A holistic self-care regime includes many facets. Todays blog article will focus on the importance of emotional self-care. I will outline 5 ways in which you can try incorporating emotional self-care into your life today.
The list is not exhaustive, these 5 tips are just the main emotional self-care strategies that I have personally tried, have learned about in my education and career and have encouraged my clients to try.
1. Therapy
I believe that seeking professional help is an essential step in incorporating emotional self-care into our lives. Therapists offer a safe space to explore emotions, provide tools to manage stress, and guide us toward emotional healing. Feeling heard and understood can significantly alleviate emotional distress and foster a sense of emotional validation, which is crucial for promoting self-acceptance and emotional healing.
Seeing a therapist allows you space to talk with someone in a confidential and non-judgmental environment whereby you can freely express your thoughts, emotions, and concerns without fear of scrutiny or criticism.
Trained therapists possess knowledge and skills to guide people through complex emotional challenges, offering valuable insights and evidence-based techniques to manage stress, anxiety, and other emotional struggles.
Therapy sessions provide space for us to start a journey of emotional healing and personal growth. Through introspection and self-reflection, we can identify underlying emotional patterns, traumas, and unresolved issues that may be hindering our emotional well-being.
Engaging in therapy also promotes self-awareness, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of our emotional triggers, behavioral patterns, and thought processes. This heightened self-awareness can empower us to make conscious choices that align with our unique emotional needs and values, leading to enhanced emotional intelligence.
2. Journaling
Journaling is a powerful and accessible tool that can significantly contribute to our emotional well-being and overall self-care practice.
Journaling serves as a safe and private outlet for processing and expressing complex emotions. Through writing, we can freely articulate our thoughts, feelings, and experiences without the fear of judgment or repercussions. This process of emotional release can be cathartic for some of us, and can foster a sense of clarity.
Regular journaling promotes self-reflection, enabling us to gain deeper insights into our emotions, behaviors, and thought patterns. By recording our experiences and reactions, we can identify recurring emotional triggers, underlying anxieties, and patterns that may be hindering our emotional well-being.
Engaging in journaling can help reduce stress levels as we are able to unload our worries onto the page, not ‘bothering’ anyone else and not feeling embarrassed by overthinking. In fact, journaling can really help in preventing rumination and overthinking, leading to a more relaxed and clear-headed mindset.
Journaling can also be great for problem-solving and goal setting, allowing space to identify challenges, brainstorm solutions, and set realistic objectives for emotional growth and development. It can also be a form of creative expression, through writing and drawing.
3. Acknowledge and express your feelings
I of all people can attest to the fact that suppressing emotions can lead to prolonged emotional distress and cause of lot of unnecessary pain. Learning to acknowledge and express feelings in a healthy manner is an important emotional self-care practice.
Acknowledging emotions involves recognising and accepting the validity of our own feelings without judgment or self-criticism. By acknowledging our true emotions, we can validate our experiences and cultivate a sense of self-acceptance and understanding.
Expressing emotions in a healthy and constructive manner allows us to release pent-up feelings and prevent emotional stagnation. Whether through verbal communication, creative outlets, or physical activities, expressing emotions can serve as a cathartic process, enabling a sense of relief of emotional tension.
Acknowledging and expressing emotions facilitates effective communication, enabling us to better articulate our feelings and needs more clearly and assertively. When we express ourselves authentically, we allow the opportunity for more transparent communication in our relationships, fostering a deeper understanding and connection with others.
On the other hand, when we suppress our emotions, it can lead to increased stress levels and emotional distress. I never realised how supressing my emotions had such a great impact on not only my emotional health, but my physical health and relationships with others. I then read the book ‘When the body says no’ and was shocked at the improvement I felt once I stopped suppressing my emotions.
Embracing our emotions encourages self-awareness, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of our emotional triggers, behavioural patterns, and internal thought processes. This enhanced self-awareness also helps us to be more effective practitioners in the helping profession, not only for clients, but for improved collegial relationships and a sense of direction in our career.
