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Provides support for keeping physically and mentally healthy on the job. HR Service Centre. Employees Policies and Guidelines Agreements. Missed the memo? We post all divisional news and memoranda to this site. News and Memoranda. Who we are. Ensuring the success of our world-class University takes the efforts of many.

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Wellness Hub. Resource Sheet Remote Access. Learn more. Website Remote Access. Microsite: Nurturing mental wellness — Cultivating compassion in the workplace Telus Health formerly LifeWorks A microsite was created by Telus Health during October to help promote World Mental Health Day on October 10, Go to the Microsite.

Close your eyes, take deep breaths, stretch, do yoga, or meditate. Think of someone who makes you laugh or the last time you laughed so hard you cried.

Watch or listen to something fun. Try playing a musical instrument, gardening, following a new recipe, working on a crossword puzzle, building something new in the workshop, or knitting. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to search. Español Other Languages. Tips to Improve Your Emotional Well-Being.

Minus Related Pages. Maintain or build your social network. Connect with your faith through prayer or reach out to a member of your faith community. Last Reviewed: May 26, Source: Division of Population Health. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate.

home How Right Now. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.

Here are some tips. A microsite was created by Telus Health during October to help promote World Mental Health Day on October 10, When thinking about work-life balance issues, we tend to overlook the role of our furry, finned and feathered friends.

Pets play an integral role in making you happy, reducing daily stresses and improving your overall well-being. Weekly opportunities to practice secular mindful meditation techniques to increase relaxation and focus.

Sociologists define emotional labour as the idea that people need to manage their emotions, keeping feelings to themselves in order to exist within society.

You may have heard about a phenomenon called languishing—an aimless, joyless state somewhere between depression and flourishing. But is languishing a real health condition? How might it appear in your life, or in the life of a loved one?

And if it does, what can you do about it? Support for U of T employees and managers involved in sick leave, long-term disability, occupational health issues, workplace injuries, and workplace accommodation for employees with disabilities.

Provides support for keeping physically and mentally healthy on the job. HR Service Centre. Employees Policies and Guidelines Agreements. Missed the memo? We post all divisional news and memoranda to this site. News and Memoranda. However, they can recognize and acknowledge these feelings while keeping them in perspective to not get out of control and make the situation worse.

Neither of these examples has to do with the person's understanding and processing of the facts and timeline: you are being let go, you have 2 weeks. In both of these examples, the individual has understood and processed the information but had two very different emotional reactions.

On the other hand, someone's mental health, regardless of their emotional reaction, might cause them to internalize or interpret the facts of losing their job differently. For example, someone with poor mental health might believe, "Of course I got fired. I screw everything up. I am a failure.

Someone with good mental health, after the initial sting, might say, "I lost my job because the business was not doing well.

It's a tough economy. I might have to look longer for something new. One distinction between emotional and mental health is that someone can be in a good place with their emotional health but still struggle with their mental health or experience mental health problems.

For example, if someone lacks the energy to go to work, they may still be able to use emotional health strategies to get through the day.

Their lack of energy may be pointing to a deeper mental health issue that requires further attention. Here are a few strategies to maintain your emotional health:. Stress is a normal part of life, and — unfortunately — there's no making it go away.

However, there's no denying that the better we feel, the better we tend to handle our stress. If you're experiencing any of the following, it may be a sign that you're struggling with emotional problems:.

Someone who is self-aware can perceive themselves accurately and understands how their behavior comes across to others. As marriage and family therapist Amy McManus puts it, "self-awareness is the ability to look at your own actions from a perspective outside of yourself.

Emotional agility, similar to cognitive agility , refers to an individual's ability to deal with stressors and discomfort in work and life. Harvard Medical School psychologist Susan David describes emotionally agile people as knowing how to draw insights from their feelings and use them to adapt, align, and perform at their best.

Rather than ignore or repress their emotions, they accept them, "holding them loosely" and with an open mind. Someone with strong emotional agility shows resilience in the face of adversity and can handle setbacks in a way that doesn't drive them to engage in negative behaviors or coping mechanisms.

Emotionally healthy individuals tend to have strong and healthy coping skills that help them in testing and trying circumstances.

