In your pursuit of wellness, your emotional and mental wellbeing are paramount.

Emotion: An internal instinctive state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort. – The Oxford Dictionary

The reason I wanted to define the word ’emotion’ is because numerous persons may not be fully aware of what the term truly means. In fact, your emotions are usually triggered by events or interactions but can also be based on personal attitudes or beliefs. As such, actively implementing emotional ideas for self-care will substantially increase your happiness, productivity, self-esteem, and energy.

On the other hand, herein also lies the solution to decreasing stress, anxiety and the likelihood of developing toxic coping habits.

Undeniably, our self-care activities should be specific to our own personal health and lifestyle. However, some fundamentals that should never be ignored.

Initially, implementing these ideas for self-care may not be easy. But, your effort will certainly be worth it.

Now, let me share with you how these ideas for self-care can greatly improve every aspect of your life. Read on to be enlightened…

Practical Emotional Self-Care Ideas 

Emotional self-care ideas are the perfect activities for anyone looking for concrete steps they can take today to improve their personal wellness.Emotion self-care ideas include: 

• Developing self-love.
• Improving self-confidence. 
• Reading.
• Journaling.
• Spending time alone.
• Having a plan.
• Laughter.
• Relaxation.
• Escaping technology.
• Having healthy hobbies.
• Feeding your friendships.
• Consider psychotherapy. 

1.Self-love is emotional self-care

The best place to initiate your emotional self-care journey is by really evaluating how you perceive yourself. Despite your imperfections, it’s important that you love yourself unconditionally.

Start by repeatedly reminding yourself of your good qualities and actively avoiding comparing yourself to others. 

Additionally, recognize and value your self-worth and ensure that you are always treated with respect. Establish your own boundaries, particularly those that allow you to remain true to yourself.

Don’t be imprisoned by past failures but continue to work on your personal development. More importantly, continually forgive yourself and give yourself the love and attention you deserve.

In summary, value your own happiness and hold yourself in high regard. Never ever underestimate the power of self-love.

Read also: 4 Powerful steps to finally overcome self-blame.

"Self-care is knowing your emotional triggers and not surrounding yourself with energies that deliberately provoke them." - Unknown

2.Confidence is powerful for emotional wellness

Confidence is contagious. The power that it has on your social and professional relationships and self-esteem will likely lead to immeasurable improvement in your physical and mental health.

However, for most of you, there will be days or occasions when your confidence and self-esteem are low. That’s why I love this speech by Amy Cuddy “fake it till you become it.”

However, I believe it’s important that I highlight that this statement does not mean that you should actively hide negative emotions. 

However, it does emphasize that small changes, especially if they are intentional will make a huge difference over time. I personally tried this myself and can attest to the fact that it really does work.

Do you lack confidence at work? Speak into your life and convince yourself that you are confident, then pretend to be confident at work. Eventually, without even realizing it, confidence will become effortless.

Read also: 7 Physical self-care ideas to practice daily. 

3.Exercise your mind with reading

I’m sure you all know that reading increases your knowledge and imagination. However, reading can also aid in preventing cognitive decline, helps manage stress, and improves sleep. 

In fact, reading is a great way to calm down while being entertained. So, I believe that’s more than enough reason for you to increase the amount of time you spend reading.

4.Reaping the benefits of journaling

Reflection is a powerful idea for self-care that will increase knowledge and improve performance. It enhances communication skills and well-being, particularly after stressful events.

Additionally, journaling improves sleep and cognitive skills (Baikie and Wilhelm, 2018). It’s a great way to track your progress, evaluate your thoughts and release all your mental baggage.

5.Time in solitude will boost emotional wellness

It would help if you spent a little bit of your time alone, daily. Doing this will definitely relax those nerves and will keep your mind and body rejuvenated.

While you are unwinding in solitude, you can reflect on everything you did throughout the day and what you can do to improve your future.

It is a very effective idea for self-care and will likely improve your productivity and mood.

Make self-care paramount, even if it means saying ‘no’ to others.

“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.” - Jean Shinoda Bolen

6.Have a plan and get organized

I don’t know about you, but I instantly feel stressed when everything is disorganized, especially if I don’t have a plan.

Being organized in your professional, financial, and personal life can greatly improve your mental health by helping you feel more in control and focused. 

Use this link to discover 16 coping strategies to deal with difficult situations.

This doesn’t mean that everything needs to be done or that you need to be obsessed with organization.

However, decluttering and having a SMART plan in place will definitely reduce the number of things you think about at any given moment throughout the day. So, get organized and save some brain space.

Read also: How to create a personal wellness plan. 

7.Laughter is the best medicine

When is the last time you had a good laugh? Laughter is the fastest way to improve your mood and decrease your stress levels. 

Try to do something that makes you laugh every day. According to research, laughter increases the intake of oxygen, improves your circulation, and aids in muscle relaxation; resulting in improved functioning of your organs, and stress and tension relief. 

Also, laughter has numerous long-term benefits such as improving immunity and relieving pain (Mayo Clinic, 2019). Laughter is enjoyable and healthy, so why not intentionally incorporate it into your schedule?

8.Relaxation is important for emotional wellness

For this to have optimal benefit, you need to discover what truly relaxes you. Is it lying down cuddled up, taking a nap, a warm bath, meditation, enjoying some fresh air, or reading?

