Happy new year from The Mind Spa! As we venture into this new season, we invite you to consider supporting your emotional well-being through the following tools and strategies discussed in this article. We hope you find these tips insightful! Feel free to share with a friend or family member who can also benefit from these resources.
Emotional Well-being: What exactly is it?
According to the CDC, “experiencing stress, isolation, loss or systemic social inequities is harmful to the health of Americans.”
Emotional well-being is a concept that is often misunderstood in our society today. One common misconception is that emotional wellness is only reflected through positive feelings or the state of “being happy.” While another is that emotions only affect our brains and not necessarily our bodies or our health. Both are inaccurate assumptions.
Our emotional well-being is defined by the ability to navigate and adapt to life’s changes in a way that fosters support and growth.
Over the past couple of years, we have learned that much of life’s circumstances are unpredictable and outside of our control. With this uncertainty, it is up to us to gather the necessary tools to navigate life’s stressors in a way that supports our emotional health.
Continue reading for three ways you can support your emotional health this upcoming year:
1) Take a balanced approach to your new year’s resolutions
The new year is undoubtedly a season of aspiration and goal-setting. The new year is when we dream big and draw inspiration to achieve new ways of being. To prevent unnecessary emotional stress or to not be too hard on yourself during this time, consider the following ways you can support your emotional well-being through this season:
- Set achievable goals and realistic expectations that will not set you off track
- Break up goals into micro-goals along the way and keep track of daily wins
- Document how far you have come through journaling
- Avoid the comparison trap of comparing your progress to someone else’s
- Celebrate your unique journey and extend yourself grace on the days that goals were not achieved or put on the back burner
- Give yourself the space to reassess your goals when necessary and pivot into a new direction that works for you
2) Work on removing judgment from your feelings
One thing we all have in common is that we all go through various emotions on any given day, week, or season. It is important to remove judgment from experience regarding emotional well-being. Whether frustrated, defeated, elated, or confused, the benefit lies in allowing those feelings to come as they are and not taking them in as a permanent stamp of character. Here are some ways to remove emotional judgment:
- Allow yourself the space to feel uncomfortable emotions when they arise
- Resist the urge to dismiss or avoid feelings of discomfort
- Feel free to explore complex and overlapping emotions without labeling them
- Remind yourself that all emotions are temporary
- Avoid discouragement when times are rough by acknowledging the difficulties within the challenges
3) Take pride in building & fostering your personal support system
It takes a village…
Oftentimes, when we look for inspiration, it’s easy to become inspired by an individual’s story or fixated on a picture-perfect result. It’s much more difficult (or many times impossible) to pull back the curtains to become aware of all the moving parts that make said achievement possible.
When it comes to emotional wellness, it can become very overwhelming if we believe that we have to do it all alone. Whether it is a goal or overcoming an unforeseen life challenge, it can be easy to compare ourselves to others and underestimate all the moving parts that make progress possible. Some way to support your emotional wellness is by building a support team around you. Here are some ways to do it:
- Talk to someone you trust when you are going through a difficult time
- Join a support group in person or virtually
- Become a part of a group that brings balance to your schedule (such as yoga, meditation, etc.)
- Join a community that shares like-minded values
- Seek out a mentor, advisor, or counselor
- Choose a therapist that meets your needs
When we develop the skills and gather the necessary tools to support our emotional well-being, we set ourselves and those around us up for success. Over time life’s bumps on the road become less like unsurmountable mountains and more like minor speed bumps.
At the Mind Spa, we believe cultivating a healthy mind is an integral part of cultivating a healthy life. We hope you, too, can benefit from prioritizing your emotional well-being.
