Healthy Emotional Self Care

Our own care is so important… often overlooked and down played, but so important. Our emotional health is not something to be taken lightly…. Often enough we are so ready to help others out and be that support for people that need it or a shoulder to rest on, but often overlook ourselves. I know I do, I quite often put myself after others and sometimes it is good, but there are quite a few times that doing this backfires in my face.

 

So I wanted to share a list of tips and reminders… reminders that are so important. Reminders so you don’t forget to put yourself first sometimes. It’s not always selfish, it’s necessary. I have collected them over time to remind myself when the going is rough or I’m not feeling too good. Don’t feel bad to take care of yourself. You deserve it and all the love! Remember you cannot pour from an empty cup. You must nourish yourself as well to flourish and grow!

 

1. Learn to know your own personal emotions. Know what is best for you in the long run and become in-tune with how you are feeling. Know how to react to things around you as well, if they make you feel a certain way and do what is best and what will make you feel the most at peace in the long run. If that means turning something down or saying no in a situation that is okay. You do you!
2. Be aware of your language with yourself. The way you speak to yourself, the way you think of yourself, what goes on inside your head…. Be aware and learn how to talk back to the negative thoughts and words. Stand up for yourself even if it is standing up against yourself. We need to be our strongest ally, but most often enough we can become our worst enemy with all the back talk. Learn to become aware of that and fight back to the negativity.
3. Learn to say yes to/for yourself. Don’t feel bad about giving yourself the ability to do things if they are best for you. You can give yourself grace and cut the slack as well. We are often WAY too hard on ourselves and that has to stop…… So it’s okay to tell yourself yes and be positive instead of always pushing and being hard on ourselves.
4. Setting boundaries for and even with yourself is totally fine. Share those with others around you too and stand by those boundaries. Don’t let others try to push them or make you feel bad about them. If they are what make you feel better, and calm, and secure in yourself then they are completely fine. You do you and other people can do them.
5. Gratitude…. Journal about it, make daily lists, but take the time to be thankful. When we take the time to count our blessings for all the wonderful things we have we realize how great our life actually is. Taking the time to acknowledge all the good things really can help calm us. Keep a gratitude journal of all the blessings and things that get you through the day. The little and the big things you are so thankful to have.
6. Take the time to explore or grow your creative side! This could be any type of art, music, dancing… anything. When we give ourselves some time out of our hectic life to create something lovely it’s like a breath of fresh air. We get to make something beautiful and create a beautiful environment around that moment too! Enjoy that special moment and don’t rush it for anything.
7. Give yourself some breather breaks; take some rest if you need to! Resting is not stopping, no resting is taking the time you need to recharge before heading right back into the day with even more to give. So if you need to sit down for a bit, find a quiet place to relax, even lie down… do it! Take some you time and some time to recharge. You deserve it!
8. Be compassionate with yourself and allow yourself to make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get everything right the first time. No one is perfect and often the people we label as “perfect” are just sharing the highlights of their lives, we don’t see behind the scenes when they are struggling like every other human out there.
9. Take the time to enjoy life! To live each moment and be in the moment. Don’t get so overwhelmed with stressors you get tunnel vision and miss out on all the exciting things happening in life! Schedule and even make time if you need to, to just fully enjoy and be in the moment.
10. Don’t let others make you feel bad for how you are feeling and who you are…. You do you! You should not be apologizing or explaining to others why you are a certain way to make yourself seem less “weird”. No live you life proudly and passionately and the real people will be drawn to you. Don’t EVER apologize for how you are feeling or let anyone belittle how you feel. Everyone is allowed to feel and go through their process and emotions on their time and how they need to. Too often we feel we have to be cookie cutters and when we stand out we suddenly get self-conscious and start back tracking and apologizing. NEVER DO THAT!
11. Accept yourself. Learn to be your best friend and happy with you. Then you will be untouchable, but also so happy in life. You are amazing and capable of so much! Each of us is unique in our own ways and we should learn to love ourselves and all the fun things that make us…. Us!

 

These are just a few reminders I tell myself from time to time. We all have days when we struggle a bit more than usual or are more burnt out than usual, but that’s because we’re human. Life throws us curve balls sometimes and if we learn to be secure and our own best friend and ally we can face better what life sends our way! Remember we have to flourish before we help nourish others and we can’t until we nourish ourselves. An empty cup cannot pour any water and a burnt out person can’t be fully there and in the moment because they are in a daze and not themselves completely. Take care of yourself and know that you are incredibly worthy! Xoxo

Happy Monday!

S’Agapo

 

 

 

Some ideas loosely taken from: https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/22-ways-practice-emotional-self-care-letting-go/