5 steps to emotional health

Somebody recently asked me if I had any suggestions for becoming a more emotionally healthy person. So here are some tips that have really worked for me:

1. Set the intention. When you make the conscious choice to become more emotionally healthy, your subconscious will be happy to oblige and cooperate. Subtly over time change will occur naturally.
2. Experience your emotions. Don't suppress or repress anything. If you notice an emotion that you do not like to have, take a note of the emotion itself and of the fact that you don't like that you are having that emotion. Then you can try to let it go, but never force it. If you force an emotion to go away, i.e. suppress it, it will only get stronger and will be back to haunt you, probably in an even more unpleasant way.
3. Be compassionate with yourself. Don't judge yourself for the emotions you are having. Every emotion you have is valid, including jealousy, anger, or resentment.
4. Express negative emotions. By that I don't mean that you should let out your anger on others or put people down. But when you have a negative emotion regarding a close relationship, try letting that person know as soon as the emotion first comes up. Do so calmly and compassionately, but do let them know if your feelings have been hurt. If you hold the emotion in for too long, not only do you suffer, but the situation can also escalate when you express yourself too late and in a heated moment. By being proactive and expressing yourself sooner rather than later, you can avoid prolonged emotional discomfort as well as fights with the person in question.
5. Get the underlying message. For every emotion you have, there is a story and a lesson. What is this particular emotion trying to teach you, or what is it trying to guide you towards? If you recognize the message or lesson in an emotion, the situation will usually transform in a positive way because you have cleared the path and are ready to move on.