How
Your Emotions Affect Your Health
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What is good emotional
health?
People
with good emotional health are aware of their
thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They have
learned healthy ways to cope with the stress and
problems that are a normal part of life. They
feel good about themselves and have healthy
relationships.
However, many things that happen in your life can
disrupt your emotional health and lead to strong
feelings of sadness, stress or anxiety. These
things include:
Being laid off from your
job
Having a child leave or
return home
Dealing with the death of
a loved one
Getting divorced or
married
Suffering an illness or an
injury
Getting a job promotion
Experiencing money
problems
Moving to a new home or
having a baby.
“Good”
changes can be just as stressful as
“bad” changes.
How
can my emotions affect my health?
Your
body responds to the way you think, feel and act.
This is often called the “mind/body
connection.” When you are stressed, anxious
or upset, your body tries to tell you that
something isn’t right. For example, high
blood pressure or a stomach ulcer might develop
after a particularly stressful event, such as the
death of a loved one. The following may be
physical signs that your emotional health is out
of balance:
Poor
emotional health can weaken your body's
immune system, making you more likely to get
colds and other infections during emotionally
difficult times. Also, when you are feeling stressed, anxious or upset, you may not
take care of your health as well as you should.
You may not feel like exercising, eating
nutritious foods or taking remedies and/or
medicine that has been prescribed. Abuse of
alcohol, tobacco or other drugs may also be a
sign of poor emotional health.
Why
does Dr. Imbeau need to know about my emotions?
You
may not be used to talking to your doctor or/and
dentist about your feelings or problems in your
personal life. But remember, he can’t always
tell that you’re feeling stressed, anxious
or upset just by looking at you. It’s
important to be honest with your health
practitioner if you are having these feelings.
First, we will need to make sure that other
health problems aren’t causing your physical
symptoms. If your symptoms aren’t caused by
other health problems, together we can address
the emotional causes of your symptoms. We may
suggest ways to treat your physical symptoms
while we work together to improve your emotional
health.
If your negative feelings are so strong that they
keep you from enjoying life and they don’t
go away, it’s especially important for you
to tell us. You may have what doctors call
“major depression.” Depression is a
medical illness that can be treated with
individualized counseling, medicine or with both.
How
can I improve my emotional health?
First,
try to recognize your emotions and understand why
you are having them. Sorting out the causes of
sadness, stress and anxiety in your life can help
you manage your emotional health. The following
are some other helpful tips.
Express your feelings in appropriate ways.
If feelings of stress, sadness or anxiety are
causing physical problems, keeping these feelings
inside can make you feel worse. It’s OK to
let your loved ones know when something is
bothering you. However, keep in mind that your
family and friends may not be able to help you
deal with your feelings appropriately. At these
times, ask someone outside the situation--such as
your GP, a counselor or a religious advisor--for
advice and support to help you improve your
emotional health.
Live a balanced life. Try not to obsess
about the problems at work, school or home that
lead to negative feelings. This doesn’t mean
you have to pretend to be happy when you feel
stressed, anxious or upset. It’s important
to deal with these negative feelings, but try to
focus on the positive things in your life too.
You may want to use a journal to keep track of
things that make you feel happy or peaceful. Some
research has shown that having a positive outlook
can improve your quality of life and give your
health a boost. You may also need to find ways to
let go of some things in your life that make you
feel stressed and overwhelmed. Make time for
things you enjoy.
Calm your mind and body. Relaxation
methods, such as meditation, are useful ways to
bring your emotions into balance. Meditation is a
form of guided thought. It can take many forms.
For example, you may do it by exercising,
stretching or breathing deeply. Ask your us for
advice about relaxation methods.
Take care of yourself. To have good
emotional health, it’s important to take
care of your body by having a regular routine for
eating healthy meals, getting enough sleep and
exercising to relieve pent-up tension. Avoid
overeating and don’t abuse drugs or alcohol.
Using drugs or alcohol just causes other
problems, such as family and health problems.
Please consult our web site
especially if he is not aware of the above or
call for a consultation with Dr. Jacques Imbeau.
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