Key points
- Positive emotional well-being is when people manage emotions well and have a sense of meaning, purpose, and supportive relationships.
- Positive emotional well-being can lower your risk of disease, sickness, and injury.
- There are ways you can improve your overall emotional well-being.
Why it's important
- Positive emotional well-being helps people manage their thoughts and feelings.
- People with positive emotional well-being have a sense of meaning and purpose.
- Without positive emotional well-being people may have difficulty connecting socially.
Adapting to challenges
People who experience positive emotional well-being have the skills to adapt to and deal with life challenges.
Skills that can create positive emotional well-being include:
- Identifying, processing, and expressing emotions in healthy ways.
- Knowing how to deal with uncertainty, stress, and change.
- Being able to work through disagreements.
- Looking for solutions to problems in useful ways.
- Asking others for help and support.
Health benefits
Improving emotional well-being can benefit your mental and physical health. It can also enhance your social connections to other people and your community.
Benefits of positive emotional well-being
- Lower risk of disease, sickness, and injury.
- Faster recovery after being sick or getting injured.
- Improved mental health.
- Being able to bounce back from negative experiences (resilience).
- Stronger relationships and higher self-esteem.
- Having a sense of contentment, meaning, and purpose in life.
- Better productivity and performance at work.
A buffer against stress
People with positive emotional well-being can still feel sad or stressed during tough times. But they can manage these challenges better.
Improving emotional well-being
How to boost your emotional well-being
You can improve your emotional well-being by learning how to:
- Identify your emotions.
- Manage negative feelings.
- Deal with stress.
- Communicate better.
- Work through problems.
- Reach out to others for social support.
- Practice mindfulness.
Other steps to take
It is also important to take care of physical health to improve your emotional well-being. Things you can do include:
Resources
Find tips for managing your emotions at How Right Now and for improving your emotional health at Emotional Wellness Toolkit.