Mental health vs emotional health are two concepts that are often used interchangeably. Both involve how we think and feel. While mental and emotional well-being are both important, they’re not the same thing. Mental health refers to how someone thinks, feels, and responds to things in their life. Emotional health, on the other hand, is related to how someone deals with personal relationships, stress, and experiences joy.
These two areas of personal wellness are related but different from one another. Understanding the difference between mental and emotional health is important so you can maintain your well-being no matter what challenges you face in life.
Read on to learn more about the differences between mental and emotional health, whether emotional health is part of mental health, examples of emotional vs mental health, their impact on our lives, and strategies for maintaining a healthy balance of these two important dimensions of well-being.
Mental Health vs Emotional Health
Mental health vs emotional health are two dimensions of well-being that are often discussed together. Both are important, but they are also quite different.
Mental health is being able to think clearly, process information, remember things, and respond to new situations with rational thinking. It includes your emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Basically, mental health affects how you think, feel, and act.
Being emotionally healthy means having positive relationships with others, a kind self-view, and the ability to manage stressors.
But wait, I just said mental health affects how you think, feel, and act, how are these two concepts not the same? Well, the truth is they are very similar. I like to think of mental health like wheels on a bike. The wheels need to be well maintained and they are the foundation for the bike. But wheels can’t function properly without spokes. The spokes hold them together.
So, to simplify the concept, mental health encompasses your overall mental state, and emotional health is related to, how you interact with others, the individual emotions you experience every day, and how you manage them.
Key Differences Between Mental Health And Emotional Health
To further help you differentiate the two, let’s discuss several differences between mental health and emotional health.
Mental health primarily refers to a person’s ability to think and act. This not only includes emotional health but also a person’s ability to reason, solve problems, and use their intellect. Mental health can also be measured on different scales. I’m not a psychiatrist so I don’t want to get too deep into the details about this scale, but it’s called the Global Assessment of Functioning, and clinicians use it to help them diagnose mental health on multiple scales including but not limited to:
- Social support
- Satisfaction with life
- Subjective happiness
- Depression, anxiety, and stress scales
Again, these are overall foundational elements of mental health. Medical professionals would likely define this further, as I said I’m not a doctor.
Emotional health is more subjective and includes affective, physiological, and psychosocial aspects. Simply put, emotional health has more to do with how you feel in life. It’s your ability to process and manage emotions, understand others, and respond appropriately to situations.
Examples of Emotional And Mental Health
Let’s start with emotional health. A person who has strong and positive emotions can feel joy and connection with others. They may have a strong sense of belonging and feel confident in their own abilities. This person may be able to experience and show empathy towards others, which is an important part of emotional health.
A person who has strong mental health can think clearly and make sound decisions. They may be able to set and accomplish goals in life and work toward their desired future. They may also have a strong ability to solve problems. Yet here’s where it gets tricky, a mentally healthy person is also emotionally well, meaning they can manage anxiety, stress, and depression without a lot of difficulties. That’s not to say they don’t experience anxiety, stress, or depression. These are normal human emotions and most everyone will experience them at some point.
Consider these examples to further define mental health vs emotional health:
- You can have a mental health disorder and have strong emotional health. Personally, I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, but I’m emotionally healthy. I have strong personal relationships, I can regulate my emotions appropriately depending on the situation, and I experience joy and positivity.
- The reverse can also be true. You could have a generalized anxiety disorder and, or chronic depression and struggle with emotional health. This could mean that you struggle to maintain relationships, have difficulty managing stress or emotions, and don’t feel much positivity in your life. However, you may also still be able to express empathy for others. So, it’s a sliding subjective scale.
- In a more extreme example, a person can also be mentally and emotionally ill. A sociopath for example is someone with an antisocial personality disorder. These people disregard societal rules and social norms and often hurt other people physically or emotionally without remorse. They cannot understand people’s feelings and can’t express empathy. They have a mental disorder and emotional health problems.
Strategies for Building Mental and Emotional Health
So, now that I’ve gone over how to better understand mental health vs emotional health, let’s talk about what matters — how you manage them.
If you came to this article via a Google search, you will find other articles discussing emotional vs mental health and why it’s important to know the difference. In my humble opinion, it’s not important for you to get caught up in these distinctions. The main thing you need to understand is, do you feel mentally well? Meaning, is your life meaningful, and fulfilling, and do you experience joy?
If the answer is no, and you’re plagued by overwhelming anxiety, depression, and or anger, then you probably need to do something about it. Or, if you can’t relate to others, find it difficult to manage relationships, and have a hard time expressing emotions you may need help.
The good news is that there are many strategies you can use to improve both your mental and emotional health.
Take care of your body
Eating well and exercising are important for both your mental and emotional health.
Connect to the present moment
Everyone constantly thinks about the past and the future, and very few people live in the present moment. This often leads to a lot of anxiety. To ground yourself in the present you can try mindfulness. Common mindfulness practices include meditating and yoga, which are great, but for just starting out I recommend mindfulness without meditation. The linked post offers several different ways you can build mindfulness into your daily life, which will increase your ability to experience joy.
Stay connected to others
Having strong relationships can support your mental and emotional health. Even if you have social anxiety, humans are social creatures, and one or two strong connections can make a world of difference in maintaining positive mental and emotional health.
Avoid excessive stress
Excessive stress can reduce your mental and emotional health. Take steps to reduce stress in your life when possible. My post on “20 Ways to Boost Mood and Motivation” is a good starting point for stress-reducing techniques.
Identify your values
Knowing what you value is the key to finding meaning in your life. Living a purposeful life will strengthen both your mental and emotional health, but that’s hard to do without understanding your core values. Values are like a GPS in life, if we choose to take committed action and follow them, we will always be on the right path. I created a free tool to help people identify their values, you can find it here.
Learn how to manage negative thoughts and emotions
It’s easy to be hard on yourself. We often tell ourselves we’re not good enough, smart enough, or capable. It’s easy to believe these negative thoughts, but there are ways you can create distance from them. For example, if you’re having the thought, “No one will ever love me,” try instead saying “I’m having the thought no one will ever love me.” Notice the separation from the thought. It’s not that the thought goes away, but you acknowledge it’s a thought, not a fact. When you do that the thought loses power over you. To learn more strategies for managing negative thoughts, read my post “How to Interrupt Negative Thought Patterns.”
Seek professional help
There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. If you have tried to manage your mental well-being on your own without much success then consider a therapist, psychiatrist, coach, or all three.
Emotional vs Mental Health: Understand What Matters
Mental health and emotional health are both important areas of personal well-being. As I’ve explained, mental health is related to a person’s ability to think, reason, act, and feel. Emotional health is related to a person’s ability to feel and respond appropriately to situations.
Mental and emotional health are not the same, though they are related. It’s good to understand the difference between mental and emotional health, but what’s most important is maintaining your well-being and happiness in life. Hopefully, this post sets you on the right track.
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