7 differences between mental and emotional health

Are there differences between mental and emotional health? They are two sides of the same coin? In some way, you could say that the intersection between both areas is 50%. After all, mental well-being includes the physical, social and, of course, emotional dimensions. However, there are important distinctions between one sphere and the other.

An example, Emotional health is expressed in the ability to understand and regulate emotions, but does not include information processing or states of chronic worry. Balance, satisfaction and happiness require comprehensive care of all these areas and their processes. It is pertinent to know, therefore, the particularities of the two areas.

Differences between mental and emotional health

There is a metaphor that helps to better understand these realities. Mental health is the ocean and emotional health is its waves. The first contains everything, it is an immense extension that covers a good part of who we are. The waves are what give us movement, meaning and direction. One element cannot be separated from the other, but each one presents its own dynamics.

Sometimes, It is possible to find people with good mental health who show the same emotional reactions as a 3-year-old child.. Becoming aware of these particularities would allow us to focus on those areas, perhaps neglected, and that would improve many areas of life, such as social relationships. Next, see what the differences are between mental and emotional health.

1. Mental health has to do with the way you think

There are people who fall into cycles of irrational, obsessive and limiting thoughts. Others may believe that everyone is conspiring against them. The way of thinking and processing reality has a direct link with mental health. If these dysfunctional mental approaches are maintained over time, the basis for some mental disorder already arises.

Persistent ideas like “I won’t be able to handle this,” “no one loves me,” or “everything will go wrong” are problematic thought patterns. The same thing happens with those more complex disorders in which delusions or a completely disorganized way of reasoning appear.

2. Being aware of your feelings and understanding them is emotional health

Feelings are the mental processes experienced right after feeling an emotion. The truth is that not everyone is skilled at understanding what they feel and what swirls inside them. Is it sadness? Is it anger that is in my mind that makes me react this way? Being able to make contact with feelings and give them a name is an example of emotional health.

3. Difficulty solving problems or deciding has to do with mental health

Sometimes the whole world becomes a knot and the inability to decide, to solve the simplest problems arises. We feel blocked, with difficulty focusing our attention and facing the challenges of everyday life. Mental health also has to do with the willingness and ability to make decisions and think of solutions to any situation.

In this sense, research such as those carried out at the University of New England, in Australia, highlighted how therapy based on problem solving improves the mental health of students.

Although mental and emotional health share common elements, there are nuances that differentiate them.

4. Your fears and insecurities are related to emotional health

The differences between mental and emotional health also have to do with avoidance behaviors and fears. Emotions such as shame or insecurity limit us in many cases and this is rooted in the emotional universe..

Letting ourselves be carried away by the most difficult emotions without reasoning, channeling and regulating them would completely condition our potential and well-being.

5. Alterations in brain processes and mental problems

Mental health has a direct correlation with the brain and its processes. So much so that some psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, present some neurological alteration. In this regard, the magazine Biological Psychiatry He highlighted in an article how conditions such as bipolar disorder show cortical and subcortical abnormalities.

That is to say, it is common for mental disorders to have a deeper rather than complex substrate. The emotional area may also be altered, but What will be observed most are problems with reasoning, thinking, striking changes in mood and also in behavior..

6. Emotional intelligence and resilience are the basis of emotional health

We know that good management and understanding of emotions mediates well-being, as well as the ability to build healthy relationships and achieve goals. However, One of the differences between mental and emotional health is that the latter has an immediate connection with emotional intelligence.

So, A person without social skills or good empathy will have very poor emotional health. The same thing happens with that beautiful word that never goes out of fashion “resilience.” Not being able to overcome difficulties or look at life in a more hopeful way affects well-being.

Remember, therefore, those dimensions that make up emotional intelligence, according to Daniel Goleman, and that you should exercise daily:

Empathy.Motivation.Social skills.Emotional self-awareness.Emotional self-regulation.

7. Changes in personality and behavior (mental health)

There is a notable factor in the differences between mental and emotional health. Any change in personality, for example becoming more apathetic, aggressive, distrustful or impulsive, could indicate a mental health problem.. The same thing happens with behavior, with carrying out actions that go against one’s health such as self-harm.

When in doubt about whether you suffer from a mental health problem or not, the best thing to do is to consult a psychologist.

How do I know if I have a mental or emotional health problem?

“I feel alone.” “I’m sad”. “My life is a disaster”. Many times we go through dark moments and high emotional suffering, in which it is common to wonder if we have a mental health problem. We reiterate: the emotional and the mental have very blurred boundaries, but there are some keys to clarify it.

Strategies to discern if you are dealing with a mental or emotional health problem

Some life experiences bring with them a great level of psychological pain. That is, life events in which suffering does not imply that there is something pathological in it. A loss, a breakup or being anxious about not finding a job are states linked to the emotional and not so much to mental health. So, what to do? Take note of the following recommendations:

Consider the time. Have you been not thinking clearly for months, with memory problems and very negative thoughts? Then it’s time to consult with a professional.Become aware of whether this discomfort alters various areas of your life. Like, for example, going weeks without sleep, with apathetic behavior and sadness that prevents you from going to work or socializing.Do you carry out behaviors that are harmful to you and that you cannot avoid? Addictions, self-harm and purging behaviors, among others, fall into this category. If so, specialized intervention is important.Do you feel like you don’t have control over reality? Have you stopped being interested in things that were previously meaningful to you? Have you not felt good about yourself for a long time? All of these factors give clues to some mental health problem.

To conclude, anyone can deal with a problem in the mental or emotional sphere at some point. Although they are two spheres that, like the parts of an atom, always go together, it is advisable to know how to distinguish them for comprehensive well-being. Keep that in mind.

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