How can we recover our emotional balance?

Knowing the different factors that influence emotional stability is crucial when it comes to enjoying good emotional stability.

Emotional balance depend on more than just learning to manage emotions and stress. That’s because the human body functions as a complex mechanism in which its different parts are related and interconnected. Hence, we can only achieve our goal by taking a holistic approach to the problem. As Cinthya Molina, psychologist at SHA Wellness Clinic explains, “there is a direct and two-way relationship between the emotional and physical sphere. In fact, illnesses in the physical sphere are projected onto the emotional level, and vice versa”.

Beyond the balance between our personal, family, social and work spheres, emotional stability is influenced by various factors that we have to consider, from diet and exercise to proper sleep hygiene. A diet based on ultra-rich foods and refined sugars can cause emotional ups and downs and mental fog or confusion. Moreover, a sedentary lifestyle deprives the body of all the physical and emotional benefits of regular exercise. And we all know how we wake up when we don’t get some much-needed restorative rest: we are irritable, low energy, in a bad mood and find it hard to concentrate.

Therefore, eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in seasonal fruit and vegetables, doing moderate physical exercise every day and enjoying a good night’s rest every night are essential components for regaining emotional stability. In addition, as Cinthya reminds us, “our tolerance and resilience in the face of life’s changes and setbacks and the levels of stress to which we are exposed are also very important”.

Of course, theory is one thing, which we all understand, but putting it into practice is quite another. Because today’s frenetic pace of life, the immediacy of social media, a pandemic that seems never-ending and unstable global geopolitics are circumstances that distance us, and very much so, from the emotional balance we’re looking for. “This translates into a very diverse range of symptoms that manifests itself in anxious or depressive episodes, chronic stress, sleep problems, apathy, dysthymia or abulia. Avoiding the emotional hijacking that occurs when we live through an adverse situation requires first learning stress management and a profound cognitive restructuring. For this reason, at SHA, in addition to personalised nutrition and exercise plans, we recommend practising mindfulness disciplines and therapies that help to focus on the present moment, favour relaxation and improve how the body works, such as meditation, conscious breathing, watsu, foot reflexology and osteopathy”.