In today's modern world, a lot of people are so obsessed with their
physical appearance that they are even willing to invest on the latest
skin care treatment, gym gadgets, or physical workout programs just to
improve their body image. They work hard to sculpt their bodies after
the body icons featured in celebrity mags. There is nothing wrong with
physical fitness.
All of us want to feel good about ourselves. The inherent lust for
attention and approval are necessary to boost one's self esteem.
But what about emotional fitness?
Is there enough demand and attention given to a person's emotional
well-being? Are anxiety and depression signs of not being emotionally fit?
Enjoying a wide range of physical experiences start from childhood as
early as we make our first step and learn to improve balance. Parents
help their children develop strength and agility through physical
exercises and giving them the freedom to run freely and explore their
surroundings. However, some of us were not given the freedom to
exercise our emotional muscles: to explore and express a full range of
emotional experiences.
People who were raised to flex their emotional muscles are in touch with
their own feelings and have the ability to express these feelings
appropriately and without embarrassment. These people are considered to
be emotionally intelligent.
Some people, especially those who belong to the older generations, have
the notion that being outspoken, showing anger, or simply giggling to
your heart's delight are disruptive behaviors and, thus, have to be
discouraged. That is why people who grew up in restrictive environments
tend to become timid and shy. They have difficulty expressing their
emotions. They learn to bury their feelings and find it hard to build
and maintain relationships which usually require emotional openness,
honesty, and vulnerability.
Just like our physical muscles, emotional muscles can either be
underdeveloped or overdeveloped. These distortions or imbalances may
cause physical and/or emotional fatigue, pain and inflexibility. It is
possible that your anger muscle can be overdeveloped, while your
happiness muscle is underdeveloped. This means that you may easily get
irritated or angry, but may have difficulty expressing joy and
happiness.
People with overdeveloped sadness muscle may be prone to depression,
compared to those with underdeveloped sadness muscle.
To be emotionally fit, awareness of one's feelings is very important,
as well as finding healthy ways to express these feelings on a daily
basis, or when the situation calls for it.
An effective emotional fitness program requires a sequence of
strategies. According to Paulette Tomasson, a registered nurse with a
masters in counseling psychology, you must be able to identify first
where you are at in terms of emotional well-being, and where you want to
go.
Ask yourself the following questions: "What emotions do I
experience throughout the day? Does one emotion override the rest? Is
the quality of my life compromised by an unexpressed emotion? Why am I
unwilling to express that emotion? How can I put that emotion to good
use? How can I build emotional fitness to optimize my personal and
professional lives?"
After assessing where you are coming from, talking with family and
friends can be the next step. A good counseling can also help you
exercise your emotional muscles and achieve emotional fitness.
Now that we have taken care of our minds, learn how to take care of
your body.
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