Why Your Emotional Wellbeing is Important for 2021

Emotional wellbeing is a phrase we’ve heard a lot over the last year, but what exactly does it mean and why is it important for 2021?

Your emotional wellbeing influences how you think, feel and behave in your everyday life. It also affects your ability to manage stress and overcome life challenges, build relationships and move forward in a constructive way when faced with setbacks and hardships. But remember, looking after your emotional wellbeing doesn’t mean you’re always happy and free from negative thoughts and emotions. Instead, it’s about nurturing the right skills and resources to stay equipped to manage life’s ups and downs.

Here are some of the reasons you should be prioritising your emotional wellbeing in 2021:

Mood boosting

Like it or not, stress is a normal and unavoidable part of living and often when we feel overwhelmed or emotionally drained we can find our mood dipping. Making time to consciously support your emotional wellbeing can in turn have an incredibly positive impact on your mood, whether that’s taking the time to connect with friends or family, engaging in mindfulness and guided meditation practices or listening to your favourite playlist. Boosting your mood isn’t about making big changes, it’s often the smaller things that can make the difference. 

Physical health

One of the biggest advantages of looking after your emotional wellbeing is the positive impact it can have on your physical health. You have probably noticed how spending time with loved ones or taking some time out for self-care can leave you feeling relaxed, whereas an argument or stressful situation can leave you feeling physically tense. The connection between emotional and physical health is a two-way street, with one regularly affecting the other. When we feel emotionally strong, we are more likely to feel energised and when we make the time to exercise or engage in physical activity, we often feel a positive impact on our mood as our body releases feel good chemicals called endorphins.

Building confidence and self-esteem

Often, when we are feeling overwhelmed or emotionally depleted, our confidence and self-esteem can take a knock. This can sometimes mean we tend to see ourselves and the world around us in a more negative and critical light, feeling less able to take on the challenges that life inevitably throws at us. When these negative emotions do come up and you find yourself being self-critical, try thinking about what you would say to a friend in a similar situation. Think about those things that you are good at and be a bit more gentle on yourself - we often give far better advice to others than we do to ourselves.

Developing resilience

Taking steps to prioritise your emotional wellbeing can help you handle pressure and give you the coping skills you need to reduce the impact that stress has on your life. Emotional resilience isn’t just your capacity to bounce back from difficult circumstances, but also your ability to adapt to challenging situations in a constructive way. If you think you need to work on your emotional resilience, consider taking a step back and think about the situations that are causing you stress or making you feel overwhelmed and break them down into smaller pieces. Sometimes when we are feeling emotionally drained, we can allow feelings of stress or loss of control overtake rational thinking.

Improving productivity and focus

When life gets on top of us, it’s often hard to focus and find the motivation to achieve our goals, whether that’s in the working environment or in our personal lives. When we focus on the things we need to feed our emotional wellbeing, we are more equipped to control our emotions and, in turn, are more likely to be productive and focused in our daily lives. Think about the steps you need to take to ensure you’re ready for the day ahead, including prioritising good quality sleep and practicing living in the moment rather than worrying about the past or future.

Empathy and compassion 

When you’re equipped with the skills you need to understand and manage your emotions, it’s easier to build stronger connections with others, showing more empathy and compassion. You’re also in a better position to be able to express your feelings in a productive way and create healthier relationship boundaries, whether that’s with a partner or family member, friends or even colleagues.