Good blood pressure, the right diet, quality sleep. These are well known pillars of a healthy lifestyle. We work to improve them through physical means – controlling what we eat, the bed and pillow we sleep on, avoiding caffeine and alcohol. But each of these is impacted by our emotional well-being, and our emotional well-being impacts them in turn.
Emotional wellness is a pillar to overall wellness. Our bodies cannot operate well when carrying an emotional burden. Our minds cannot process efficiently when our thoughts and feelings are overwhelming.
October is the month of the year we reflect on our emotional wellness and how our overall wellness is impacted by our emotional wellness.
When we’re able to effectively process the emotional responses to the events of the day, our body will have less physical stress to cope with. These events can be frustrating events driving to and from work, reading bad news in your favorite news feed, even finding that your internet connection is out. These events take enough time and energy to deal with – we should compound the problem by allowing the stress to wear down our immune system, sleep habits, mood, and reactions to other events.
Take some time for yourself this month to practice emotional wellness. Slow down when things go poorly. Slow down when things go well! Give yourself time to process your emotional reactions, understand them for what they are, and emotionally move on to the next event.
If you need help processing emotional reactions to events, big or small, there are people who can help. Friends and family may be willing to listen and help. If that’s not an option, or not enough, mental health providers go to work each and every day to help people process their emotional responses to improve their emotional wellness.
If you need help, or know someone who does, Los Alamos Family Council is here to help. We offer counseling for individuals of all ages, couples, and families. We also offer substance abuse treatment through individual and group sessions. We’re here to help.