How Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioral Health Can Improve Mental Health

Many people know how important mental health is, but did you know it’s made up of three components — cognitive, emotional and behavioral health?

Cognitive health has to do with our thoughts. The average person has 6,000 thoughts a day, and these thoughts tend to be so automatic that many of us believe they’re factual. Thoughts are actually prone to error and bias, so it’s important to look at them objectively rather than as a fact. They can also have a heavy influence on our emotions — which brings us to emotional health.

Emotional health is just what it sounds like; it’s how we take care of our emotions on a daily basis. Similar to our thoughts, emotions come and go in waves. To achieve a happy medium with our emotions, it’s important we acknowledge and accept them as they are rather than suppressing them or letting them hold too much weight. Our emotions, in turn, impact our behaviors — leading us to behavioral health.

Behavioral health has to do with how present we are, how well we’re functioning in everyday life and the quality of our interpersonal relationships. The more we take care of our cognitive and emotional health, the better our behavioral health will be.

Here are some ways to improve each component to boost your mental health.

Cognitive Health

• Reframe negative thoughts:
  • First, notice the negative thought as it comes up
  • Next, identify what triggered the thought
  • Then, challenge the negative thought and look for factual evidence against it
    • Example: If the thought is “I’m a failure,” think of things you have accomplished
  • Finally, reframe in a positive way
    • Example: “I may have made a mistake, but I am learning and getting better”
  • Repeat positive affirmations: This will retrain your brain to think positively
    • Examples:
      • “I am limitless”
      • “I am enough”
      • “I am energized by life”

Emotional Health

• Process your emotions in a healthy way:
  • Identify the emotion
    • Get specific — you can even use an emotion wheel like this example from The Chalkboard
  • Accept the emotion as it is, without judgement, and know whatever you are feeling is valid
  • Allow it to pass with time
• Write it out: Spend 5-10 minutes journaling to get your feelings out on paper

Behavioral Health

• Practice mindfulness: Applying this to your everyday life will help you stay present
• Stick to your routines: Having set schedules helps reduce stress in the moment
  • For example, if you have kids, having a morning routine can be very beneficial
• Take care of your interpersonal relationships:
  • Set aside uninterrupted time with friends and family at least twice a month
  • Keep in touch with people who live far from you by regularly checking in via phone calls or messages
• Spend time in nature:
  • Being outside decreases stress and increases feelings of happiness through the release of serotonin
  • It also helps our emotional and cognitive health
  • No matter what activity you’re doing outdoors, you’ll get these benefits!

Now that you know more about the three components of mental health, it’s time to put these strategies into practice! Remember: All three work together to improve your overall mental health.

by Megan DiPietro