Emotional Wellness: What It Is, Why It’s Important, and How to Cultivate It

What does it mean to have Emotional Wellness? 

Emotional wellness means having the ability to acknowledge, express, and cope with your feelings (1). You engage in self-care and stress reduction activities.  You also have the inner strength to handle tough situations (2).

Why is Emotional Wellness important? 

Being emotionally well and able to recognize and accept your feelings can make you more emotionally intelligent.  This will also help you handle stressful situations. Emotional wellness is important because it can help you become more emotionally stable.  You’ll also increase your inner strength and improve your self-worth and confidence in your ability to make decisions (2).

How do you cultivate Emotional Wellness? 

Cultivating emotional wellness requires you to be positive and be true to yourself. To have emotional wellness, you must be able to accept your feelings and be comfortable expressing your emotions (3). To fully accept your emotions, you first have to be okay making mistakes and be able to learn and grow from your mistakes (3). Cultivating emotional wellness is not an easy task. Take small steps.  Start by writing down your thoughts and feelings.

1. Ohio State University, Student Wellness Center: https://swc.osu.edu/about-us/9-dimensions-of-wellness/
2. UC Davis Student Health and Counseling:  https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/wellness/emotional/
3. University of California, Riverside: https://wellness.ucr.edu/emotional_wellness.html