Even if you have high emotional intelligence and great self-awareness, your feelings can be your downfall if you forget to take care of them. Rather than letting yourself bury the bad and revel in the good, try these five acts to really feel (and eventually master) your own emotions.
- Apologizing to people you hurt — If guilt and shame are weighing you down, do some soul searching to determine whether a sincere apology might lighten your emotional load (if an apology is warranted). As an added bonus, your apology can also help to strengthen your relationships with others.
- Forgiving those who hurt you — The resentment you still feel after being wronged often does damage to your own mind, so the difficult step of forgiveness can allow you to move forward. Even if you are no longer close with the person in question, forgiving them in your heart has the same benefits when it comes to freeing you emotionally.
- Grieving the ones you have lost — While typically considered a negative emotion, grief can often be cathartic when you allow yourself to fully feel it. Be it a cherished relationship, a former friendship, or a lost loved one — give yourself permission to be terribly sad for a period of time (the appropriate amount will differ from person to person based on their circumstances and nature). When you are all finished, you will come out feeling more peaceful and whole.
- Processing the pain from your past — Even after you have moved on from difficult events, you may well benefit from doing some mental processing. If there are still details to think through and lessons to be learned, you are doing yourself a favor by bringing up the sticky parts of your story. You will leave with a better understanding of yourself and the power to avoid making the same mistakes.
- Planning your future emotional well-being — If you are in a great place in life, that is wonderful! Use that extra energy to ensure the mental health of your future self. Set up contingency plans with friends, open up to your family about your mental health, and make a list of things that help you in times of need.
Mental health is an ongoing practice and something to continue improving on as you move through life. By taking small steps here and there, you can make your own emotional well-being a priority. Now try making your own list of emotional self-care tasks and share it with a friend!
—