10 Tips To Practice Emotional Self-Care

Self-care comes in many forms. It doesn’t always mean spas, manicures, or bubble baths. I mean, there is no harm in that. You do you. However, the thing we would be discussing today is the important process of emotional self-care.

What is emotional self-care? You might ask. It is an important facet of your self-care practice. In simpler terms, emotional self-care is being mindful, identifying your feelings, and then moving forward in a way that honors these emotions.

 It becomes very important to address your emotional state; otherwise, feelings of angst, frustration, and guilt will follow. Unfortunately, it is something that doesn’t come naturally to us. We have to make a conscious effort to ensure our emotional well-being.

Self-care goes way beyond material aspects to include emotional depth as well. If we constantly push away our emotions, they hit us like a tornado. Hence, mastering your emotions in a healthy way becomes necessary. It will take time to develop but once acquired, you will feel more liberated.

Here are 10 easy and gentle ways to practice emotional self-care which might prove helpful for you:

Watch Your Mental Diet Plan

Your life will take a complete turn when you realize your diet isn’t just what you eat. Our bodies function based on the food we put into it. A similar mechanism applies to your mind. You are a culmination of thoughts, experiences, and situations you faced as an individual.

A mental diet consists of thoughts, pictures, and images you allow yourself to see. It refers to your actions, reactions, thought process, and how you perceive things.

To change anything, for instance- your work, your dating life, your familial life, or your happiness; you have to make a change in your mental diet.

If you focus to dwell on the negative, negativity will follow. Hence, a mental diet is crucial to bring about a change in your environment by completely shifting your mind-set.

You are your supervisor. You possess the control on your body. No amount of external influence can meddle with your brain’s ability to think. You have the strength to reject negative frequencies like- anger, guilt, dear, annoyance, melancholy, pessimism, and overthinking.

HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT A MENTAL DIET?

• Feed your mind continually. Inculcate positive emotions like love, serenity, passion, freedom, forgiveness, awe, and hope.
• Begin your journey to self-acceptance. This will eventually lead to increased self-awareness. The more aware you are; the better life gets. Check out our blog to read more on this: http://sociallydesi.com/how-to-accept-yourself-the-way-you-are/
• Start practicing gratitude, meditation, and journaling. It is the key to find your inner peace.
• Thinking is an automatic process, but with time and self-discipline, you will become more conscious about what goes inside your head.
• Try to choose your thoughts and reject those which cause unnecessary stress and resentment.
• Allow yourself to process your emotions instead of acting in the heat of a moment.

Be careful of your thoughts because your thoughts become your reality. It has the power to transform your life.

No More Self-Rejection

I am not going to lie but the reality is there is no shortcut way to escape the pain of self-rejection. Rejection is an integral part of our lives. Unless you want to mute yourself and sit alone in a corner. Rejection is necessary for your well-being.

However, self-rejection is the biggest curse you can bestow upon yourselves. Fear of rejection is a big issue for many people. So, when you stop rejecting yourself, this deeply entrenched fear also goes away itself.

Often, we act as our biggest critics. Self-judgement is a common form of self-rejection. When you walk past a group, do you feel all eyes are on you? are you afraid to try out your favorite lipstick in public? Do you have hidden talent but you are too shy to go forward with it?

Chances are- no one cares. By that, I want to highlight the fact that people are so engrossed in themselves that they do not pay attention to what you are doing.

This fear of rejection is what you have created yourself in your mind. It is trying to stop you from achieving the greatest heights. It hinders your growth by keeping you confined to your comfort zone.

Are you scared of facing rejection? I’d suggest you to face them. Are you scared of not passing the entrance exam? Are you under constant parental pressure? I’d suggest you give that exam anyway?

Are you scared of making big changes? I’d suggest you to embrace them heartily. Are you scared of what other people will think? I’d suggest you be yourself freely.

It is time to disconnect with your self-sabotaging patterns. Every time you successfully overcome your fear of rejection, you become one step closer to success.

One Day At A Time

Okay, so let’s play a quick game. Given below is a set of questions. Ask these questions to yourself. Answer yes or no.

Did a 1-hour workout?

Organized your room?

Went for a run?

Finished your assignment?

Did something productive?

Got out of your bed?

Changed your clothes?

If the majority of your answers come out to be yes, I am proud of you. You made progress. Good for you. You are on the right track. You are one step closer to your end goal.

 But what if your answers were mostly no? It’s completely fine. You are human. You deserve a break. With so many things going on around, we tend to get overwhelmed. Do not get caught up in the rush.

Start small. Take baby steps. Break your routine into smaller chunks and the chances of success will automatically increase. Reward yourself for the smallest of victories. This way your brain will elicit positive emotions. This will even lead to the realization that your efforts result in a positive reward.

Even if you have difficulty in beginning, have faith that you will come out of it.

Establish Clear Boundaries And Protect Them

Boundaries are limits we set with others to protect ourselves from being used, manipulated, or violated by others. They help you recognize and respect your strengths, abilities, and individuality in front of others.

In their absence, there are chances to get overridden, trampled, or invalidated by others. However, they aren’t as obvious as a giant with or a “no trespassing sign.” To make them clear, we need to communicate effectively and let other people where to draw the line.