Image Source. Purpose means different things for different people, and our own sense of purpose often intertwines with the goals we set ourselves. To start this process, focus on taking a new habit, skill, or hobby.

Is there a sport that you've always wanted to try but never had the time to? Is there a practical skill you want to learn? If you can define or think of something new to try, start there. Often one positive step leads to another. For example, learning a new practical skill could open you up to new career opportunities, which could lead you to earn more money.

With this extra money, you could travel the world, buy a house, buy a new car, pay off debts. Whatever you would do in this scenario is up to you; the point is that just by taking one positive step, new opportunities and experiences can arise.

Facing stress is a certainty for everyone , but emotionally healthy people tend to have successful strategies they can rely on to manage their stress levels. If you find yourself struggling with stress, take some time to identify what is causing you to stress in your own life. Identifying what's causing stress in your life makes it easier to start implementing stress management strategies:.

While you may not always find yourself in positive circumstances, it is always possible to see the positive in every situation, and there are steps you can take to cultivate a positive mindset. Happiness researcher and BetterUp Science Board Advisor Shawn Achor makes the point that people see real progress in their happiness when they make a mindset and behavioral shift at the same time.

In an interview with Mission. org CEO Chad Grills Shawn states that through his research on happiness that while our genes and environment dictate our baseline level of happiness , the following daily habits can have a positive impact on how we view the world:.

Shawn concludes that small positive habit changes can dramatically affect the way our brains process the world and transform someone with a genetic predisposition to pessimism into a lifelong optimist.

Our genetics and environment dictate our baseline levels of happiness, so some elements are outside of our control. But by studying emotional health and implementing healthy habits, we can get to a point where we deal with our emotions in constructive, healthy ways. In a paper by the University of Tennessee, psychologists found that facial expressions do, in fact, have a small impact on our feelings.

Whether it's a qualified professional, a friend, or a family member, seeking help from someone you can rely on for support can make all the difference when you're going through a difficult time.

Being grateful for your situation shifts your mindset from wanting more to being thankful for what you have. If you want to start cultivating a mindset of gratitude, start with small daily acts. Ways you can do this include:. Being curious about your own mind is one way to start actively engaging with your own emotional health.

This can be as simple as asking, 'why do I feel or react this way? By doing this, you may begin to uncover some of the reasons causing you to react in a certain way. Having someone to confide in can have massive benefits to your emotional health.

If you have someone you're close with, like a close friend or family member, then reach out to them if you're ever beginning to feel overwhelmed. Sharing your feelings can help give you clarity on what you're experiencing, while also giving you someone you can lean on for support.

Identifying emotions when they arise can be a great way of diffusing that emotion and coming to terms with it. For example, next time you feel yourself getting angry, try and take a step back and actively think about how you want to react in that situation.

If you can get into the habit of noticing bothersome emotions as they come up, you can practice getting into the habit of actively choosing how you react to certain emotions.

If you can notice your emotions as they arise. While it's useful to have seen some examples and characteristics of emotional health, it's nice to be able to see what strong emotional health looks like in everyday situations.

To help with that, here are two relatable real-life scenarios where both individuals demonstrate their emotional health rituals and strategies to deal with life's challenges. Julie is an experienced ICU nurse who has been working 60 hour weeks due to the increased demands on her unit.

Because of the stressful and emotional nature of her job, Julie has developed strategies and practices that she uses to manage her professional and personal stresses. The practice of journaling helps Julie destress and gain clarity in her thoughts.

Connecting with other people in her community helps Julie stay grounded and gives her mind a break from the stresses of everyday life.

Going to the gym regularly and visiting her physio helps Julie stay physically fit and healthy. John is a busy customer service manager who manages a team of five staff. Outside of the office, John is a busy father of two and goes to church every Sunday.

try learning to cook something new. Find out about eating a healthy, balanced diet. try taking on a new responsibility at work, such as mentoring a junior staff member or improving your presentation skills.

work on a DIY project, such as fixing a broken bike, garden gate or something bigger. There are lots of free video tutorials online. consider signing up for a course at a local college.

You could try learning a new language or a practical skill such as plumbing. try new hobbies that challenge you, such as writing a blog, taking up a new sport or learning to paint. do not feel you have to learn new qualifications or sit exams if this does not interest you.

Research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by:. It could be small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community.

Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better.

It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.