Emotional diet is important to life just as Balanced diet is. Emotional diet is what a person gets out of a relationship with other people. It is therefore important to note that correct practice of emotional diet becomes a key component to mental and emotional health. This paper focuses on relation between balanced diet and emotional diet.
A balanced diet contains all nutritional ingredients. This ingredients are; proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins. Without these nutritional components, the body would not function properly. Therefore, it is important to administer these nutritional components in a proper manner. Relationships are important for the heart, just as the balanced diet is important to the body. Without emotional diet, like that shown in relationships, one can end up having improper working of the mind. It is important to note that relationships are important ingredients in emotional diet. Other important ingredients are romance, monogamy and friendship.
The absence of nutritional substance, which is encouragement, can result to a person that does not have certain key ingredients to a well-rounded personality. It results to a self-centered person. A person cannot make a choice without proper guidance. This would be an equivalent of constantly feeding on meat and potatoes only. The person suffers intense blame and destructive criticism whenever he/she dares to eat anything else. One would begin to resent the strength they provide if not allowed to eat other food without being chastised. Therefore, imbalance in what one is fed emotionally will make one to attempt to nourish him or herself, through relationships that make him or her feel like he or she is capable and intelligent. It is therefore important to note that as one cannot do without food, it is also difficult for one to carry on without a relationship. Relationship is important to the mind and the body.
In dealing with relationships, each person requires certain level of independence. It is therefore vital that in a relationship, one should not totally depend on another person. It is as two flowers planted near each other competing for the nourishment in the soil. If they are too far away, they will lack any relationship. Without a balanced upbringing, a deficiency will occur. Balance in relating to others becomes incredibly difficult because of the competition that exists between the two. As soon as any trust is established, the unmet needs of a person will override and will naturally be very difficult for either party to handle. The solution is therefore to attempt to create a balance by looking on many people for the sustenance of a person’s needs, without overburdening any one individual. It is now clear that for one to stay in peace is to depend on many friends but not one. When one fails, there would be another friend to rely on. Referring back to the balanced diet, we can still relate its importance to the body with the importance of friends to someone.
Balanced diet draws a good picture also as we look at the emotional diet. Just as balanced is important to the body, so emotional diet is to the soul. For example, vegetables, meat, sweets and dairy products must be in right proportions in the diet, so that one can grow strong. This paper therefore proposes that emotional wants and needs must be in good proportions for a sound mind. Therefore, there must be a balance in their relationship.