5 Ways to Increase Your Emotional Wellness
What if I told you that nurturing your emotional wellness is not just a luxury but a necessity?
As a trauma surgeon, I’m intimately familiar with the demands of a high-stakes environment. Often, I find myself juggling countless responsibilities. From making split-second decisions at the hospital to providing compassionate care to patients and their families. Sometimes, it’s all too easy to neglect my well-being.
But consider this: prioritizing your emotional wellness doesn’t just enhance your ability to care for others—it also safeguards your wellness and sanity.
As healthcare professionals, we often pour our hearts and souls into our work, striving to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. Yet, in our goals to heal others, we sometimes forget to prioritize our own healing journey.
Emotional wellness isn’t just about managing stress or coping with the emotional toll of our profession. It’s about thriving amidst the challenges we face. It’s about recognizing that our well-being is not separate from the care we provide, but rather intricately intertwined with it.
When we neglect our emotional wellness, we risk burnout, compassion fatigue, and a diminished capacity to provide the quality of care our patients deserve.
In this post, I want to chat about the importance of emotional wellness. I’ll share five actionable strategies specifically targeted to support emotional well-being.
What is Emotional Wellness
Emotional wellness refers to maintaining a balanced and resilient state in our emotional lives. It involves understanding, accepting, and effectively managing our emotions. As well as nurturing healthy relationships and coping mechanisms to tackle life’s ups and downs.
I like to tie emotional wellness to clean living. It’s like making sure the emotional “diet” we consume is wholesome and nourishing.
Just as we choose fresh, unprocessed foods for our physical health, we aim for positivity and mindfulness in our thoughts, media consumption, and interactions for our emotional well-being. Looking for more information on clean living.
Emotional wellness encourages us to create a harmonious inner environment that extends to our relationships and surroundings. By nurturing a positive emotional landscape within ourselves, we contribute to a healthier, more vibrant world around us.
Consequences of Ignoring Emotional Wellness
Neglecting our emotional health can have profound consequences. Not only on our mental state but also on our physical health and overall quality of life.
Neglecting emotional wellness can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, and depression, creating significant challenges.
Strained relationships and decreased productivity are common consequences of ignoring emotional well-being.
By recognizing the interconnectedness of emotional and physical health, we can strive to prioritize emotional wellness as a fundamental aspect of our overall health and happiness, fostering resilience.
It will help with relationships, and enhancing our ability to navigate life’s challenges with grace and vigor.
Ways to Increase Your Emotional Wellness
1. Adopt a Mindful Practice
Adopting a mindful practice is a powerful way to enhance your emotional wellness. Mindfulness involves being fully present in the moment, acknowledging and accepting everything happening within and around you without judgment or resistance.
It’s about cultivating self-awareness and embracing the current situation for what it is. Here are some practical ways to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life:
Take Deep Breaths: When faced with frustration or stress, pause and take several deep breaths.
Schedule Mindful Moments: Set reminders throughout your day to pause and refocus your attention on the present moment.
Engage in Mindful Walking: Take a stroll outdoors and pay attention to your breath, the sights, and sounds around you. .
Practice Mindful Eating: Slow down and savor each bite of your meals. Pay attention to the flavors, textures, and sensations in your mouth.
Body Scan: Take a few moments to scan your body from head to toe, noticing any areas of tension, discomfort, or relaxation. Bring awareness to each part of your body, allowing yourself to fully experience the physical sensations present.
By incorporating these mindfulness practices into your daily routine, you can cultivate a greater sense of presence, peace, and well-being. This will help you foster emotional resilience.
2. “I Get to Attitude”
Shifting from an “I Have to” to an “I Get to” Attitude is a powerful way to transform your emotional well-being.
Instead of viewing tasks as burdens or obligations, reframing them as opportunities can bring a renewed sense of gratitude and purpose to your life. Here are some examples of how this mindset shift can manifest in daily life:
Work: Instead of dreading your daily tasks, approach them with gratitude for the opportunity to contribute and grow professionally. For example, rather than thinking “I have to attend this meeting,” shift to “I get to collaborate with my team and contribute to our shared goals.”
Home: When faced with household chores, view them as opportunities to create a comfortable and nurturing environment for yourself and your loved ones. Rather than saying “I have to do the laundry,” try saying “I get to provide clean clothes for my family, which is a privilege.”
Health: Rather than viewing exercise and healthy eating as chores, see them as opportunities to nourish and strengthen your body. Instead of thinking “I have to go to the gym,” shift to “I get to take care of my body and prioritize my health.”
Relationships: Approach interactions with loved ones with gratitude for the connection and support they provide. Instead of saying “I have to spend time with my family,” try saying “I get to spend quality time with the people I love and cherish.”
By embracing an “I Get to” Attitude, you can cultivate a greater sense of appreciation for the opportunities and experiences that life presents. This will lead to to increased resilience, fulfillment, and emotional well-being.
3. Self Regulation
Self-regulation is crucial for managing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, promoting well-being and effective functioning. It’s about controlling responses, particularly in tough situations, and navigating them with resilience. Here’s how to integrate this concept further:
Once you become self-aware of your felt/expressed/experienced emotions, the next step is mastering how to manage them effectively. This is particularly crucial when dealing with negative emotions, whether they arise from within or from interactions with others.
By practicing self-regulation techniques, such as impulse control, emotional management, and stress reduction, you can cultivate a sense of inner calm and respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.
For instance, when confronted with negativity in a conversation or interaction, remind yourself to stay in control and respond with respect and composure. Visualize yourself encountering negative events in your mind. Than simulate how you would react, allowing yourself to rehearse and prepare for challenging situations. Taking a deep breath not only provides more oxygen to your brain but also serves as a pause button. This gives you the opportunity to ground yourself and stay true to your moral compass. If needed, excuse yourself from the situation momentarily by taking a quick stroll. Even if it’s just to the bathroom, to regain your composure and perspective.
4. Self Awareness
Characteristics of someone who has self-awareness include the ability to focus on the positive in a situation, even when it may initially appear negative.
They can self-identify bad habits and recognize how these habits affect those around them. They are open to receiving genuine feedback from their boss and actively seek opportunities for personal growth. Additionally, they may keep a journal to track their thoughts and actions, helping them stay aligned with their personal values and goals.
On the other hand, characteristics of someone who lacks self-awareness include being constantly defensive and making excuses for their behavior. They may exhibit controlling behaviors such as micromanaging or bullying others, often without realizing the impact of their actions.
Additionally, they may struggle to identify or acknowledge their own emotions, leading to difficulties in understanding how their behavior affects those around them.
Developing self-awareness is an ongoing process that requires reflection and introspection. By increasing awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, we can better understand ourselves and our impact on others, leading to improved relationships and personal growth.
5. Practice Gratitude
Cultivate a habit of gratitude by regularly acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of your life. Keep a gratitude journal where you write down things you are thankful for each day, whether big or small.
Research shows that practicing gratitude can enhance overall well-being, increase resilience, and improve mental health by shifting focus away from negative thoughts and fostering a more positive outlook on life.
Instead of merely listing things like health or your home, dive deeper into why you’re thankful for them. For example, you might write, “I’m grateful for my health because it allows me to be active and explore new things with my husband.” Get specific about why each blessing brings you joy. Additionally, consider incorporating an unconventional aspect into your practice.
Reflect on someone in your life who may annoy you or with whom you’d like to improve your relationship, such as a sibling or parent-in-law. Include their name in your gratitude list and acknowledge something positive they bring into your life.
Over time, focusing on the good in your relationships can help diminish annoyances and foster greater appreciation. Remember, patience is key as you cultivate this habit.