Unfortunately, sometimes it may be hard to put away the ‘To do’ list and make relaxation habitual.

However, this time will provide a perfect opportunity to recharge or reflect and will substantially boost your energy, mood, and concentration. As such, when it’s time to head back to your tasks, you’ll likely be much more productive.

“Find three hobbies you love: one to make you happy, one to keep you in shape, and one to be creative.” – Anonymous

9.Escaping technology to protect your emotional wellness

Undeniably, technology has numerous benefits. However, its negative effects should not be overlooked. Technology can be very distracting and addictive. We are all aware of how physically straining it can be on the eyes.

However, prolonged screen time will likely decrease physical activity and can affect your self-esteem and sleep. You can start by avoiding technology just after waking up and before bed.

Although social media is meant to increase engagement and interaction, studies have shown that it can lead to a greater incidence of social isolation particularly among young individuals (Primack et al., 2017).

Thus, a little intentional escape from technology is an emotional idea for self-care that will likely be very beneficial to your mental and physical health.

Read also: Screen time for kids: 8 tips to win full control. 

10.Stay in touch with your hobbies

It’s great to stay in touch with the things that you enjoy or even to learn new activities. Having a hobby, you enjoy will increase your self-esteem, creativity, while concurrently easing stress. It’s also a sure way to add some fun to your life and minimize toxic habits.

Some hobbies can have a directly positive effect on your health, professional and personal life.

If you’re looking to get a new hobby, think about the things you love doing now or the activities you enjoyed in the past.

In fact, there are even hobby assessments that can help you make the choice. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s something you enjoy and will improve your quality of life.

11.Friendships are important for emotional wellness

When it comes to ideas for self-care, social circles should not be overlooked. However, as you get older and have a family of your own, it becomes quite easy to lose contact with your friends.

But, even if you’re the biggest introvert, it makes a world of difference when you know that you have someone to talk to that truly knows and understands you.

Loneliness can have a significantly negative impact on your health. In fact, it’s really surprising how lonely someone can become even though they’re surrounded by so many persons.

Even if you are married, there are things that you will go through that your best friend may understand much more than your spouse.

Quality relationships are important and should be nurtured. As such, try to reach out to your friends regularly, just to keep in touch.

It can be a great way to stay entertained while adding value to your life. Of course, I’m not talking about toxic people that need to be avoided at all costs.

"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." - Jack Kornfield

Your relationships have short-term and long-term effects on your behavior, mental and physical health. Studies show that persons with fewer social relationships have shorter live expectancies. Even if you already have a health issue, social interactions may still decrease your mortality risk.

The theory is that social interaction influences decision-making and behavior. The additional support may increase your value and perception of life, cognitive improvement, and sense of responsibility. 

Also, social associations may directly improve your health by boosting the immune, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems (Umberson & Montez, 2010).

12.Psychotherapy will improve your emotional wellbeing

Last but definitely not least, always remember to seek professional care and advice when you have any doubt or concern.

Just as a physical disease, mental illnesses also warrant professional help and guidance. This does not always mean that you need pharmacotherapy but in most cases, counseling will likely be beneficial.

If you suffer or believe you may have a mental illness, get the help you need to improve your well-being.

Unfortunately, the majority of persons affected by a mental illness never get the support they need either because of stigma, prejudice, cultural influences, and the lack of knowledge or resources. 

However, you deserve to be happy and healthy so never be shy or ashamed to get professional help.

Final words on emotional ideas for self-care

The next time you decide to neglect your own self-care, especially for a prolonged period, consider how this may affect your quantity and quality of life in the long run.

These self-care ideas do not require a lot of money nor resource to be effective but it’s the surest way to add YEARS and VALUE to your life. 

Even if you choose to only implement one strategy to get started, stay committed to prioritizing yourself. Choose one small area in your life that you will actively work on improving.

Make your goal specific, track your progress, remain self-disciplined and hold yourself accountable.

You just received a great overview of the emotional ideas for self-care. This will go a long way in improving your overall health. However, the persons who really value themselves, as they should, will want to take it to the next level ASAP.

I have a feeling that you’re one of those people. And that’s why I suggest you start implementing these ideas for self-care right now.

Related topics

Why is self-care important?

The importance of self-care can’t be overstated. When we take care of ourselves, we become better versions of ourselves and we are able to offer the best versions of ourselves to those around us.

You’re busy. We get it. But if you don’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of others?

Self-care is a gift you give yourself and others. Read more

How can I improve my spiritual wellness?

It can be difficult to improve your spirituality when there are so many distractions and obstacles in the way.

However, your spirituality is an important dimension of personal wellness than shouldn’t be ignored.

Here we explore some ways you can find peace in your daily routine and still maintain a healthy lifestyle overall. Read more

References

Baikie, K., & Wilhelm, K. (2005) Emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 11(5), 338-346. doi:10.1192/apt.11.5.338

Mayo Clinic (2019) Stress management. Available here: Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S.

Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., Colditz, J. B., Radovic, A., & Miller, E. (2017). Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S. American journal of preventive medicine, 53(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.01.010

Umberson, D., & Montez, J. K. (2010). Social relationships and health: a flashpoint for health policy. Journal of health and social behavior, 51 Suppl(Suppl), S54–S66.