Emotional Health: Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

Just what is emotional health? How can I have good emotional health?

1. Take care of yourself.
Believe it or not taking care of your body also helps take care of your mental health. Watch your diet! Eating too much of one food, having too much caffeine or having too little protein can have a negative influence on your emotional health. Exercising your body also gives you a stronger, confident sense of self. The simple act of walking has been proven to be connected to your mental health. Get up and move!

Don't forget to sleep! Sleep is an integral part of mental health and may even be more important that what you eat. Not getting enough sleep can actually change your personality, so work on saving that time. Take 8 hours just for your sleep so you can approach the day with better emotional/mental health.

2. Develop good relationships with friends and family.
Feeling alone is worse than being alone when you know there are people out there who love you. Part of not feeling alone is taking it upon yourself to create and maintain good relationships with others. This is just one way in which you maintain a support system.

Having a support system is like having a wall with people standing on either side to keep it standing. Sometimes we want to be that to others, but we need to be able to allow others to be our support as well.

3. Follow the Doctor's orders!
It may be that you take some medication. If you take medication, don't stop taking it without asking the doctor for permission. Sometimes medicine has two purposes. Some Epilepsy medications may also act as a mood stabilizer, so going off of it may impair your mental and physical health.

Also, if you do not take the medicine you need, your health may become worse. If you are taking medicine to maintain your mental health, remember that it works because you are feeling OK and it is not that you don't need the medicine.

4. Set Goals
When you look towards the future, what do you see yourself doing in the near one year down the road. How about 5 years, 10 years? Setting a goal gives you something to work towards, it allows you to see what can be if you want it bad enough!

5. Do something for others! Do something for you!
Many times you will hear, you need to take 5 minutes and do something just for you. Try doing for others instead. Unselfish acts of caring and generosity can provide you with an emotional charge that will "kick start" you through the week.

If you seem to be spending a lot of time doing for others and still have a high stress level, try doing something for just you. If doing something for you means you need to take a nap, have some alone time, take a vacation, these actions for you are important. They are opportunities to recharge your batteries and prepare for the next adventure in life.