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Your mental health should be a part of self care!
By Miya Yamanouchi — Written on Jul 14, 2019
When it comes to self care, do you skip the steps that might involve emotional work? Many people don't realize that emotional intelligence is a big part of self-care, happiness, and overall mental health.
What is emotional intelligence? Emotional intelligence is defined as "...is the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one's goal(s)," and was popularized by Daniel Goleman in a book of the same name.
The truth is, emotional health is a huge contributor to our overall sense of well-being and happiness; so if you're ignoring negative feelings or burying them or refusing to deal with it, you're impacting your mental health every day.
So in order to practice proper self care, here are 12 easy steps you can take to improve your emotional intelligence and increase your happiness:
1. Communicate how you’re feeling
Talk about your emotions with a trusted friend, or write them down. You’ll feel lighter, and that way your feelings get validated.
2. Don’t fixate on the negatives
Staring at a roadblock won’t move you forward … focus on what’s positive and possible to reduce stress, increase motivation and create positive change.
3. Make an action plan to problem solve
Break down the stressful situation into small steps that are doable and take action to get each step sorted.
4. Take self-care seriously
it’s not "airy fairy." It’s a scientifically proven skill to decrease stress and enhance wellbeing, and it starts with you taking care of your sleep, diet, exercise, and alcohol intake
5. Stay connected with friends and loved ones
Hiding away doesn’t fix anything and will only make things worse.
6. Acknowledge the issue
Denying there’s a problem doesn’t make it go away. It just prolongs the resolution.
7. Be #TeamYou
Don’t wait for others to encourage and uplift you … Be that person for yourself to and watch how your emotional state improves.
8. Remember your brilliance
Remind yourself of the times you did great — because guess what? You’ve done it before and you can do it again.
9. Laughter is the best medicine
It’s not a cliché. It’s supported by extensive research. Watch funny YouTube videos or stand-up comedy … It’ll elevate your mood when you’re feeling down.
10. Stop being so tough on yourself
Self-compassion is a better motivator than self-criticism, so treat yourself as you would your best friend.
11. Factor in fun
Life isn’t just about work or study. Make time in your daily schedule to do things that bring you joy and your productivity will increase.
12. Get professional support
That’s an act of courage, not weakness. You’ll get valuable information and insight to better deal with situations now and in the future.
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Miya Yamanouchi is an empowerment counselor who is committed to assisting all members of the community to embrace their inner strength and live an inspired and vibrant life, irrespective of their perceived limitations. She currently works as a university counselor and a group therapy facilitator at a private psychiatric hospital in Sydney, Australia.