What is Emotional Wellness?

We are all born with the capacity for emotional wellness. It is a gift of being human.

Emotional wellness is sometimes described as the innate human ability to be in a state of mind that is calm, relaxed, open, present, reflective, creative, and wise. Our emotional health is our emotional and psychological “default setting.” While we may not always operate from our emotional health, in any given moment we can notice we are struggling and can allow ourselves to return to a state of emotional health before proceeding. 

Emotional health is what allows us to be resilient and creative in response to the personal, interpersonal, and systemic challenges we face on a daily basis. Even when we experience extreme trauma, physical illness, microaggressions, oppression, or a significant loss, our capacity for emotional health remains intact. The core of our emotional health cannot be damaged or taken from us by other people, circumstances, or systems of oppression. 

When we are accessing our emotional health we are connected to a flow of positive, healing energy and we can use this good energy to take positive actions that are lined up with our core values. The more we know about how our emotional wellness operates, the more we can intentionally access it when we need it most.

The articles in this section will speak to this emotional wellness, allowing you the chance to dig into what exactly this means and how to engage it more readily in your everyday life.

Articles

Emotional Wellness

The Seven Tasks of Adolescence: Task 1 - Parting with Childhood

One of the primary functions of adolescence is to begin to move away from childhood and into a more adult-oriented way of approaching the world around them. This can be hard on parents, who are used to having more direct influence on our children.

Emotional Wellness

Meditation that Fits You

Guided Meditation, there is an app for that!

Emotional Wellness

Fostering Empathy in Children

Some thoughts on how to encourage the development of empathy in the children around you

Emotional Wellness

Music and Emotions: Reading List

A curated list of books written about the impact of music on human emotions.

Emotional Wellness

Guided Imagery: A Low-Cost, Non-Prescription Sleep Aid

Difficulty sleeping? Guided imagery might be something to try.

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Food and Nutrition Counseling Services

Food and Nutrition Counseling Services provides you with access to accurate health and lifestyle information, helping you to explore new behaviors and skills, and identifying useful campus and community resources.

MSU community members eligible for food and nutrition counseling services include faculty, staff, graduate assistants, retirees and the spouses/partners of members of these groups.

To schedule an appointment with Health4U you are not required to email us from your MSU email address; please email us from the email address you are most comfortable with. 

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Departmental Services

The goal of department based services is to provide work units and colleagues the opportunity to learn about health and wellness as a group activity or exploration.  

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