Emotional wellness is an umbrella term used to describe an emotionally 'sound' person, who can analyze, recognize and cope very well with their feelings and attitudes in order to remain happy. Being multi-faceted, multi-dimensional human beings, however, keeping the balance of emotional wellness can be difficult and knowing what we need to do to get there first doesn't come naturally.

Those who have learned emotional wellness are probably quite good at socializing. One of the first things to drive us up the wall is complete solitude due to a lack of socializing because we lack the ability to share our ideas and see from any other perspective but our own. If you are introverted or find it hard to socialize then the best thing to do is simply grit your teeth and go for it. Start classes for something where your peers are at the same level as you, or suggesting meeting up with old friends. Socializing with family counts too! The best kind of socialization for maintaining emotional wellness is to meet up with the same people or groups of people on a regular basis, to maintain attitudes and further conversations. Part of emotional wellness is enjoying being alone and going over what you've talked about with others in your head to determine your own stance. As a result, leaving a group of people, meditating over what happened and what was said and then going back to them with a fresh viewpoint is especially rewarding.

It's important not to be scared of social situations, and also to push yourself to try new things if you want to achieve emotional wellness. Part of being emotionally healthy is not giving into anxieties and fears, which are the exact things that stop us from taking minor risks and opportunities with great potential. Having the confidence to take on something new, however, is easier said than done. Like socializing, you must grit your teeth and fight your demons. Confidence in yourself to tackle anything only comes with practice and the more you do it, the more you reinforce that it's true and the better you'll feel. Many an anxiety sufferer has discovered this gem of knowledge and got completely addicted to the rush of accomplishing new things!

What tends to bring us back down from a high like that is being hurt by someone, or having something bad happen like an accident or being made redundant. This is where emotional maturity comes in; where we must learn to accept life for the ups and downs that it involves. Forgiving people who do bad things to us is the best way to ensure we stay emotionally well, but that doesn't mean we have to keep them in our lives. Simply forgive someone and move on to something better to get yourself the best chance.

Dwelling on what we have had done to us in the past, or what could happen in the future holds us back and living in the present is often the most effective way of ensuring we don't shy away from things. Emotional wellness is about having confidence in ourselves so we can function well in society and have meaningful relationships that reinforce the one we have with ourselves.

Stan Tian

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