Emotional Wellness:
Can You Stand the Heat?

Emotional wellness is necessary for a person to achieve goals, have satisfying relationships, and have high self-esteem. In life, it is easy to feel out of control and overwhelmed, skewing the balance of the dimensions of wellness. As a situation grows more intense and "heats up," emotions begin to overpower your decision-making skills.
For example, when you feel angry, your entire body responds with protective warnings: fists clench, heart rate increases, you may even start to shake or cry. Our instinct is to react as a means of survival rather than logically considering the issue at hand. It is difficult to think rationally when you have steam coming out of your ears. By making pro-active choices about how you handle your emotions, you can positively (or negatively) affect your entire life.

You have been taught the basic three "Sesame Street" type emotions since childhood: happy, mad, sad.
But as you develop, you become more aware of your surroundings and how you feel when a situation arises. It becomes necessary to learn more about the nuances of your emotions. If you can pinpoint how you feel about a situation, then you can employ better skills and tools to express those feelings.

As a family, we began this practice around the dinner table. Each night we would set a timer for 1-3 minutes (depending on our ages and attention spans) and be allowed uninterrupted time to share about the high points and low points of our day-- whatever was "up" for us at that point. Sometimes one person would simply "vent" frustration about the difficulties of a school assignment or an unfair teacher. Or another would share about what s/he was looking forward to doing the next day. And still another would "pass" the opportunity, just not ready to share anything at all (we still honored their full time of not sharing, however). Not only did this activity open the doors to family communication, it also taught us how to express what we were feeling.

Emotional wellness allows you to respond positively to life experiences and to grow in self-understanding. You know that the emotions that you have are normal and healthy, and you understand that others have the right to their own emotions. This can lead to satisfying personal relationships that are based on mutuality and trust. When you are seeking emotional wellness, you are also aware of your limitations and boundaries, decreasing stress and overwhelm. Emotional wellness is a journey of discovery that is ongoing, yet vital to achieving balance in the dimensions of wellness.

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