Compare and Contrast Mental Health and Emotional Health

Mental and emotional health problems take a severe toll on college students. About two-thirds of students reported feeling some form of mental distress during the 2020-2021 school year.

You may hear the terms mental health and emotional health tossed around in conversations about maintaining your well-being during your college years. So, what is the difference between mental and emotional health? Here is an in-depth guide exploring the similarities and differences between the two.

What is Emotional Health?

Emotional health is a broad term for the umbrella of your emotions and how you feel at all times. Many factors can influence your emotional health, such as:

• self-esteem
• relationships with others
• stressors
• emotional management
• hormone levels

The main factor in your emotional wellness is how you react to situations that cause distress. A huge difference between mental health and emotional health is that emotional health is usually not based on mental illness.

When you learn to identify your emotions, you can easily find ways to change how you feel about a certain problem. It is also a good idea to keep track of the emotions you feel and how often, so you can get a better handle on what changes you need to make.

What is Mental Health?

Although mental and emotional health both involve brain wellness, mental health is more of a description of psychological well-being. Often, when it comes to mental health, the focus is on mental illnesses caused by genetic problems or a hormone imbalance.

Learning how to manage your mental health may take interference from a qualified therapist or psychiatrist. Sometimes, you may even need to try out medication or look at your family's genetic history to find out if it correlates to your mental illness.

Mental health also encompasses emotional health. Together with social and psychological well-being, these three factors make up mental wellness as a whole.

How are Mental and Emotional Health Connected?

Since they both involve the brain, mental health, and emotional wellness are inherently connected. When you cannot keep your mental health in check, it can have a negative impact on your emotions.

For many treatment programs, such as addiction recovery or therapy, there is a combined focus on mental and emotional health. Your professional may show you how to work on both at the same time.

If one is not balanced, there is a good chance that it will affect the other one. It is vital to identify whether mental or emotional issues are the problem and which method you need to use to fix it.

Many of the methods designed to help keep your mental health in check also apply to emotional health, and vice versa.

Key Differences

Although mental wellness and emotional wellness are intertwined, you still need to know about their key differences. These differences are important for treatment and regulation.

Remember, since these two things go hand in hand, you may also have simultaneous reactions to a certain stimulus. It is important to distinguish between them so you can get the appropriate treatment.

In addition, you do not need to have good mental and emotional health in tandem. You can have great emotional health while still struggling with mental illness. Or, you may have control over your mental illness but act out recklessly due to intense emotions.

Triggers

Anything can be a trigger for an emotional reaction. Whether you get into a fight with a friend or receive a bad grade, the complex emotions you feel may surface before you have a chance to control them.

You may discover things that trigger an emotional response, such as people, events, or even something as small as a sense of smell. Once you get a handle on your emotional triggers, you will be able to tailor or downplay your emotional reaction.

Often, triggers are caused by traumatic events in your life or memories you do not want to relive. You may need additional health from a coach or therapist to sort out those emotions and deal with your triggers effectively.

Triggers are very different when it comes to mental illness. Although you may still have the same response on the outside, you might not be able to control what triggers you.

For example, if you suffer from anxiety, your body will go into fight or flight mode in certain situations. This could lead to an anxiety attack or panic attack. How you deal with your response has a lot more to do with your brain chemicals than how you feel about a situation.

Some people who have serious mental health disorders, like borderline personality disorder or schizophrenia, may not even be aware of their reaction to a trigger. It could set off a wave of symptoms that may need medical intervention to control.

Behavioral Issues

When you have an emotional health issue, you may exhibit different behavior than normal. If you want to take the edge off of a bad day, sometimes drinking a glass of wine or watching a movie can be a good coping mechanism.

It usually takes little changes in behavior to fix emotional health problems. You do not have to do anything extreme to stabilize yourself and get back to normal.

Even if you do something that you might normally consider risky, you can still logically evaluate the consequences of your actions. You might decide it is not worth it for the sake of your emotional health.

In contrast, mental health, or specifically, mental illness, can cause rash and even dangerous behavioral reactions. You may put yourself or others in immediate danger if you cannot get your reactions under control.

If your loved ones know your behavioral symptoms when you have a problem with your mental well-being, they can help you through it and contact medical professionals if needed.

