At times , I encounter ‘not feeling good’ days in my life . The reason may be beacuse things didn’t go as i wanted or may be some other reason . I don’t know exactly why ,but those days are there .
The day when I felt grumpy morning to evening
We often worry about our physical well being , focus on our fitness , reach out to doctors when we face any health trouble , but we forget most of the times to look after our emotional well being .
Emotions
OK , Let’s start with a simple question – Have you ever felt any of the following feelings ?
- Angry
- Joyful
- Frustrated
- Excited
- Yelling
- Crying
- Smiling for no reason
You answered Yes , right ? Why not , a human is made up of emotions . These are all states of mind . If you are happy and calm it means that everything on behavioural level is going on smoothly . But if you experience the negative emotions like anger , yelling , frustration , then there must be something that is not OK on the behavioural track . But remember !
It’s OK not to be OK .
Mental Health
Wikipedia gives the definitions as :
- Mental health is the level of psychological well-being of a person . It is the state of someone who is “functioning at a satisfactory level ofemotional and behavioral adjustment”.
- Mental health may refer to an individual’s ability to enjoy life and to create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience
Emotional Well-being
Emotional well-being refers to the state of your mind . It’s not at all strange that your mind can become unwell at times . There’s nothing to hide about it . You can feel stressed , angry , frustrated or depressed . The reason may be workplace tensions , family problems or just your own way of looking at the situations . In some cases , it can be cured with some perspective change whereas in some serious cases it may require a visit to a psychologist .
Well I am neither a psycholosist nor a doctor . But i want to share whatever I understand from my personal experience or gathered information from here and there .
Myths and facts related to Mental Health and emotional well-being
Mindmyth 1
I have some mental health problem if I am feeling low inspite of everything going smoothly in life
Well ! remember first that everybody faces this one or the other days . You just seem to be stressed . Take out some time just to listen to yourself and do as your heart says . Cry , Laugh , Sit in silence, Go for a walk , talk to a friend , watch a comedy , i mean do anything which interests you and you are distracted from the thing that is causing stress.
Mindmyth2
‘Mental health problem’ means I am mad . My family would take me to a paglon ka doctor
It may be just an anxiety level which is disturbing you . It can get cured at personal level by meditation or reading good books . If you or your family feel the need to visit a doctor , kick the word ‘paglon ka doctor’ out of your mind . The doctor is a healer and a psychologist who studies your inside weather and treats you .
Mindmyth3
If i have a mental health problem , therapy and self-care are a waste . Why bother much when i can take just a pill ?
In most of the cases , self-care and family support does wonders . The treatment varies depending on the individual . Going by therapy or self-care might take longer but it’s definitely a better cure than having pills . Why unnecessarily disturb your body with pills ?
Family support has the healing power
I have seen my mother suffering from mental health problem for many years . And all this happened during my crucial study age . From the start of my graduation till the end of my postgraduation , I have seen Dad taking her to many doctors . The pills made her sleep most of the times . But she always felt good when any of us would sit with her and just talk to her . I purposefully used to ask about any recipe so that she would reply , get curious , come to kitchen and instruct me this or that . That sense of self-worth that it’s only her who knew about cooking , acted as a healer . So family support is a major contributor in healing someone with a mental health problem . Please look around and give emotional support if anybody needs.
Tips to follow for your emotional well-being
It’s OK not to be OK . Be kindful towards yourself .
Don’t feel guily of your negative emotions . If you yelled away because of frustration , cried because you got hurt , or may be anything else . It’s OK . Embrace your emotions . The negative emotions don’t mean that you are weak . It’s just a small phase which goes away on its own.
2. Adopt a fitness routine
Any kind of exercise releases good hormones and makes you feel happy . Jogging , dance , yoga or just walking can help you out .
3. Practice Gratefulness
Make Gratitude an essential part of your life .Count your blessings . Be grateful for beautiful things God has blessed you with . Look for rising sun , beautiful flowers , the cool hills , wind and above all your beautiful family .
4. Digital Detox
In today’s time , you definitely need to follow a digital detox for yourself . Your phone , TV , laptop are a very good source if you want stress . Choose a day in a week to stay away especially from your phone . If not a day , stay away from it atleast for an hour before going to bed .
5. Detox your body
We are discussing about emotional well-being but the various detox drinks or foods can boost your mood too .
6. Learn a new skill
The skill doesn’t have to be a very big one . Even small skills like baking a mug pizza in 5 minutes , or how to grow coriander in your balcony , give a sense of accomplishment and happiness.
7. Read a book
Reading does take you into a different world . It has scientific proven benefits of improved memory , focus and reduced tension .
I am nowadays reading a book ‘Pollyanna’ which the word itself means a cheerful and optimistic person . The little girl in the book always plays a game – ‘be glad about’ . She always find something to be glad about in all the situations . I am loving this book . See ! I am learning too while enjoying the story .
8. Don’t try to impress others
Don’t put in all your efforts trying to please your family or friends . Fulfill all their needs but don’t forget your wishes . I love a quote :
Be yourself . The world will adjust .
9. Say a positive word to yourself every day
Say a positive word to yourself daily . Don’t wait for others to complement you or praise you . Beautiful , Charming , Happy , Calm , Enjoy — say any such word to yourself . This will shift all your focus towards that word .
10. Be in present . Practice Mindfulness
Being in present but thinking all the time of future is a major cause of stress . Be in present as whole . Practice mindfulness . Eat , read , write , cook , pray , whatever task you do , do it mindfully .
11. Meditate
Just be thoughtless for sometime , listen to your breath up and down , try to connect to the supreme power . This is a real boost for your emotional well being .
12. Listen to Music
Music has an ultimate power of relaxing you . Listen to your choice of music and feel it . Sing along if you want to.
13. Don’t allow yourself to be taken for granted by others
As a woman , the men or even children may take you for granted at times . You keep doing everything to maintain a happy family while remaining quiet at their bunkum too . This can stress you out .
14 . Self-love is important
Just do what you want . Instead of all the time busy with your duties , Find the things you love . Work on your hobbies , read , spend days doing nothing , buy a new dress or pamper yourself at the parlour.
15. Talk to your friends
Having a heart to heart talk with someone is a great tension killer . Though you may not even discuss your problem , just gossiping is makes you feel lighter and is important for your emotional well-being .
It’s OK to feel bad , it’s OK if things go wrong , It’s OK if a negative feeling comes your way .
It’s perfectly OK not to be OK .
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