We need to establish an agency over our space, feelings, and body. If you have difficulty saying no or are bothered with demanding, abusive and controlling behaviors, please speak up.

TYPES OF BOUNDARIES:

• Physical boundaries for our personal space.
• Mental boundaries for our mental well-being.
• Sexual boundaries for our bodies and sexuality.
• Emotional boundaries for our emotions and thoughts.
• Spiritual boundaries for our inner soul.
• Materialist boundaries for our stuffs and possessions.
• Ethical boundaries for culture, religion and ethics.

HOW TO ESTABLISH THESE BOUNDARIES?

• Learn to say ‘No’
• Be assertive
• Safeguard your space
• Stand up for yourself
• Talk about consent
• Make yourself a priority
• Be direct
• Seek help and assistance, if needed

Make Replacements

To make a change, you have to put in effort. The level and intensity of effort can vary according to your time and situation. However, you have to do something on your part.

Sitting there and wallowing in self-pity, ranting or whining on the smallest of things might seem like an easy option. But you have to remind yourself that real self-care requires replacements.

You are the only solution to your problem. External influences and people can support you to an extent. In the end, it is your will which will bring about a change.

Replace your toxic friends.

Replace your toxic relations.

Replace criticizing with gratitude.

Replace overthinking with action.

Replace whatever is holding you back.

A thing that prevents your growth is a thing you do need. Get rid of anything which drains your energy, makes you anxious, weighs you down. Do not engage in situations that are not in your interest. These things will only deter you from pursuing what makes you happy.

 Divert your attention to things you truly love doing and experience fruitful results. The ultimate goal is to move towards better things. Focus on more productive, satisfactory, and caring relationships that help you grown in life.

Look Forward And Envision

Your mental health will remain stagnant if you keep searching for happiness in the past. Stop looking out for toxic people and things in the same places you lost it. Stop dwelling on your past as it will only hold you back.

It is like reading the same chapter again and again while expecting the ending to change. Living in past is like a terrible, self-inflicting punishment. It is the biggest roadblock holding you from witnessing the glories of life. One bad chapter doesn’t mean the world is over.

Instead, focus on the upcoming things. Manifest and visualize things. Edit your thoughts and filter out everything which is holding you back. Seize the opportunities. Try to cultivate a belief system that brings your hope and optimism.

If you want something to dwell on, let it be the beauty of life. Bring about a change in your outlook towards life. There is so much more to life than your past experiences. If you fall seven times, stand up eight.

Create A Good Support System

Here, I am talking about- your social circle, the things you read, the things you see on your timeline, your influences etc.

We spend a significant part of the day on social media. So why not replace fake influencers with inspiring creators. Similarly, you are known by the company you live in. Surround yourself with people who educate, inspire, and motivate you to be the best version of yourself.

Your social circle should consist of people with no selfish agenda, who you can turn to, and who help you become your best self. Choose people who nurture you, encourage you, and like you for who you are.

Distance yourself from all sorts of negativity, pettiness, and shallowness. Read books that inspire you and teach you things you didn’t know. Listen to podcasts that help you grow. Acquire new skills. Explore new ventures. Take on challenges. Keep learning and moving forward.

Learn To Let Go

The art of letting go is the part where most people falter. Things will not always go on as you planned. Hence, it becomes necessary to embrace change. Clinging on the past experiences will do more harm than good.

It will be one of the best ways to heal. Stop holding on to your past behaviors, relationships, sorrows, bad times, and goals. I understand that holding on sometimes feels easier than letting go.

But after a time, you will be proud of your decision. Anything you lose while standing up for yourself is again. You will lose manipulators, abusers, attention-seekers, and narcissists in this process.

You won’t lose your real friends, real opportunities, and real relationships when you stand up for yourself. The sooner you realize it, the better.

Learn Your Lessons

Learn from your mistakes. Put what you have learned into practice. When confronted with a bad experience, analyze the lesson it is trying to teach you.

Learning from your mistakes won’t happen instantly- it will require a lot of reflection and thinking. Remember we all make mistakes. Learn to take your mistakes as lessons instead of failures. Errors and faults will not matter as long as you are moving forward.

Recognize your mistake. Forgive yourself. Apply what you learned.

It Is Okay To Not Be Okay

Last but not the least, it is okay to not be okay. Even if you did not achieve any of the above-mentioned things, it is okay. Remember to be persistent and keep trying. Take your time. Move at your phase. Do not bother to rush into things.

Developing consistency will be the roadmap to success.

You are allowed to fall. You are allowed to take a break. You are allowed to leave a situation. Do not feel pressured to accomplish all things at once. Do not engulf in guilt on days you do not make a progress.

Have faith in yourself and you will surely come out stronger.

Conclusion

10 tips to practice emotional self-care are:

• Try This Mental Diet Plan
• No More Self-Rejection
• One Day At A Time
• Establish Clear Boundaries And Protect Them
• Make Replacements
• Look Forward And Envision
• Create A Good Support System
• Learn To Let Go
• Learn Your Lessons
• It Is Okay To Not Be Okay

Take a deep breath. Accept every part of yourself. Practice emotional self-care. Flourish.

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