Psychological Symptoms

Since mental health also involves emotional health, it can have a vast array of psychological symptoms. Acute distress or intense happiness can be due to a lack of emotional regulation.

A therapist or psychologist can definitely help you relieve upsetting psychological symptoms and restore emotional balance. They will give you techniques to bring yourself back to your emotional baseline or work with you on developing a system that works for you.

With serious mental health problems, you can experience terrifying symptoms like delusions or roller coasters of emotions that you have no ability to control. This is largely due to unbalanced brain chemicals, rather than failing to rein in your emotions.

If you have a mental illness, you may still work with a professional like a psychologist. For some mental illnesses like anxiety and depression, it is possible to treat your symptoms using behavioral modifications or therapeutic techniques.

For psychological symptoms associated with severe mental illness, you will likely have to work with a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating all kinds of mental illnesses.

Cognitive Processes

How you process thoughts and your general cognitive function is very different for mental wellness and emotional wellness. When you think of emotional health, you likely picture strong feelings. These tend to be dictated by the heart, rather than the head.

Emotional health also steers the ship for relationships and interpersonal communication. You need to have your emotions in check to foster meaningful relationships with other people.

Mental health, in contrast, focuses on the logical aspects of your brain. These control things like decision-making, organization, and reason.

When you can separate your thoughts and cognitive processes between mental and emotional health, you can gain better control and learn how to cope.

How to Improve Mental and Emotional Health

If you find yourself struggling with mental or emotional health, you are certainly not alone. Many people have regular ups and downs and have to learn to deal with complex issues.

Whatever you find to manage your overall wellness, make sure that you learn how your mind responds to different forms of treatment. It may be one thing or a combination of methods to keep your emotional and mental wellness in check.

Monitor Your Stress Levels

Stress may seem like something you can brush off, but it can have a huge impact on your overall well-being, especially when it comes to mental and emotional health. Too much stress can even take a physical toll on your body.

If you can cut something out of your life that causes you stress, do it as soon as possible. If not, try to limit your exposure or work on ways you can avoid specific stressors and regulate your emotions.

Exercise Regularly

Exercise and good mental health truly go hand in hand. Exercise is vital to maintaining both your mind and body to keep you functioning at your best.

Regular exercise has benefits such as increased happiness, stress regulation, and better cardiovascular health. Once you start exercising, you can reap the rewards immediately.

You do not have to from not exercising to hitting the gym seven days a week. If you struggle with motivation, start small and work your way up from there.

Work Out With Friends

If you need motivation to exercise, you can't get much better than working out with your friends. Find a group of people who have similar fitness goals and try to make time to exercise together.

Working out with friends is wonderful for your mental health. You can share in each other's victories and encourage each other if you have a bad day at the gym.

In addition, friends make great accountability partners. When you feel yourself falling off the wagon, you can have a friend to motivate you to go to the gym.

You may even discover a new hobby with your friends. Hiking is a great way to get outside with each other and discover more about the area that you live in.

The more people you have in your group, the harder it will be to coordinate schedules. Even a few people together at the same time can provide a positive boost to your mood.

Invest in a Gym Membership

Many college campuses and apartment complexes have gyms for residents to use. However, if you do not have that advantage, it may be worth it to buy a gym membership.

Most gyms offer free trial memberships that last from a few days to a month or so. Use this time to try out the gym and see if it has the features that you need.

Your gym may have different membership levels as well. For instance, if you want access to group classes or a spa, you may need to pay for the upgraded membership plan. Weigh the pros and cons and decide if it is worth the extra cost for your mental wellness.

One of the biggest benefits of a gym is that it has everything you need for a good workout. Home workout machines for cardio or weightlifting can be incredibly expensive. You can try out everything without spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Find Something You Love

Exercise should not be a pain. In fact, exercise produces endorphins, commonly known as a "runner's high." If you have done a good workout, you've likely experienced a feeling of joy after finishing it.

It is important to find the types of exercise that you love. Do not let yourself think that the conventional gym workouts or machines are right for you because everyone else uses them.

Join a club or group on social media that does outdoor hobbies together if you enjoy getting some fresh air. Some of the most popular choices include:

• hiking
• backpacking
• walking or running
• swimming

When you are passionate about something, it is much easier to get up and work out. You will only make excuses not to exercise if you dread the trip to the gym.

