- Christine Angelica
12 Self-Care Habits For Emotional Health
It's amazing how well some mini-habits work. People who are good at managing their lives are good at taking care of their emotions. As humans, you and I are emotional beings. The better we feel, the better we'll do.
If you practice the right combination of habits will get better at decision-making, discipline, eve You can improve your emotional health by especially for emotional health. stack up, you'll notice your emotional resilience, focus, and motivation improve.
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RECOMMENDATION: Choose 3-5 Habits
CHALLENGE: One Week
DAILY ROUTINE: 45 Minutes
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1. Reach out and hug someone
A hug can reduce cortisol, which is one of the better-known stress hormones. Touch, it turns out, deactivates the part of the brain that responds to threats. Touch also releases oxytocin which has a calming effect on us.
2. Have a daily walking routine
Walking boosts your metabolism and counteracts the effects of weight-promoting genes. It is also a great stress reliever. If you worry you don’t have time to work out, you can pair another activity with your daily walking routine. I listen to my favorite Podcasts, plan out content, and chat with distant friends and relatives during my walks. These habit stacks make walking something I look forward to, and don't usually need to talk myself into doing. For deep transformative benefits from walking, do it every day. It doesn’t matter so much how many miles you walk or for how long, what matters most, is that you make walking the habit of walking daily. Okay, you want to at least walk for 5 minutes.
3. Get some fresh air every day
Fresh air helps the airways of your lungs to dilate more fully and helps you to get more oxygen into your lungs. It improves your heart rate, your blood pressure, and is very good for your mental health. Fresh air in your lungs also helps you to feel more energetic.
4. Keep up your appearances
We get a self-esteem boost when we care for our bodies and our appearances. Taking care of your hair, nails, and skin, is a psychological signal that you matter. And that is a good calming feeling.
5. Unplug at least an hour before bed
Our brains need time to unplug. when you get into the habit of putting your phone in Do Not Disturb mode an hour before, your “brain” will come to recognize when it’s time to shut off every day. That in and of itself has potentially huge and positive implications for your wellbeing, as it helps you get a better night's sleep, it helps your brain create memories and
6. Plug into positive content
There are TV channels, podcasts, social media feeds, and websites dedicated to positive news, uplifting messages, comedy, and impactful content. A few we like are Good News Network, The Skimm, Comedy Central, and Goodniks podcast. Consume more positive content so that your entertainment not only entertains but leaves you feeling positive too.
7. Netflix and Chill
Tune into non-commercial TV for your entertainment. On Netflix and many premium-content channels, you have more control over what you watch and you reduce the noise and psychological manipulations of advertising. “Netflix and Chill” even have a good ring to it.
8. Play Music
Music is scientifically proven to uplift and improve well-being. It can help you concentrate while you work or study. And research has found that listening to and playing music increase the body’s production of the antibody immunoglobulin (a key factor in the body’s immune function) and reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
9. Use scented lotions and candles
Scents are one of the simplest ways to feel better making them a great way to self-care. Rosemary, lemon, lavender, cinnamon, pine, and rose scents each have their own effect on our senses (calming or invigorating, for example) and each has unique beneficial properties.
10. Take 10 to Zen
Now I know that when I mention taking time to do this thing or that, some of you think you have to find time you don’t have. But taking 10 minutes to Zen, can be done while you’re doing something else. For example, your 10 minutes of Zen can be done during your nightly skincare routine.
11. Go to bed by 11
Many of us are natural night owls but are you effective? If your schedule isn’t working for you, then it’s working against you. Going to bed by 11:00, works with your brain to repair cells and form healthy new neural pathways.
12. Check in with yourself throughout the day
We get so busy that a bad mood can sneak up on us. That’s because we haven’t learned to self-regulate. Andrea Bell from GoodTherapy.org has a great definition of self-regulation: It’s “control of oneself by oneself.” When you get into the habit of checking in with yourself at least a couple of times a day, you can take care of your needs in time. Overlooked physical and emotional needs can cause us to be reactive and lose control. By making time to tune in to how you’re feeling, you can sooner take care of yourself.