Emotional Wellness Kit

By Marissa Widdison

Church Magazines

Here are tips to keep yourself emotionally healthy.

You can probably think of lots of ways to keep your body healthy as you grow older. You know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and want you to care for your body. And “caring for your body includes caring for your mental and emotional health” (For the Strength of Youth: A Guide for Making Choices [2022], 29). Here are things you can do to help yourself be emotionally healthy too!

Icon illustrations by Emily E. Jones

Connect with others. Especially when you feel sad, you might want to be alone. That’s OK for some of the time, but it’s also important to spend time with uplifting people. Isolation almost always makes challenges harder.
Express your emotions. Practice being honest about how you’re feeling. Talk about your emotions in a specific way. And for real, it’s OK to cry! Think about the time when Jesus wept (see John 11:32–35).
Recognize that feelings are information. Even though they can be uncomfortable, feelings in and of themselves can’t hurt you. Try to identify your emotions and recognize what they’re telling you.
Practice coping skills. When you’re sad or upset, learn to manage those emotions in a healthy way. For example, many people find it helpful to go for a walk, listen to music, draw, pray, or write in a journal.
Let uncomfortable feelings come and go. Take deep breaths and imagine clouds drifting across the sky, or water flowing down a river. Acknowledge your thoughts and feelings and try to let them drift away.
Keep nourishing your spirit. Scriptures, hymns, prayer, church—all of these things help strengthen your spirit, which will help the rest of you be healthy.
Try staying physically healthy. Our emotional health and physical health are connected. Eating nourishing food, getting enough sleep, and establishing a habit of exercising will help you be more emotionally healthy as you grow.
Ask for help when you need it. Our bodies sometimes need professional help to be healthy and well. These resources are a blessing from Heavenly Father, who wants to help us. In a similar way, we may need help from doctors and counselors to be emotionally well at times. If you feel like you’re sad for long periods of time, or if you have thoughts of hurting yourself, please ask an adult for help. You don’t have to go through this alone! Reach out for all of the blessings Heavenly Father has made available to you.