Consider a Personal Trainer

You may need an extra push to become your best self through exercise. A personal trainer is someone who can develop a plan with you to reach your fitness goals and coach you along the way.

When you think of a personal trainer, a celebrity specialist may come to mind. However, many trainers are affordable. Check with your gym to see if they offer one-on-one or group training.

A personal trainer may be a larger investment at first while you learn how best to take care of your body. As time goes on, you will likely need fewer training sessions after you get the hang of it.

Lean on People

Your interpersonal relationships are incredibly important for emotional and mental wellness. Even if you consider yourself introverted, you should still try to maintain meaningful relationships with a few people in your life.

Key people, like family and close friends, will be there for you through the good and the bad. They can also help you regulate your emotions and keep your mental illness symptoms in check.

Join a Support Group

If you feel like you are alone or you don't have family and friends to support you, you should not have to isolate yourself. Many support groups exist for people with all kinds of problems.

One of the biggest benefits of social media is that users can find spaces for people exactly like them. Addiction issues, mental illnesses, medical conditions, or specific careers all have groups you can join to talk to people going through the same experience.

You can also meet with people in person. Look online to see if there is a support group you can join that is near where you live. If you still want to talk to people, there are more online meetings than ever thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Form meaningful relationships with support group members. They may even become close friends who know exactly what you are going through. Try exchanging numbers so you will always have someone to call in a crisis.

Make Time for Family

Even if you do not always get along with your family, you should make sure to keep them close. People you are related to can often view things through a similar lens.

If you go to school or live away from your family, maximize time with them when you can see them. Spending time with people you love will improve both your mental health and emotional health.

Your family can also give insight if you have mental health issues. A lot of mental illnesses and disorders have a genetic component and can run in the family. Talk to your family members to learn coping strategies or treatment methods that worked for them.

Talk to your doctor immediately if you find out about a family history of mental illness. It may provide vital insight to help with your treatment plan.

Find New Friends

You should regularly evaluate your friendships to see if there are any negative people in your life. Good friends should be there to uplift you emotionally and mentally, not drag you down.

People have ups and downs, so you should still support your friends if they have their own wellness problems. However, constant negativity can be a major issue if you are unable to manage your mental and emotional health.

Similar to support groups, social media is full of groups tailored to specific interests and passions. They often feature the locations of members as well. See if you can meet up with people in person who share your common interests.

Do not hold on to a friendship or relationship for the sake of time invested. This is known as the sunken cost fallacy. It is better to cut ties and invest in relationships that will bring positivity and joy into your life.

Visit a Therapist

A therapist is a wonderful resource if you want to get started with working on your wellness. Even one session a week will lead to significant progress if you utilize the tools that the therapist offers you.

Although some therapists charge a lot of money for their services, therapy may be more affordable than you think. Some doctors offer sliding-scale payment plans.

With a sliding scale, they take a look at your income and adjust your payment amount so you can afford to see the therapist. If you are low-income or you have limited resources, you may be able to see a quality therapist at a reduced price.

If you want a good resource at your college, check to see if it has a mental health or counseling program. Many students getting their doctoral degrees in psychology have clinical hour requirements. Often, you can take advantage of these services for free or for a low fee.

A therapist will listen to your problems and work with you to develop coping mechanisms. They may also help you pin down where your issues stem from or relationships you need to work on outside of therapy.

Depending on what you need assistance with, your therapist might engage in methods like exposure therapy. People with phobias or trauma can benefit from this with small amounts of exposure to the thing they are afraid of.

Even if you resolve some bigger issues, it may be worth it to keep visiting your therapist. They can help you tackle problems when they arise, or simply be a second ear to evaluate a problem and give you their perspective.

Consider Medication

Medication is more for mental health, but it can assist in emotional regulation. Once you have your mental health under control, you can focus on managing your emotions.

People who suffer from mild anxiety or depression may be able to visit a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist will perform an evaluation and prescribe drugs if he or she thinks it is necessary.

Nowadays, many psychiatrists also offer non-medication methods to balance out your emotional wellness. However, sometimes you will still need medication if your brain chemicals do not restore themselves.

