Emotional Wellness involves expressing your feelings, adjusting to challenges, coping with the stress that life brings, and enjoying your life.

9 Characteristics of Emotionally Well People

• Self-Awareness: look at self to navigate distress or elation and redirect emotions if necessary
• Self-Acceptance: Accept themselves. Know when to provide room for themselves to process emotions.
• Self-Care: Both self-compassion and physical care are practiced regularly
• Emotional Agility: Able to thrive even during emotional setbacks.
• Coping Skills: Practice makes perfect so when you need them you can use them.
• Kindness; They approach those around them with compassion.
• Integrity: They move through the world without the expectation of reward.
• Living with Purpose: Focus on how their experiences serve others rather than getting stuck within them.
• Manage stress: They can recognize stress and have go-to activities/skills to manage it.

Improving Emotional Wellness

1. Mindfulness
2. Social Connections
3. Manage Stress
4. Appropriately Express Emotions
5. Improve Self-Awareness

Want more tools? Request WIT's Emotional Wellness Presentation!

On Campus

Mental Health and Well-being Index

This online resource serves as a toolbox to assist anyone in the eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, physical, occupational, social, and spiritual.

University Counseling Center

• Find self-help resources covering a variety of topics pertaining to mental and emotional health
• Schedule an appointment to talk with a counselor 
• Participate in the Weekly Wellness Series, which covers topics including mindfulness, wellness, and art therapy

Clubs

• Meditation and Mindfulness - focused on promoting acceptance and mindfulness through meditation
• The Warrior Movement - focused on ending the stigma associated with mental illness
• Active Minds - focused on encouraging open discussion about mental health to build stronger communities

Mindfulness and Kindness

• Send Kindness Cards to other people (available to print or send virtually)
• Participate in Emotional Strength Training
• Learn how to use mindfulness to manage your emotions

Off Campus

The University Counseling Center has a wonderful index of community providers. You can filter by insurances, services and specialties.

Online

Mental Health and Wellness Toolkit

• Includes strategies to improve your mental health and wellness 
• Contains information on techniques such as breathing, mindfulness, and gratitude
• Provides a variety of helpful resources you can find from GVSU, the community, websites, apps, and books

Koru Mindfulness

• Stream free guided meditations to help with relaxation and mindfulness 
• Watch tutorial videos about breathing techniques to help with anxiety
• Read their blog for more tips and strategies for emotional wellness 

PositivePsychology 

• Find mindfulness exercises, techniques, and activities that you can do anywhere
• Complete worksheets that focus on topics such as self compassion
• Try a variety of techniques to see which method works best for you