There’s physical health. We all know what that looks like… nutrition, exercise, avoiding illness. Then there’s mental health, which has gained some popularity in recent years, especially since the pandemic. We all know nurses and hospitals were overworked to the brim. This was no different for psychologists, where “4 in 10 reported being unable to meet the demand for treatment (up from 30% last year), and 46% said they felt burned out (up from 41% last year)” according to the American Psychological Association. Despite the stain of stigma emotional health has had for a while, it’s becoming more widely acknowledged and accepted as a result of COVID-19 hitting us all like a brick. What is emotional health, you may ask? Emotional health is not the same as mental health, but it is an aspect of it. According to WebMd, it is the ability to be aware of, and manage and cope with both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. As someone who’s studying psychology in school, you could easily assume this is of natural interest to me. However, I’d argue it should be of interest to everyone. Everyone has emotional health, just as everyone has physical health. Sometimes, just as you can see that someone is visibly sick by their hacking coughs, you can notice if someone has emotional deficiencies. There’s many ways someone can show this type of deficiency, but one example of this is the person that is quick to get offended and you see the steam coming out of their ears right before they start swearing like a sailor. On the flip side, is the person who has emotional competence. This is the person that stays calm and manages to continue being respectful and kind under stress, even when Brenda ate their Twix bar from the breakroom fridge. With emotional competence, it is likely that social competence will follow as well. Someone who is able to manage their emotions will likely stay in check when it comes to their social interactions. So, how can we all become this chill person that manages to still be cordial with the Brenda in our work or school space that ate our candy? You do this by developing your emotional intelligence, which is done by utilizing soft skills. Emotional intelligence is an aspect of emotional health, which is “the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.” Soft skills are interpersonal qualities that impact how we lead others, handle adversity, manage our emotions, and achieve goals. Now that you know why emotional health matters, you’re probably wondering… “where do I start?” I suggest going to Success Training Institute, which is a company passionate about helping you develop your soft skills so that you can succeed in life. Not only that, but the lessons within their courses are 8 minutes or less. This way, you can get your training in small bites that keep you engaged. Start your soft skills training and see how your life improves as you apply what you learned. Brenda will be seeing a new you.