For more serious mental illnesses, medication can be the only way to have a normal life. People with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder often struggle with things like work and school, so taking medicine is essential.

Stay in touch with your doctor once you start taking new medication. Some medications can have side effects or interact with your other treatments.

Your doctor must stay in the loop so they know to adjust your dose or take you off the medication completely. It is better to switch to a different medication if the one you have is not helping you feel any better.

Adjust Your Sleep Schedule

You would be surprised to learn how much your sleep can affect your mental and emotional wellness. Most people do not get nearly enough shut-eye, with the average person getting fewer than seven hours.

Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every night and morning. It may seem tempting to sleep in on the weekends or stay up late, but consistency is key.

Once you keep yourself on a schedule for a while, you will likely notice your body waking up and going to sleep naturally around normal times.

For college students, getting enough sleep can be anywhere from tricky to downright impossible. Try to get as much as you can and take naps during the day if needed. A simple 20-minute power nap can go a long way if you need to study.

Limit screen time before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning. A digital alarm clock is a great way to wake up without glancing at your cell phone screen.

Rather than scroll through social media before you go to bed at night, try reading a book or a magazine. You will not have to worry about blue light interfering with your sleep cycles.

Get Outside

Did you know that spending time outdoors can have a positive impact on your emotional and mental wellness? Even a few minutes in the fresh air every day will dramatically increase your happiness.

Find activities that you enjoy that also involve being outside. Join a hiking group or take your dogs for a walk regularly.

If you are low on Vitamin D, soaking up the sunshine can increase your levels without relying on supplements. Always make sure to wear sunscreen and reapply regularly, though.

Getting some exercise outdoors is often a cheaper option as well. For activities like hiking and walking, it is usually free and you already have the equipment or clothing that you will need.

Even walking somewhere you would normally drive can provide a boost of endorphins and turn your day around. Try walking to get a coffee or to the store if you only need to pick up a few items.

Use the internet and search for outdoor spots in your area. You may be surprised by how many hiking trails or secluded parts of nature your city or town has to offer.

Try Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation are two techniques you can use in your daily life to manage mental and emotional wellness. Although they are slightly different, they both involve paying attention to your feelings and letting them go.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is simply being aware of your thoughts during the day. Mindfulness involves training your focus on the present and blocking out other distractions that do not pertain to the task at hand.

One of the key traits of mindfulness is acceptance. Accept your feelings and thoughts for what they are and feel your emotions to the fullest.

You do not have to devote a lot of time to mindfulness. Even practicing it for a few seconds at a time can lead to more enlightenment for your own mental well-being.

If you find yourself emotionally overwhelmed, taking a moment to practice mindfulness can point your day in the right direction. Acknowledge your thoughts and feelings, feel them to the fullest, and you can then move on with your life.

What is Meditation?

Many people use mindfulness and meditation interchangeably, but mindfulness can be an element of meditation. Meditation is a dedicated practice where you work on your breathing techniques and mindfulness methods at the same time.

If you are inexperienced with meditation, it can be difficult to clear your head at first. Luckily, many applications and programs exist for you to have guided meditation right at your fingertips.

You will listen to a prompt, usually a soothing voice, and direct your breathing and visualizations. You may need a few sessions before you can do some meditation on your own.

Some meditations have prompts specifically for certain objectives. For example, people who have trouble sleeping may benefit from a calming meditation to help them drift off with fewer worries.

Making meditation a daily habit can radically change your life. Try to fit in at least a few minutes to sit, focus, and breathe to calm down your nervous system and find a sense of grounding.

Make Changes to Your Diet

How you eat can have a huge impact on your emotional and mental wellness. Certain foods give you energy and nutrients, while others can make you feel terrible due to the high fat or sugar content.

Eating well in high school and college can be incredibly difficult. When you are surrounded by options on campus, you may have limited healthy choices for nutritious meals.

Changing how you eat does not have to be all or nothing. However, it may be a good idea to evaluate your diet and see if you can make any positive changes.

Consult a Nutritionist

Do you feel lost when you think about how to make changes to your diet? A nutritionist might be the answer to help you find a balanced plan where you can enjoy what you eat.

