So many of us work to improve our physical health that we sometimes neglect our emotional well-being. Women who are in control of their emotional health are better able to cope with everyday stressors and bounce back from major set-backs much easier.

Causes of Cracks in Our Emotional Well-Being

We were all born innocent and unaware of the hardships of life. Unfortunately, few of us grow into adulthood without at least one confusing or traumatizing thing happening to us. It could be something as simple as a falling out with a close friend or repeated physical or sexual abuse. Children who are bullied in school often grow up with a skewed image of themselves as adults, even if they are unaware of it.

5 Ways to Improve Your Emotional Health Naturally

Now that you’re an adult, you are completely and totally in control of your life and its destiny even if you’re not aware of it all the time. Here are 5 ways you can improve your emotional well-being and get more out of life.

1. Clean Up Your Diet

One of the most common causes of depression and anxiety is poor diet. So many of us just don’t have the time to eat right so we rely on fast-food restaurants and microwavable meals to get us through the day. Not only does this take a huge toll on our physical health, it severely taxes our emotional health as well. Chemical additives, preservatives, and synthetic sweeteners have been scientifically-proven to cause neurological problems.

If you want to improve your emotional well-being, you should start eating whole foods. This means dining on organic vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, meat, wild-caught fish, whole grains, and healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, and butter. Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids like walnuts, salmon, and flax seed help support good brain and emotional health.

2. Check Your Thoughts

Your mind may go a millions miles a minute but have you ever stopped to think about what you’re actually thinking about? So many of us have negative self-talk they’re not even really aware of. You may look in the mirror and catch yourself thinking you’re fat or make a mistake at work and call yourself stupid. The more negative thoughts you have, the more it will take a toll on your self-worth.

It may seem silly at first but try practicing positive self-talk. As soon as your alarm clock goes off in the morning, take a deep breath and say to yourself silently, “I am a good person”, “I am healthy and strong”, “I am beautiful and at peace”. Within a week, you’ll be amazed at the improvement in your emotional well-being.

3. Exercise Regularly

According to an article published on the NY Times website, regular exercise can help improve your emotional well-being. This is because not only does regular exercise make you feel better about the way you look physically, it also helps boost feel-good hormones such as serotonin and norepinephrine. Working out regularly also helps improve your breathing and blood circulation, which can enhance feelings of self-control and emotional well-being.

4. Get in the Sun

There’s an added bonus to exercise if you regularly get out in the sun. Millions of women are deficient in the “sunshine vitamin”, vitamin D. Just 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight each day is enough to boost these levels and stave off depression and anxiety.

5. Sleep

If you’re not getting at least 7 hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep per night, you’re sleep-deprived and this can take a huge toll on your emotional health. If insomnia is something you struggle with, try adding a chelated magnesium supplement to your diet.

Magnesium is responsible for over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body and helps calm your nervous system naturally. Earplugs and an eye mask are also cheap, natural ways to get some much-needed shut-eye.

Your emotional health is just as important as your physical health. If you’ve been experiencing bouts of depression and anxiety, just a few health and lifestyle choices can help you get back on track again!