10 Simple Practices That Transform Your Emotional Health
Our emotions are everything. When you feel anger, anxiety, stress, or depression, everything else in your life follows that pattern. When you feel joyful, motivated, and uplifted, everything else in your life follows that pattern.
Your emotions make your life.
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So, why are we all so focused on food, supplements, diet books, to-do lists, social media, etc., and not focusing on feeling good? I don’t know why we do this! I did it for years myself, too. I was sick and kept trying to “fix” myself with physical things – diet changes, supplements, exercise, etc. But, my root problem wasn’t physical. It was that I felt stressed, anxious, and overwhelmed more than happy. So, stressful diet changes (among other things) were just making it worse.
If we can slow down enough to focus on feeling happy, life changes.
Rather than thinking, “what would make me healthiest right now?” (because that usually comes with some added stress of not eating the food you crave, canceling dinner plans with friends, your kids feeling sad they can’t indulge in birthday party food, having to go into debt over expensive supplements, etc.), try thinking, “what would make me HAPPIEST right now?”.
And, guess what happens when you simply focus on making yourself happy? You reach that level of health you’ve been so desperately grasping for. Because, in the end, don’t they really go hand in hand? If you aren’t happy, does health really even matter that much? You can’t be miserable AND happy. They don’t co-exist.
Joy Is Your Natural State
As humans, we are wired to seek out pleasure and joy. When we are in the flow of happiness, our lives seem to smooth out. Health comes naturally.
“I’ve decided to be happy because it’s good for my health.”
–Voltaire
If you have been on the rollercoaster of finding the “perfect” diet, losing the extra weight, achieving “perfect” health, getting out of debt, etc., then it might be time to simply focus on your emotional wellness for a while. After bringing joy back into your life, your life is guaranteed to improve.
When we feel good, we thrive. Don’t miss out on the joy that’s already in your life. Happiness is here, available to you today. It’s not off in the distance for when you lose the weight, get the new house, etc. You can align yourself with a joyful life today. Best part is, it’s way easier than you think.
So, just for today, drop the rules and pressures you’ve put on yourself. Give yourself a break. Go have fun instead. See how you feel afterwards, and let me know.
10 Simple Daily Practices That Support Emotional Wellness
Don’t feel like you need to incorporate all of these into your life. Pick one or two that speak to you, and try them a couple days a week. Remember, this isn’t about being “perfect”, this is about being happy.
1. Daily Gratitude. Gratitude is one of the most powerful healing emotions ever. Feeling gratitude for things you already enjoy in your life is the quickest way to open the door to the new things you want. Every morning before even getting out of bed say (outloud is best) 3 things you are grateful for. Every night, right before falling asleep, say 3 things you were grateful for that day. This is a fun, energy-shifting activity to do with your spouse. It’s also a great habit to start with children.
2. Let Go of Outside Stress. We all pick up lots of stress and negative energy from the world around us. I see this with clients all the time when I release absorbed trapped emotions. This can be the stressed feeling you “pick up” after going to a crowded grocery store, or the grief you feel after a friend tells you a sad story. This negative energy can bring your happiness level down quick, and it’s important to release it daily. Each evening, you can repeat the affirmation, “I now release everything in my body, mind, and spirit that isn’t mine.”, with the intention that you are letting go of all outside influence, stress, and negative emotions.
3. Empowered Self Care. This isn’t your “Netflix and binge” type of self care. True self care is doing things that will bring you lasting happiness. Getting a massage, an appointment with your energy medicine practitioner, going for a walk in nature, taking an Epsom salt bath, lovingly using essential oils on yourself during the day, or indulging in a romantic date night with your partner are all good examples of authentic self care. Simply put, incorporating self care into your daily habits is essential to your overall well-being.
4. Joy Habits. Similar to self care, joy habits are little pockets of happiness built into your day. I believe every day should be celebrated, and joy habits are the way to do it. Again, this will look different for everyone. It doesn’t have to be complicated though. Turning on some fun music, watching a funny TV show, calling a friend, going out to lunch, spending a few minutes looking in a book store, or playing a game are all good examples. What else can joy habits do for you?
5. Down Time. As an introvert, down time is critical for my well-being. I fought it for years. I thought that I should be able to go out and be busy all the time. But, I know that my personality requires daily down time. Without it, I crash. Even if it’s just a few minutes here or there, try to incorporate some daily relaxation time. I love to spend my evenings, after the kids are in bed, chatting and reconnecting with my husband over a cup of tea. These relaxation habits help us unwind and release daily stress.
6. Movement. Moving our bodies is essential to our physical and mental health. Think back to childhood, before your idea of physical movement became tainted with modern exercise habits, to when movement was actually fun. Moving our bodies should be fun. Exercise should never be punishment. It’s self care. Moving your body isn’t about losing weight, it’s about reconnecting with yourself, releasing pent up stress, and feeling joy in the moment. So, get outside, enjoy the sunshine, and do what feels best for you that day. If it’s a simple walk around the block, that’s perfect! No rules.
7. Positivity. Surround yourself with positive words, positive people, and tools that promote a positive mindset. See how long you can go without complaining about anything. Turn on inspiring music that lifts your soul. Print off affirmations and put them up around your home. Turn on some uplifting podcast’s while you do house chores. I love anything by Hay House and Jessica Ortner’s Adventures in Happiness. Listen to joy, speak joy, feel joy.
8. Community. We need other people to support us in happiness. A wise doctor once told me that we need community to heal. So, set up a lunch date, make a weekly pizza night with friends, join a book club, go to a park, go to the library and chat with someone, smile at the cashier, go camping, go to the pool, simply get out of your house and go talk to a few people. This habit is good for over-thinkers, as it helps us get out of our own heads.
9. Grounding. Time in nature is something I tell my clients to do a lot. Connecting with the earth can heal our bodies and minds in some pretty incredible ways. I talk about this in both of my ebooks (which can be found here). The Earth puts off a electromagnetic energy that neutralizes stress in our bodies. Getting fresh air is one of the things I do every day to keep myself balanced, healthy, and happy. I know it sounds funny, but go hug a tree. Touch the ground with your bare feet. Thank Mother Earth for her healing energy.
10. Daily Energetic Clearing. We need daily habits of clearing out energetic stress and traumas. I do this everyday for clients, and I also do it for myself. So, this can be as complex as setting up repeating sessions with your energy medicine practitioner, or there are simple things you can do at home. Emotional Freedom Technique is a great tool that anyone can learn how to do. If you have your copy of The Handbook For Healing, follow along with the script I use everyday to have the best day ever. If you don’t have that, there are lots of other EFT videos on my blog and around the web. Brad Yates has lots of choose from on his YouTube channel. Spending a few minutes doing this everyday can do wonders for your emotional health.
