to become aware of certain thoughts or environmental triggers that cause these negative emotions will allow you to understand and manage your emotional health better. If emotional awareness and management is an area you feel you need to improve, there are activities you can do to help you understand your emotional-self better. For example, talk therapy with a qualified professional, guided meditation, mindfulness apps on your smart phone, journaling or even spending time alone to really get to know yourself without any distractions or others interfering.

2. Staying Positive

While we all get in a bad mood once in awhile and there is nothing abnormal about that, constantly maintaining a negative attitude will only eat away at your internal happiness. If you keep this mind-frame long enough, nothing will ever seem like a good situation when you only focus on the bad.  Noticing how often you think or say negative things is the first step towards having a positive attitude. Then, work on limiting the amount of negative thoughts and speech you use every day. If you need help with this, try keeping a journal or asking a friend or family member to point out when you are being a “Negative Nancy”.

3. Ask for Help

If you are suffering from emotional distress, it’s okay to ask for help.  There are no prizes handed out for who can bury their emotions the most. It doesn’t make you stoic or strong to keep the emotional turmoil all to yourself. Talking to someone you trust can be enough to ease the negative emotions brought on by a bad day. If more help is needed, seeking the advice of a mental health professional doesn’t mean you are weak, it means you are strong enough to to take care of your mental health.

4. Keeping Boundaries

Establishing boundaries with people in your life will contribute to your mental well-being. While it’s best to be nice to others in your life, there will be times when they cross the line and it’s up to you to tell them what is and isn’t acceptable for you. For example, it doesn’t make you a bad person to tell your neighbors that they should give you a call or a text instead of coming over unannounced. Advocating for yourself and your emotional needs will keep you from feeling overwhelmed by other people’s expectations and behaviors.

5. Self-Acceptance

Sometimes the expectations you set for yourself are more than the expectations others have for you. It’s okay to give yourself a break and let the self-judgment and self-doubt go. You won’t ever feel at ease in the world or with yourself if you are constantly talking negatively about yourself. If you wouldn’t let a stranger call you “stupid”, “ugly”or “not good enough” then you shouldn’t let yourself say those things. Just like with negative thoughts in general, becoming aware and then learning how to manage negative self talk is key to learning how to accept yourself.

If you or someone you know is in need of mental health resources, please contact one of our Resource Specialists:

Sources by: http://www.rtor.org/2015/06/30/emotional-wellness/

Top 10 Health Tips for Women

Want a cheat sheet for healthy living? Our expert serves up her pointers.

By Colleen Oakley
WebMD Magazine - Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Let's face it, ladies: Doctor visits are short. And they're getting shorter. What if your doctor had more time? She might tell you the same things that OB-GYN Alyssa Dweck, MD, co-author of V Is for Vagina, wants you to know.

Consider Dweck's tips your prescription for a lifetime of wellness.

1. Zap your stress.

"The biggest issue I see in most of my patients is that they have too much on their plates and want to juggle it all. Stress can have significant health consequences, from infertility to higher risks of depression,anxiety, and heart disease. Find the stress-reduction method that works for you and stick with it."

2. Stop dieting.

"Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to forgo your favorite glass of wine or a piece of chocolate cake now and then. The key is moderation. Get a mix of lean proteins, healthy fats, smart carbs, and fiber."

3. Don't “OD” on calcium.

"Too much absorbed calcium can increase the risk of kidney stones and may even increase the risk of heart disease. If you're under 50, shoot for 1,000 milligrams per day, while over-50 women should be getting 1,200 milligrams per day mainly through diet -- about three servings of calcium-rich foods such as milk, salmon, and almonds."

4. Do more than cardio.

"Women need a mix of cardio and resistance or weight-bearing exercise at least three to five times a week to help prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Exercise also promotes good self-image, which is really important to a woman'smental health."

5. Think about fertility.

"While many women have no problem getting pregnant in their late 30s and even into their early 40s, a woman's fertility may start to decline as early as 32. So if you want to have kids, talk to your doctor about options, like freezing your eggs."

6. Appreciate birth control.

"Birth control gets a bad rap, but not only can it keep you from getting pregnant before you're ready, studies show it can lower the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer as well as regulate your cycle."

7. See your doctor every year.

"New recommendations suggest that healthy women now only need Pap smears every 3 years instead of annually starting at age 21. But don't skip your yearly checkup. Your doctor needs to annually assess many other issues such as potential infection, your need forcontraception, and sexual complaints."

8. Have good sex.

"Sex reduces stress and may lower the risk of chronic disease -- but only if you enjoy it. If anything prevents you from sexual fulfillment, such as dryness or pain, talk to your doctor to find a solution."

9. Get more sleep.

"Sleep needs differ, but if you have trouble getting out of bed, tire easily, or have trouble concentrating, you likely aren't getting enough. Recent studies suggest this can put you at greater risk of heart disease and psychological problems."

10. Consider genetic testing.

"Doctors can now screen people with a family history of breast cancer,ovarian cancer, and chronic diseases to assess their risk -- and then consider preventive measures. Talk to your doctor."

Find more articles, browse back issues, and read the current issue of "WebMD Magazine."

Source by: http://www.webmd.com/women/features/women-top-health-tips