5 Tips for Improved Emotional Well Being
“In order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did and why you no longer need to feel it.”
― Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven
As we talk about health and wellness, emotional health is not addressed nearly enough. Emotions are something each and everyone of us experiences on a daily basis, and they can change multiple times throughout the day . Being emotionally well is more than just handling stress. it includes being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and and your reactions to them. Emotional Wellness is the ability accept our feelings, rather than deny them, and to be generally optimistic when approaching life. Each of us will experience, frustrations and disappointments, and it is how we handle this day to day ups and downs that defined our emotional well being. In addition to our own real life emotional challenges, hearing sad news about a loved one or experiencing the blues from a grey and rainy day, we add to that an onslaught of negative images information from numerous media sources.
As wee look at emotional well being and understand the importance of taking care of this aspect of a healthy lifestyle Try these 5 tips to help you manage the inevitable day to day challenges we all face.
- Vitamin D and Sunshine: Yes I know what we are told ,the sun is this big dangerous ball in the sky that can cause serious skin damage and this may be true if you are laying in the sun baking and burning. But vitamin D , specifically from the sun has been shown to boost mood and support a healthy immune functions. In addition to sunlight triggering the body to make vitamin D, a recent study showed that when sunlight hits certain areas of the retina, it cues the formation of Serotonin, also Known as the happy hormone.
- Balanced Nutrition: Our body runs on an on going series of chemical reactions, and many of those chemicals are derived from what we take in; doesn’t it make sense that we are simply going to function better with better nutrition. I would love to believe that we can get all of what we need from the food we eat, however, with pollution, depleted soil and food that sits on shelves for days, even someone with the best diet is going to have gaps . Taking a good multivitamin/mineral supplement and a high quality fish oil is one of the best ways to assure your over all health. When you feel great your bound to be in a better mood!! I use Life long vitality from to fill in the gaps!
- Taking care of your gut: My husband , Brian says I have a chemestry lab on my kitchen counter. I usually have something fermenting whether it is a crock of cabbage, a jar of Kombucha, or some water kefir, I want to make sure I am getting a good variety of probiotics in my diet. I also take a quality probiotic to make sure there is a proliferation of good bacteria in my gut. The Microbiom has bee linked to mood and memory as well as a strong and and healthy immune system .
- Get moving!! Dance!! Have you ever seen anyone look unhappy when they were dancing? So many people see exercise as this as this grueling difficult thing. Find something you love and do it .The key is to move your body . I love going to the gym and seeing my friend Bill. He is 96 years old and works out a few times a week at the gym.
- Using essential oils: Studies show that many mood is often connected to our sense of smell, which is actually one of our strongest senses. Essential oils carry biologically active volatile compounds in a highly concentrated form that can provide therapeutic benefits in very small amounts. Scents like orange and lemon can up lift mood, peppermint and rosemary can awaken the senses and help create a sense of alertness, and scents like lavender, sandalwood or juniper berry can be calming to the senses. When using essential oils we tend to breath deeply which also creates a sense of calm and balance.
As we look at ways to improve our health and well being taking time to address emotional health should be something to put on the top of your list!