4. Setting boundaries
Establishing clear boundaries is a vital aspect of emotional self-care, it enables us to protect our mental and emotional well-being, both in our personal and professional lives.
Setting boundaries allows us to conserve our emotional energy and avoid emotional exhaustion. By identifying limits on personal commitments, responsibilities, and social interactions, we can prioritise our well-being and prevent emotional burnout.
Setting and enforcing boundaries can help to cultivate a sense of self-respect and self-worth. By communicating our needs and limits assertively, we can demonstrate a healthy level of self-esteem. This also works to demonstrate to others (like our clients) why their emotional well-being is a priority and how they can safely put boundaries in place themselves.
Having clear boundaries can prevent the build-up of resentment and emotional strain in relationships. By setting expectations and communicating limits effectively, we can prevent the feeling of being taken advantage of or overlooked.
Setting boundaries facilitates better decision-making, as it allows us to prioritise our emotional well-being and make choices that align with our values and goals. When we recognise our own boundary limits, and respect our emotional needs, we can achieve a greater sense of emotional wellbeing, more fulfilling and balanced life.
When it comes to relationships, either personal or professional, establishing clear expectations and limits from the get go can foster a greater sense of emotional equilibrium, safety and harmony within the relationship.
Setting boundaries also creates space for us to allocate time to the things that bring us joy, help us feel calm or allow us space to grow as individuals. I mean, overall – setting boundaries is huge! I never did this when I was younger and I regret it! I was always scared (because I was a people pleaser) to say what I needed or even say no to things. This is still a struggle for me sometimes, but it is soooo worth it!
5. Self-compassion
Cultivating self-compassion involves treating ourselves with kindness and understanding during challenging times. It allows us to acknowledge our imperfections without self-judgement, fostering a nurturing and supportive internal dialogue.
Yes, I know this one is a tough one for most of us. I still struggle with this, but practising self compassion and kindness has honestly lead to a much easier life! You would be surprised how much energy and time we put into hating ourselves and the flow on impact that has in our life. If I could give you just one piece of advice in life, especially as a woman, it is to learn self-compassion!
Practicing self-compassion fosters emotional resilience, enabling us to navigate difficult situations with a sense of inner strength and self-assurance. By acknowledging our own struggles and responding with self-kindness, we can develop a more positive and nurturing mindset.
Self-compassion serves as a powerful antidote to self-criticism, negative self-talk, self-doubt and imposter syndrome! By cultivating a compassionate internal dialogue, we can counteract self-destructive thoughts and replace it with self-acceptance and understanding. This shift in internal narrative promotes emotional well-being and cultivates a more positive and nurturing relationship with ourselves.
It can also lead to greater empathy and understanding toward others. By developing a compassionate and nurturing attitude toward ourselves, we can extend the same level of understanding and empathy to those around us, both personally and professionally, fostering more meaningful and authentic relationships.
Self-compassion promotes personal growth and our mindset. When we approach personal challenges with self-kindness and understanding, we can embrace the opportunities for growth and development that come with difficult experiences.
Practicing self-compassion has been linked to improved mental health outcomes, including reduced levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. If you are interested in learning more about this, I would highly encourage you to read ‘Self-Compassion: Step by Step’ by Kristin Neff.
Incorporating emotional self-care into a holistic self-care strategy is paramount for achieving overall well-being and fostering emotional resilience. By prioritising practices things such as therapy, journaling, expressing emotions, setting boundaries and self-compassion, you can develop solid emotional wellbeing.
The examples that I have provided in this article are not exhaustive, but I can personally attest to the impact of each of them. Over the years, I have practiced journaling, seen a Psychotherapist, practised self-compassion, developed personal boundaries and stopped suppressing my emotions. I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t have at least tried everything on this list!
Please remember that nurturing emotional well-being is an ongoing process that requires patience, commitment, and a deep understanding of yourself. It can be scary at first and the fears that come up from this are normal.
If you would like some support around this, I provide online holistic wellness coaching for women. Click here if you want to arrange an online session with me.
