How is your emotional health these days? It seems there is a lot of stress out there as regular people like you are I try to figure out how to make it work in these financially challenging days. Are you aware of what your emotions are? How well are you dealing with stress, with disappointment, with loss, with anxiousness, with anger and other difficult feelings? Here are 8 tips you will find helpful in managing your emotional well-being:
1. Emotions can be quiet and out of your awareness if you are not paying attention. It is best to check in throughout your day to see what feelings are coming up. When you notice what you are feeling simply acknowledge and accept those feelings without judging.
2. Emotions are caused by thoughts you have in response to the circumstance of your life. If your thoughts tend toward blaming, complaining, self-doubt or fear your feelings will tend to be negative and unpleasant to handle. If your thoughts tend toward seeking solutions or enjoying challenges your feelings will be more positive.
3. Feelings are guideposts and serve a very positive purpose. If you are feeling poorly or negative about what is going on then it is time for a change in direction. If you are feeling positive and energized then you are heading in the right direction.
4. Feelings tend to be felt in the body. Your body is the place where emotions gather. If your body is feeling tight, low energy, or anxious then you probably have the bottled up emotions. The best way to release those emotions are to pay attention to them and express them in some constructive way like: conversations with friends who listen, exercise, writing about them, and feeling them, relaxing and letting them go.
5. Emotions inside of you belong to you not to anyone else. Take responsibility for what you are feelings. No one makes you feel anything, it is your thoughts in response to others and situations that cause your feelings. If you don’t like how you are feeling then change your thoughts.
6. Feelings are all ok; there are no good or bad feelings. Appreciate that you can feel because that means you are alive. Practice accepting all your feelings and appreciate them for telling you how you are doing.
7. Emotions can be difficult to express. Feelings like anger may feel scary to talk about but if they are shared with respect to those you are talking with then they can be heard in a receptive way. Feelings like hurt, sad, loving, joyous and most others can be shared in ways that are enriching for you and those that matter to you.
8. Feelings are often linked to your heart. You feel because you have a heart. Having a heart that is open allows you to feel love, caring, compassion and act with kindness. If you suppress your emotions, your heart will close down. If you express your emotions even the difficult ones your heart will remain open.
Emotions let you know very clearly you are alive so make it a daily practice to enjoy and embrace all you feel.