Some may think that being emotionally healthy is being happy all the time, but in actuality, the definition is being aware of your emotions and being able to deal with them, whether they are positive or negative. Stress in our lives can hurt our ability to not only deal with our emotions but can make it hard to identify the ones we have.
Stress can affect our lives in many ways, both mentally and physically. The most visible, of course, is the changes to our physical self, such as elevated blood pressure and headaches, but how it hurts us mentally can be just as, if not more, damaging since it can change how we function in public.
The biggest way that stress can affect our mood and emotional health is triggering states of depression and anxiety. This goes beyond a simple feeling of sadness or worry. Stress can bring on a low feeling mixed with an overwhelming sense of dread and that things will never improve. This combination can be deadly and is reason enough to make sure that you have a good stress management system in place, but there are other ways that stress can hurt you emotionally as well.
Stress has an effect on how we deal with people in our workplace or even just our day-to-day life. Mood swings, irritability, and compulsive behavior are three ways that will negatively impact your ability to be a productive member of society. On top of these, you can also encounter memory issues causing issues with even the simplest of workplace tasks.
The key is making sure you can identify the things in your life which are bringing on elevated stress levels and come up with healthy and timely coping mechanisms. Making yourself aware of the cause is a great first step to help reduce anxiety levels.
After you assess what the main cause is, taking steps to help reduce stress will help bring back a sense of emotional health and stability. Many times stress is brought on by having too many and too large ideas going on at the same time. Coming up with a way to prioritize, and break large projects into small and more easily completed tasks is a great way to reduce the stressors associated with them. Another great way to reduce stress in your life is by completing simple relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga. Clearing the mind will help bring clarity and greater emotional health.
Stress can have a huge impact on our lives, both visibly and mentally. By taking the proper steps to reduce your levels, you will be on the way to greater emotional health.