Emotional Wellness

Emotional Wellness - Coping effectively with life and creating satisfying relationships.

Emotional wellness, also known as emotional health or emotional wellbeing, refers to a person's ability to handle and cope with their emotions and the variety of experiences (good and bad) they encounter in life. The National Center for Emotional Wellness defines Emotional Wellness as an awareness, understanding, and acceptance of feelings. Emotional wellness is rooted in our ability to manage our emotions and feelings effectively as we endure life’s challenges.

Some signs of emotional wellness are:

Having the ability to talk with someone about your emotional concerns and share your feelings with others
Saying "no" when you need to without feeling guilty
Feeling content most of the time
Feeling you have a strong support network (e.g., people in your life that care about you
Being able to relax
Feeling good about who you are

Emotional Wellness Resources

View Emotional Wellness Tips

Supporting Emotional Wellbeing

When Clients Suffer a Tragedy

Podcast - No Ego

CVD011-Supporting-Emotional-Wellbeing-Throughout-an-Organization-V2 (1).pdf

When Clients Suffer a TragedyWhen your clients, members, colleagues, and staff suffer a personal tragedy, what can you do?

Fostering Resilience & Well-Being Presentation

Fostering Well-Being Motivational Video

Mindful Minutes: Meditations

Fostering Resilience & Well-Being at Home and at Work Final Revision.pptx

Emotional Health & COVID-19

How can you improve your emotional well-being during a critical time such as COVID-19? Let's look at three areas:

First, focus on the things you can change and not on the things you cannot change. This simple mental task can do wonders for mastering stress.
Second, improve your physical health by getting good quality sleep, eating and drinking healthier choices and being physically active. Sounds simple – but it isn't always easy to do!
Third, spend more of your time in emotionally healthy relationships and less time in negative relationships.

A virus is highly contagious – and so are negative people – put a mask (so to speak) over people who are not speaking positive messages into your life. Stay connected to the right people!

OK to Grieve During COVID-19

Fatigue and Fear During a Crisis

Finding Peace in the Midst of Chaos

Coronavirus Has Upended Our World. It’s OK To Grieve.To weather uncertain times, it’s important to acknowledge and grieve losses — even if they seem small in the scheme of the global pandemic, psychologists and grief experts say.

Coping with Fatigue, Fear, and Panic During a CrisisFatigue, fear, and panic undermine our ability to think clearly and creatively, manage our relationships effectively, focus attention on the right priorities, and make smart, informed choices. So when faced with a serious crisis, how can we take better care of ourselves and build more resilience? One way is to become more aware of the three selves that influence our behavior in the face of threat and danger. The overwhelmed self is the most defenseless, vulnerable, and childlike part of us. The adult self is capable and can soothe and reassure our overwhelmed self. And our survival self is reactive, impulsive, haphazard, and often counter-productive. By stepping into our adult self, we can soothe negative emotions and choose to focus on what we have the power to influence — letting go of the rest.

Stress and Digestive Problems

October is Eat Better, Eat Together Month

When families eat together, meals are likely to be more nutritious, and kids who eat regularly with their families are less likely to snack on unhealthy foods and are more likely to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Beyond health and nutrition, family meals provide a valuable opportunity for children and parents to reconnect. When adults, children, and teenagers eat together, children do better in school, have fewer behavioral problems, and communication improves. When was the last time you sat down and ate a meal with your family? If you cannot remember, October is a great time to start having a meal with your family as often as you can. Check out the following tips to make family meals happen at your house.

Tips on How to Make Family Meals Happen:

Schedule Family Meals: To plan more family meals, look over the calendar and choose a time when everyone can be there. Figure out which obstacles are getting in the way of family meals and see if there are ways to work around them. Even if it is only once a week, making it a habit to have family meals once a week is a great start and you can work your way up to 2 to 3 times a week. Don’t forget that breakfast and lunch are meals as well; there are no rules that say family meals should only happen in the evening.
Prepare Meals Ahead of Time: It is important to make a shopping list and make time to go to the grocery store so you have foods on hand to create meals. Try doing some prep work for meals on the weekend to get ready for the week ahead. On a night when you have extra time cook double and put one meal in the freezer so when you are short on time you have a backup plan. Remember that a meal at home does not have to be complicated or take a long time to make.
Involve Kids at Family Meals: Family meals can be fun and it is important to involve kids in them. Celebrate National Eat Better, Eat Together Month by having kids help at mealtime. Younger kids can put plates on the table, pour beverages, or fold napkins. Older kids can get ingredients, wash produce, mix, and stir. You could even have your teens be the cook and you as the parent could be their helper in the kitchen.

During mealtime, make your time at the table pleasant and enjoy being together as a family. Remember to keep your interactions positive at the table. Ask your kids about their days and tell them about yours. Give everyone a chance to talk. Another topic to discuss is future family meals and favorite foods that could be included. If you cannot remember the last time you sat down for a family meal, take the time this October to start a family tradition of eating together and eating better.

For more tips on Family Meals and the other important family rituals that make children feel more secure and happy with who they are. Read our EAP article The Importance of Family Rituals.

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