When I first started studying psychology, I thought emotional well-being meant feeling good most of the time. But I quickly realized it’s much more about how we deal with life’s ups and downs than avoiding them altogether.
In Belgium, nearly 1 in 3 people reported mental health struggles in 2024, and anxiety among young adults jumped by 14% in just one year (Sciensano, 2024). That’s not just a statistic, it’s a reminder that many of us are trying to stay afloat emotionally, and that we need accessible tools and spaces to help us do so.
So, What Is Emotional Well-Being?
It’s not about being perfect or happy all the time. It’s about being able to adapt, regulate your emotions, and seek support when needed. One campaign I found particularly inspiring is “Samen Veerkrachtig” (Together Resilient), a Belgian initiative launched to promote mental resilience. They talk about emotional flexibility, the ability to shift between problem-solving and emotion-regulation depending on the situation (Samen Veerkrachtig, 2024).
That idea stuck with me: it’s okay not to fix everything right away. Sometimes, just sitting with our feelings is part of healing.
The Small Things That Make a Big Difference
You don’t need fancy tools or hours of free time to care for your mental health. Practices like mindful breathing, grounding exercises, or simply journaling for five minutes a day can truly help. The NIH Emotional Wellness Toolkitexplains how these habits lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and improve emotional regulation over time.
What helped me most was learning that these coping skills aren’t about eliminating stress, but about helping your body and mind recover from it.
Why Support Groups Matter More Than We Think
Support groups offer something individual techniques can’t: connection. Feeling heard and understood by people who’ve been through similar things is powerful. It chips away at shame and isolation, two huge obstacles to emotional recovery.
A recent scientific review by Lloyd-Evans and colleagues (2021) showed that group activities — like learning about stress, practicing relaxation, or doing mindfulness together — can really help lower stress, anxiety, and even mild depression. So when we share simple coping skills in a group, it directly supports our emotional well-being in daily life.
But first—what’s the difference between individual therapy, group therapy, and support groups?
Individual therapy is a one-on-one space with a mental health professional. It helps you explore your emotions, behaviors, and experiences at a deeper level, guided by a trained therapist.
Group therapy, on the other hand, brings several participants together with a therapist. It’s structured and goal-oriented. The therapist helps guide the discussion, sometimes with specific exercises, to foster shared insight and growth.
Support groups are more informal. Often peer-led, they don’t follow a clinical structure, but offer a space to talk, listen, and feel less alone. They’re not therapy in the traditional sense, but the emotional relief and solidarity they provide are powerful tools for healing.
Mental Health Europe reports that peer-led groups can be just as effective as individual therapy when it comes to building resilience and learning practical tools (Group Therapy and Peer Support: Evidence and Practice). In Belgium, several hospitals that introduced peer resilience workshops saw fewer stress-related sick days, according to AGE Platform Europe(2024).
Even more informal settings, like “listening cafés” organized by communities, offer a space where people can show up without needing to perform or explain too much. That kind of space can be healing in itself.
Taking That First Step
If you’re curious, you don’t have to commit to a big group right away. Try a one-time session, or check out helplines like Tele-Onthaal (106) (Dutch) / Télé-Accueil (106) (French) or mental health resources in belgium via Expatica. You deserve support.
Emotional well-being isn’t about having it all together. It’s about knowing you don’t have to figure it out alone.
When I first started studying psychology, I thought emotional well-being meant feeling good most of the time. But I quickly realized it’s much more about how we deal with life’s ups and downs than avoiding them altogether.
In Belgium, nearly 1 in 3 people reported mental health struggles in 2024, and anxiety among young adults jumped by 14% in just one year (Sciensano, 2024). That’s not just a statistic, it’s a reminder that many of us are trying to stay afloat emotionally, and that we need accessible tools and spaces to help us do so.
So, What Is Emotional Well-Being?
It’s not about being perfect or happy all the time. It’s about being able to adapt, regulate your emotions, and seek support when needed. One campaign I found particularly inspiring is “Samen Veerkrachtig” (Together Resilient), a Belgian initiative launched to promote mental resilience. They talk about emotional flexibility, the ability to shift between problem-solving and emotion-regulation depending on the situation (Samen Veerkrachtig, 2024).
That idea stuck with me: it’s okay not to fix everything right away. Sometimes, just sitting with our feelings is part of healing.
The Small Things That Make a Big Difference
You don’t need fancy tools or hours of free time to care for your mental health. Practices like mindful breathing, grounding exercises, or simply journaling for five minutes a day can truly help. The NIH Emotional Wellness Toolkitexplains how these habits lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and improve emotional regulation over time.
What helped me most was learning that these coping skills aren’t about eliminating stress, but about helping your body and mind recover from it.
Why Support Groups Matter More Than We Think
Support groups offer something individual techniques can’t: connection. Feeling heard and understood by people who’ve been through similar things is powerful. It chips away at shame and isolation, two huge obstacles to emotional recovery.
A recent scientific review by Lloyd-Evans and colleagues (2021) showed that group activities — like learning about stress, practicing relaxation, or doing mindfulness together — can really help lower stress, anxiety, and even mild depression. So when we share simple coping skills in a group, it directly supports our emotional well-being in daily life.
But first—what’s the difference between individual therapy, group therapy, and support groups?
Individual therapy is a one-on-one space with a mental health professional. It helps you explore your emotions, behaviors, and experiences at a deeper level, guided by a trained therapist.
Group therapy, on the other hand, brings several participants together with a therapist. It’s structured and goal-oriented. The therapist helps guide the discussion, sometimes with specific exercises, to foster shared insight and growth.
Support groups are more informal. Often peer-led, they don’t follow a clinical structure, but offer a space to talk, listen, and feel less alone. They’re not therapy in the traditional sense, but the emotional relief and solidarity they provide are powerful tools for healing.
Mental Health Europe reports that peer-led groups can be just as effective as individual therapy when it comes to building resilience and learning practical tools (Group Therapy and Peer Support: Evidence and Practice). In Belgium, several hospitals that introduced peer resilience workshops saw fewer stress-related sick days, according to AGE Platform Europe(2024).
Even more informal settings, like “listening cafés” organized by communities, offer a space where people can show up without needing to perform or explain too much. That kind of space can be healing in itself.
Taking That First Step
If you’re curious, you don’t have to commit to a big group right away. Try a one-time session, or check out helplines like Tele-Onthaal (106) (Dutch) / Télé-Accueil (106) (French) or mental health resources in belgium via Expatica. You deserve support.
Emotional well-being isn’t about having it all together. It’s about knowing you don’t have to figure it out alone.
