Emotional wellness is one of the most difficult dimensions, that directly impacts all the other dimensions. Sometimes in order to work on the other areas of overall wellness, you need to be in a good emotional state.
It takes a lot of hard work, lots of practise, and will be something to work on for the rest of your life with up and down fluctuations. Keeping in your back pocket some easy tools to help you get back on track if chaos ensues, can make a world of difference.
Below are some things you can do to improve your emotional wellness on a regular basis!
Counselling - I am a HUGE enthusiast for counselling. I truly feel that every person could benefit from it, if even only a few times a year. It should almost be considered regular self-care, in my opinion. And yet, some people are so scared to even TRY it! You don’t have to have horrible, trauma, or be on the verge of a nervous breakdown to be able to benefit from a professional counsellor. Sometimes just getting a few things off your chest, to someone completely unbiased, in a safe and judgement free zone, is exactly what you need. Sometimes you just need a different perspective. Sometimes you just need a reminder of what you can and cannot control. Sometimes you just need clarity on your priorities. Sometimes you just need someone to call you out on your bull shit. Every single one of us has problems. Big or small, we all have them. Sometimes they can be too big to handle, or the little ones keep piling up, waiting for us to collapse. Some people are scared of counsellors, over fear of judgement, or coming falling apart. But guess what?! Counsellors don’t judge, and it’s not healthy to hold that emotion inside and NOT fall apart. You NEED to fall apart to rebuild. You need to be uncomfortable for growth. GROWTH IS UNCOMFORTABLE.
Not everyone has access to counsellors due to financial strain, or geographical location, but there are more options available today for these services than ever before, and hopefully with attention being directed towards the mental health crisis, there will be more in the future.
Saskatchewan itself has many great options for counsellors through the health region with Mental Health Outpatient Services, Catholic Family Services offers a “pay what you can” approach, there are now free mental health walk-in services expanding across the province, and of course there are private professionals that can sometimes be covered through medical insurance.
The hardest part of counselling, won’t be opening up to feel better, it will be finding a counsellor that is the right fit for you.
Breathing Exercises - whenever I feel a bit overwhelmed, I always remember to take a moment and breathe. Take the day one hour at a time, and take time to breathe. Breathing exercises have SO many benefits for your overall wellness like…. * helping relax by releasing tension/stress * increasing oxygen in your blood * Reducing blood pressure and heart rate * Improving muscle function * Helps support posture * Helps the body release toxins by stimulating the lymphatic system * Improves digestion * Increases energy * Decreases the chances of stroke by strengthening the cardiovascular muscles My favourite and go-to breathing exercise is simple, and fast. Breathe in for 5 seconds. Hold for 5 seconds. Breathe out for 5 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
Aromatherapy - Essential oils have been used for hundred of years, in many different cultures, as an alternate form of healing. Although no evidence base studies have fully proven their efficiency, some would say their healing benefits through aromatherapy, or topical treatment, speak for themselves.
Essential oils can stimulate the limbic system, which is a part of your brain that plays a role in emotions, behaviors, sense of smell, and long-term memory. It also controls heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.
Working alongside traditional therapies, essential oils have been known to aid in stress, anxiety, headaches or migraine relief, improve sleep quality, reduce Inflammation, and some even contain antibacterial properties.
Other uses include natural cleaning, laundry, or bug repellent products.
Journaling - Something very new to me, that has made a world of difference in helping me achieve emotional wellness. You don’t need to overthink it, just starting writing and let it flow. If you don’t have someone to talk to at a specific moment, journal. It will help you release your emotions, and release the painful tension. If you want to stay on track with hopes, dreams, and goals, journal. If you feel extremely grateful for the amazing things in your life, and you simply want to capture the moment to remember forever, journal. Some of the best conversations you will ever have, will be with yourself within your journal. It will force you to reflect on any given moment, and aid in clarity, before rash decisions or an overreaction. If you are new to journaling, there are several resources to get free journal prompts, that will ask you questions to fire up your thoughts and your communication with yourself. We will also be sharing some on this page as well regularly! Here is some for today! * how are you feeling physically/emotionally today? * What is one goal you wish to accomplish today? * What is one thing you are grateful for today? * How do you want to feel today? * What boundary do you want to enforce throughout the day * What is one thing you will do for yourself today? * What is something today that will bring you joy?
Meditation - the practise of mindfulness to achieve awareness, and a mentally clear, emotionally calm state.
I was first suggested meditation by my psychiatrist, when my anxiety was at an all-time high. She had explained the benefits such as
* Self awareness
* Stress management
* Increasing creativity
* Improving sleep quality
* Lowering heart rate and blood pressure
At first, I had ZERO desire to try it. It just seemed like a weird spiritual practise, that only super calm, zen, sickeningly positive people would practise. Then one day it hit me…what’s wrong with those kinds of people? Why can’t I be one of those people? Maybe my judgement of those people is exactly what’s wrong with me? Why do those kinds of people annoy me? Perhaps something inside me that is jealous of their inner peace? So from that point on, I decided to dive into, and be open minded to ALL kinds of practises that could potentially increase my overall wellness.
Meditation is HARD! Especially in this day and age, with massive amounts of stress and overstimulation, quieting the mind to be aware of its own intuition is freakin hard! But like they say, “a bad meditation is still better than no meditation”.
It doesn’t have to be ultra time consuming, there are so many guided meditations you can follow along with based on your every day needs, and the more you do it, the better you will get. Soon your body will CRAVE that relaxing down time.
I really enjoy the guided meditations from the @beachbody or @insighttimer app, and there are many free guided meditations on YouTube as well!
Just sit in a quiet space, make yourself comfy, close your eyes, and breathe. You will be surprised what will come into your awareness.
Sleep/Rest - Though sleep needs vary from person to person, most adults require between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. Yet, up to 35% of adults don’t get enough sleep. If getting less hours of sleep than your body needs, you are at risk of memory issues, weakened immunity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression to name a few.
Bottom line is, that not getting enough sleep can put your health and safety at risk, therefore getting not only enough hours of sleep, but QUALITY hours of sleep, is extremely important.
Physical Exercise - Some of the best things you can do for your physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness, is physical exercise, which offers benefits like... * Clears the mind and reduces stress * Improves sleep quality * Improves your memory * Reduces anxiety and depression * Increases generosity * Can create stronger social bonds when enjoyed with friends or partners * Lowers risk of heart disease * Improves balance and strengthens core * Boost bone density * Improves blood pressure and blood sugar levels So, unplug, get on a good pair of runners, stay hydrated, and move your body🤍
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