Developing your emotional wellness  and resilience is an essential part of discovering your own ways to support yourself and to thrive in this modern society.

It's empowering to take charge of your own wellbeing, using what works for you, so you feel happier, calmer and more in control of your day to day life.

What is Emotional Wellness?

There are 3 main areas to consider when you begin to work on taking care of your emotional wellbeing -

1. Your emotional body (linked to your mind and sensations),

2. Your physical body (movement, what you consume) and

3. Your sense of purpose/fulfillment

All three elements are linked and effect one another.  When you take care of all three you are likely to be more resilient and able to deal with day to day stresses, and to experience life at a higher energy state (more motivated, healthier and happier).

When you work with Wendy, whether it is on a specific challenge you are facing, a goal you wish to achieve or simply to improve your sense of wellbeing (see Packages) you will be guided through how to enhance each aspect of your emotional wellness in a way that is enjoyable, positive and meaningful to you.

Read on to find out more about each element of Emotional Wellness...

1. Emotional body

This consists of your mind (mental processes) and your emotions (non-physical energy that you feel through sensations in the body)

Have you ever noticed that ignoring a feeling for a long time (sometimes seen as being strong and getting on with things) has an adverse affect on your wellbeing? 

Every day you will likely experience very real sensations in your body that are known as emotions. Emotions are not a subtle form of energy that are difficult to tune into, they hit us very hard and it can be easy to feel like you are not in control.

We can feel emotions from the past that come up repeatedly as a signal that we have yet to deal with something. We can feel strong emotions about the future, creating events in our minds of something that may happen and feeling like we are actually experiencing that.

Emotions are there to give us information from which we can act, however, they should flow in and out so that our mind can be clear to come up with solutions and to guide us. When we push emotions away, they start to shout louder in the form of giving us stronger emotional signals such as anxiety, stress and if left unanswered, can lead to physical problems.

Habitual thoughts and beliefs that come up in our mind help to shape our experience of life and dictate how we feel about ourselves, others and the world around us.  Many beliefs come from childhood and are often left unnoticed in adult life.

2. Physical body – This consists of a) movement and exercise and b) what we consume (food/drink/drugs and products)

a) movement and exercise

What does exercise mean to you?

Are you mindful in your movement and in control of your posture?

How much we move and whether we enjoy the movement also has a big impact on our emotional wellbeing. Studies have indicated that is more beneficial to do exercise that we enjoy rather than exercise that we feel resistant to. 

When you find an exercise you enjoy you will likely get fitter faster as you are not producing the fat-retaining stress hormone cortisol. When you feel good doing exercise your body releases endorphins (happy hormones) which helps all your organs to work more coherently so you actually become healthier than if you put yourself through gruelling training. 

Any movement you do in the day whether it is walking the dog, cleaning the house, climbing the stairs, doing cardio like Zumba or core work like yoga can all be enhanced and raise your emotional wellness when done mindfully (with good posture and flow) and when made enjoyable (like playing music when cleaning).

 b) What we consume

This includes what we eat, drink and put into our bodies (drugs, medicines, alcohol, cigarettes, make-up and body products)

Our bodies are great at telling us what is good and right for us, however, often there is a disconnect – a breakdown between what we think we like, how much we think we want and what we actually want/need. It is possible to discover your own needs yourself when you are in the right state. This means being aware of how your body feels when you consume something and then making adjustments along the way until you are satisfying your wants and needs well. 

It is important for your emotional wellbeing not to deprive or punish yourself with what you think you should or shouldn’t eat, drink or how you should exercise. This form of resistance drains the energy system and is not good for you.

It may come as a surprise (or not) that the products we use on our skin have an effect on our emotions too. It is a really good idea to become mindful of how your skin feels and reacts to the products you put on it. You may wish to consider trying out products that are free from parabens and sulphates and that are natural (plant or fruit based) and organic. Even products for sensitive skin that you find on the shelf often contain chemicals which are thought to be potentially toxic.

You can visit Wendy's Neal’s Yard shop information page or contact Wendy for guidance on natural, safe truly organic products.

Because what we consume is so highly linked with our emotions, it is important to consider seeking guidance and support if you are struggling to make significant and lasting changes yourself.

3.Sense of purpose/fulfillment

Often an overlooked part of emotional wellness yet a vital one. Whatever your beliefs about God or the universe, humans are creative beings and are born with a need to seek out fulfillment. 

Do you value your own needs as much as those around you? 

Are you too busy helping others to help yourself? 

Are you feeling more and more drained and unable to enjoy the help you give to others?

Fulfilling your needs allows you to live as a complete whole human being, so you have more to give to those around you.

Often the hum drum of living and ‘surviving’ by working to pay the bills, trumps the desire to seek out fulfilling experiences, connections with others and embarking on activities that give you a sense of purpose.

Distractions exist in our society that can keep us from striving to be the best versions of ourselves and beliefs about our capabilities and fears of failure can hinder us from trying to achieve what we would love to do.

By paying attention to this aspect of your emotional wellbeing, you can begin to identify which areas you would like to develop and then you can use wellness tools to help you to achieve your goals with ease, enjoyment and flow.