Integral well-being supposes working for and feeling a balance in the different areas or aspects of our lives: body, mind, spirit/soul; which additionally derive to other aspects, such as social relationships, professional life, as a couple, family life, etc. This concept invites us to seek and develop conditions that allow us firstly to meet our basic needs healthily in order to develop our resources, desires and aspirations.

When, where, how or why do emotions participate here?

Well, emotions are a fundamental part of our daily lives; they are a thermometer and a source of data, messaging and information. Emotions tell us what is actually happening to us when things are happening around us; If I’m scared and in a fearful situation perhaps this emotion is telling me that there is something I want to protect (like my life, for example), if I feel joy, it is probably because I’m enjoying something and would like to cherish and keep it and the same goes for other emotions that we experience throughout the day.

Following this train of thought, we can determine that emotional balance in some way supposes there is coherence in the things we feel and live.

Why do we talk about coherence?

Because commonly what we find is, emotional imbalance, which we understand as feeling/sensing things intensely – maybe feeling more than the situation warrants and sometimes even feeling things that are not necessarily related to what is happening at the time, for example feeling sad when you should be happy instead.

Situations like the previous ones send us confusing messages about what is actually happening and therefore it is likely that we tend to react or face situations ineffectively or even in the wrong way.

Working on our emotional balance does not mean “Having achieved something” as if it were a specific goal, but rather it involves constant work and effort, just as life constantly confronts us with complex situations. There is no actual goal, its more like a base that we can build on to be “better prepared” or “in a stable position” and thus face in a much better way the situations that move us.

How? Trying to connect with ourselves by giving the emotions that surge during the day their required space, using them as a learning tool or messages from which we can learn a great deal. Allow for even the unpleasant emotions to linger for a while so that you can receive their message and work with them. Complementing the already exposed we leave you with some pointers that may assist you to work on your emotional balance:

• Healthy body, healthy mind: an Integral part of wellbeing involving taking care of your body and mind to find equilibrium and balance. Should you like to know more about how your physical fitness and dietary habits influence your emotions you may read “The Mind -Gut Connection” by Emaran Mayer.
• Take some time to reflect: have some “Me time”: Stop and pause when “Doing” and allow yourself to think “What’s happening to me when things are happening around me”, take a different perspective, from the outside, take a step back and observe your actions, feelings and desires. If you feel that you need support to help you look at things from the outside and with a different perspective, do not hesitate to contact us.
• Breathe: breathing is key, proper breathing maintains our bodies relaxed and keeps our minds and emotions in equilibrium. Good breathing is the direct route to the here and now; Connecting with our breathing rhythms help us to reduce stress and anxiety; improves personal relationships, attention span, concentration and memory skills. To practice your breathing and relaxation we recommend you learn a meditation technique (Mindfulness, Vipassana) or others and/or breathing exercises such as the Win Hofs Method.
• Identify and maintain healthy relationships: As social beings our bonds are essential for health, balance and wellbeing. For example, it is a proven fact that positive and close relationships have a direct correlation to longevity. Try to give yourself the time to cultivate, maintain and nurture the meaningful relationships in your life.