Emotional Wellness Month

By Priya Patel, MA, ALMFT, Guidance Counselor

October is Emotional Wellness Month, and we are celebrating with a few tips for boosting yours.

Feelings and emotions can be tricky because there are so many variations we can experience throughout the day. It’s a good time to focus on experiencing more positive emotions and avoiding the unnecessary stress and chaos that may result in negative emotions. Learning to be aware of the emotions you experience, and the triggers behind them, can keep the mind and body in check.

Here’s how you can boost your emotional wellness this month:

1. Consciously avoid jumping to conclusions or assuming the worst. Most of the time, our worries are greater than the problem itself.
2. Keep things simple. Develop realistic goals and set out to achieve them, one day at a time.
3. Surround yourself with positive people. Joy really is contagious.
4. Tackle the avoidable stress in your life. Learn time management skills, relaxation techniques, and eliminate schedule overload.
5. Talk with others and listen to others. Emotions pent up inside can result in unhealthy outbursts.  You may learn something from listening to others, as well as help them out.
6. Choose to be a good friend to yourself. Be as kind, comforting, understanding, and forgiving with yourself as you would be with the people you love most.
7. Laugh and smile, every day. Read the funnies, watch a comical movie, giggle with a friend, and smile at a photo. Research shows that laughter can boost your immune system, ease pain, relax your body, and reduce stress.
8. Take good care of your body with a healthy diet, exercise and good sleeping habits. We cannot separate the health of the mind from the health of the body.