Your nutritionist will weigh you and likely look at your bloodwork and other tests to see if you have any deficiencies. They may suggest supplements for you to take, or ways for you to work more nutrients into your regular diet.

Let your nutritionist know if you experience any food sensitivities or allergies. You will likely take a food sensitivity test to ensure you do not have any food groups causing you trouble.

Plan Ahead of Time

The best weapon against eating bad food is to plan ahead. Make a meal plan and stick to it. This way, you will have all of your food ready, so you will not have to resort to endless snacking or junk food.

Meal planning does not have to be completely rigid. It can be anything from making every item at the beginning of the week, to simply having a list of recipes available and ingredients to make them.

You can still do a meal plan if you have limited time and resources. The internet is a great source for finding simple recipes that incorporate healthy ingredients.

If you like to snack, you do not have to give up snacking entirely. It is natural to feel hungry in between meals. Keep healthy snacks with you at all times so you can avoid calorie-dense foods like chips and candy.

Treat Yourself

Remember, you should not have to only eat healthy food if you want to stick to a good diet. In fact, the occasional treat will no doubt have a positive impact on your mental and emotional health.

It is always better to have moderation, rather than deprive yourself of food. If you restrict sweets, junk food, or total food groups, you may end up binging later and moving your progress backward.

When you want a treat, try to bulk up the snack or meal with nutritious foods. For example, when you eat chips, have them with a healthy salad or sandwich, rather than just eating the whole bag.

Stay Away From Fad Diets

It may seem tempting, but fad diets are not actually helpful for losing weight or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Usually, these types of diets promote rapid weight loss through unhealthy meal plans.

Or, they involve cutting out an entire food group, such as sugar, fat, or carbohydrates. In reality, you need all of these groups to maintain a functioning body.

Rather than following a fad diet, focus on making permanent, sustainable changes to your eating habits. Working with nutritious foods rather than taking away food groups will take you much further than any fad diet.

Maintain Work-Life Balance

For college students, it may seem impossible to balance their workload of classes and social life. On top of that, many college students work part-time or full-time to make ends meet during the school term.

Try to balance out your time as much as you can. Make sure you have time to see your loved ones, rest, and maintain your course load.

Scheduling can do wonders for keeping all of your priorities in order. You can use methods such as a traditional paper planner, scheduling software, or digital task managers.

Check in with yourself every day to see what is due and what your priorities are for the next few hours. You will be able to mentally organize yourself and get a handle on what you need to accomplish.

Find Positive Coping Mechanisms

When you feel yourself spirally out of control mentally or emotionally, coping mechanisms are a healthy way to manage your emotions. You can choose the coping mechanisms, as long as they do not negatively benefit your well-being.

Is there a hobby you have always wanted to try? What about reading a book or settling down with an activity that engages your brain? The possibilities are endless.

Your therapist is a great place to start if you need help with coping mechanisms. They can likely recommend things that are both good for your mental health and meet the goals of your therapy sessions.

If you have a preferred healthy coping mechanism, intentionally use it whenever you feel distressed. Eventually, it will become an automatic response to help regulate your emotions and prevent drastic consequences.

Some of the most common healthy coping mechanisms include:

• exercise
• seeing friends and family
• crafting
• reading
• meditation

Stay Hydrated

Most people do not drink enough water to support their bodies throughout the day. Living in a constant state of dehydration can be detrimental to both your physical and mental health.

When you do not have enough water in your system, your brain can suffer from symptoms such as brain fog. Your brain cells may even shrink temporarily. It can also affect your memory and attention span.

A good rule of thumb is to divide your weight by two and drink that many ounces of water every day. If you weigh 150 pounds, aim for 70 ounces of water.

Once you are consistently hydrated, you may start to notice increased focus and less irritation. Both of these can do a great job to help regulate your emotional and mental wellness.

If you struggle to drink water, try carbonated water or flavored water. You may want to drink it more and increase your daily water intake with a simple trick like adding your favorite flavor.

Maintain Your Mental and Emotional Health Today

No matter what you go through, you should try to keep your emotional health and mental health as top priorities in your life. With this guide, you can succeed and achieve stability at the same time.

Want to learn more about living your best life during your college years? Take a look around our blog for answers to all of your questions.