Emotions and self-care can be very difficult to navigate. We need to be able to stop, reflect, and become aware of how we feel in each moment. According to the NIH “Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times.”
Depending on our individual situations, we may react differently at different times in our lives. So many of us are reactive to our emotions, which allows them to swing out of control. Or we stuff them until they create great inner turmoil. Emotions can be difficult to deal with: We want to bury them, numb them, or just avoid them altogether.
Burying or stuffing our emotions ensures that they will erupt in the wrong time and place. Numbing them with distraction, or maybe a little too much alcohol can result in repercussions far worse.
If either of these sounds like you, then try this instead: When we become aware of our emotions, observe them with curiosity. Do not judge them as good or bad. As we give pause to our feelings, we are more likely to identify our emotional triggers.
By sitting with our emotions, we learn to recognize patterns. We can learn to become more proactive than reactive.We gain insight and can utilize them as learning opportunities, rather than letting them control our lives.
Emotional Health Strategies
The NIH identifies 6 Strategies for caring for your emotions:
- Build Resilience
- Reduce Stress
- Get Quality Sleep
- Be Mindful
- Strengthen Social Connections
- Cope with Loss
As you may be starting to realize, a lot of physical and mental health strategies overlap to integrate our whole self, or Holistic Wellness.
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