When we talk about health, we often focus only on physical health, forgetting that the concept is much broader and includes many areas of our lives, including emotional well-being. Talking about emotional well-being means talking about our ability to regulate emotions, feel rested, calm, and energized enough to feel good. And that’s not always easy to achieve.
Emotional well-being depends on multiple factors
It’s easy to identify many factors that influence how we feel on any given day: not having time to do something you really enjoy, strained relationships with coworkers or children, spending too long without starting exciting new projects, or not getting enough sleep. All of these gradually wear down our health. It’s important to identify them and connect them with the emotions they trigger so we can act accordingly. Because all of this depends on how you behave, how you act, and the decisions you make every day. And to a large extent, this is regulated by our internal chemistry, our genetics, and our molecular markers.
The importance of good sleep
One of the key pillars of emotional well-being is getting enough quality sleep. No one has a good day after a sleepless night. Lack of sleep affects our mood, performance, and even our appetite. When you don’t sleep well, you tend to eat more and crave highly palatable foods—those loaded with sugar and fat. In other words, if you haven’t rested properly, resisting a chocolate pastry is much harder than if you slept well.
But what does sleeping well really mean? And how do you achieve it? There are practical tips—like exercising, meditating, eating a light dinner, or turning off screens hours before bedtime. However, it’s also true that each of us has our own chronotype, meaning individual sleep–wake cycles governed by our internal clock, located in the brain’s pineal gland. This clock is regulated by genes that differ from person to person. Some people feel sleepy at the same time every night and wake up early no matter what—often experiencing strong jet lag. Others can sleep late without issue but struggle to fall asleep. Knowing your chronobiological profile allows you to regulate your sleep more effectively.
Emotional regulation
In the same way, some people manage emotions more easily than others. There are individuals who naturally stay calm under pressure, able to channel stress without boiling over. For others, this requires significant effort. This stress management depends on past experiences, habits, and education—but also on genetics. And once we understand that, we can take action.
Did you know that caffeine can trigger anxiety spikes in some people? If you know you’re one of them, avoiding it—especially on stressful days—can make a big difference.
Likewise, poor emotional regulation can affect eating behaviors, and therefore overall health and body weight. Some people are more likely than others to use food as a way to cope with negative emotions like frustration or boredom.
Your path to emotional well-being is unique
All of this leads to one clear conclusion: our health is deeply connected to our emotional state. By understanding yourself better at a genetic and molecular level, you can tailor your daily habits to achieve stronger emotional well-being.
Maintaining consistent sleep schedules, avoiding caffeine, exercising regularly, practicing relaxation techniques, or simply not keeping sugary or high-fat foods around during tough days are all strategies that can help you feel better. Remember—we only get one life. To live it as well as possible, lean on your genetic and molecular blueprint.
