The Difference Between Mental & Emotional Health

If you are someone that is intentionally trying to heal old wounds and increase your wellbeing to live a more calm and fulfilled life, you might be overwhelmed and confused by all the information online about mental and emotional health. 

In this blog post, I'll explore the difference between the two and how the practice of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Tapping can be a powerful tool for promoting emotional healing and wellbeing.

The Difference Between Mental and Emotional Health

Mental Health: Mental health refers to a person's psychological and cognitive wellbeing. It encompasses the overall state of one's mind, including thoughts, perceptions, beliefs, and coping abilities.

Three key points related to mental health ↓

1. Cognitive Functioning: Mental health involves the ability to think clearly, make decisions, concentrate, solve problems, and process and communicate information effectively.
   
   

2. Psychological Wellbeing: This includes experiencing a sense of purpose and fulfilment, having positive self-esteem, and feeling general satisfaction with oneself and life.
   
   

3. Mental Disorders: Mental health also addresses the presence or absence of mental disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis and others. Mental illnesses can significantly affect an individual's thinking patterns, emotions, and behaviour.
   
   

Emotional Health: Emotional health refers to a person's ability to acknowledge, accept, understand, process, and express their emotions in a healthy and balanced way. It involves being aware of one's own emotions and feelings and recognizing and empathizing with the emotions and feelings of others.

Four key points related to emotional health ↓

1. Emotional Awareness: Being able to identify and understand one's own emotions, including recognizing the causes and triggers for different emotional states.
   
   
2. Emotional Regulation: The capacity to manage and regulate unpleasant emotions appropriately, such as coping with stress, frustration, anger, sadness, or anxiety healthily.
   
   
3. Emotional Expression: The ability to constructively express emotions through communication, creative outlets, or other forms of self-expression.
   
   
4. Empathy and Social Connections: Emotional health involves the ability to understand and share the emotions of others, as well as develop and maintain positive relationships and social connections.

While the boundaries are blurred, and the subjects and therapies overlap, we can say mental health focuses on how we think, and our cognitive and psychological wellbeing and emotional health focuses on how we feel in our bodies and pertains to our ability to understand, manage, and express our emotions.

EFT involves physically tapping on specific acupressure points while verbalizing thoughts and feelings related to your emotional challenges.

Here's how EFT Tapping can support emotional wellbeing:

1. Emotional Regulation and Stress Relief: EFT Tapping helps regulate the body's nervous system, reducing physical intensity and promoting a sense of calm.
   
   Tapping on specific points can alleviate stress, anxiety, and overwhelm, allowing individuals to experience emotional balance and bassline relaxation.
   
   

2. Releasing Emotional Blocks and Traumas: EFT Tapping effectively addresses and releases emotional blocks, traumas, and negative beliefs.
   
   It can help individuals process and heal from past emotional wounds, promoting emotional freedom and personal growth.
   
   

3. Enhancing Self-Acceptance and Empowerment: EFT Tapping encourages individuals to acknowledge and accept their emotions without judgment.
   
   It fosters self-compassion, self-acceptance, and empowerment, allowing individuals to embrace their authentic selves and experience emotional wellbeing.
   
   

4. Cultivating Emotional Resilience: Through regular practice, EFT Tapping enhances emotional resilience.
   
   It equips individuals with the tools to navigate challenges, manage emotional triggers, and maintain emotional wellbeing even in difficult circumstances.
   
   

If you're curious to learn more about how EFT Tapping can support you in regulating your nervous system and finding emotional peace and stability, book a free consultation with me here.