We don't ask ourselves enough how we are are

We lead busy lives. We work, survive, try to keep up with our social lives, cultivate our work and personal relationships, carve out time for fun, or at least attempt to. We stay updated on world tragedies, listen to true crime podcasts, exercise, know the origin of every new meme, the stock market trends, the skincare suitable for our skin (it's 200 products in a specific sequence), the projections on the environmental situation, which shows no signs of improvement. When the opportunity to be alone with our thoughts arises, we immediately suffocate it, endlessly scrolling through social media, our gaze blank and unfocused until we slip into sleep. And then we start over. When was the last time we sat with ourselves and asked how we're doing? Really, though.

What does emotional health mean?

Before answering the question, let's start with the basics. Emotional health refers to that complex and nuanced universe that combines how we feel about ourselves, how we face difficult situations, how we connect with and manage our feelings and those of others. In short, it's an essential component of daily life, something to cultivate if we want to feel whole and balanced. Sometimes, however, life puts us to the test, or our mechanisms for controlling difficult situations give in, tired and worn out. In that case, we might be experiencing a state of emotional exhaustion. How can we tell when our emotional health needs particular care? Among the behaviors that should alert us, experts include: the tendency to isolate oneself, lack of energy, too much or too little sleep or food, a greater than usual tendency to abuse substances, decline in performance at work, frequent arguments with people around us, irritability, feelings of guilt, belief of worthlessness.

Emotional health begins with a simple question

It may seem like a frivolity, a self-help tip from a motivational coach, yet there's no escaping it: our emotional health starts from here, from being in touch with our emotional state, with our discomforts, with our fears, with everything that makes us sad or puts us in difficulty but also with what makes us happy, that drives us forward, what we need. In the delicate balance of all these things lies our emotional state, which can change from day to day or from hour to hour, plunging us into a loop of instability that the more it's ignored, the more complicated it gets. What's the solution? In the short term, learning to ask "how are you?" and then maybe even listening to the answer. In short, we need to talk to ourselves everyday, or almost.

The power of positive affirmations

Continuing on the thread of talking to oneself, it might help to address oneself with kindness and care. How often do we think less of ourselves, are mean and aggressive, belittle our difficulties all in the name of moving forward at all costs, of finishing our day? It's scientifically proven: so-called positive affirmations and in general, the habit of being kind to ourselves, could be useful and fundamental both for our emotional state and for our mental health in general. It's also recommended to meditate, stay connected with friends and/or family, set small or medium goals, and give ourselves permission to celebrate when we achieve them.