When we get injured, we clean up our wound, cover it up, and protect it from being disturbed so that it doesn’t get worse and gets time to heal. But what do we do when our injury is emotional? Shouldn’t we deal with psychological pain and do something to heal our emotional traumas too?
We all know that our mind and body works as a unit, and we need to take care of both of them to stay healthy. We brush our teeth, clean our bodies with soap, eat healthy, and make sure that our surroundings are clean. But how do we take care of our emotional hygiene and keep our minds clean and healthy? But before we get on the essentials of emotional hygiene, let’s understand what it is.
According to Guy Winch from Psychology Today, “Emotional hygiene is being mindful of our psychological health and adopting brief, daily habits to monitor and address psychological wounds when we sustain them”. These psychological wounds could range from the death of a loved one to a failure, and most often than not, no one teaches us how to address these wounds and heal. So, to help you with it, here is your guide to emotional hygiene:
- Be attentive towards emotional pain -
To heal from emotional pain, you need to know when you are hurting. Pay attention to your emotional health and if you feel that you are in pain, then don’t wait to act on it. Talk to your friends, take a break, or see a counselor if you think that you are low emotionally.
2. Do not dismiss your emotions and take time to heal -
Never think that the issue at hand is small. The reason behind your pain might seem insignificant to you, but if it is making you upset, then do not dismiss it. It might seem like a lengthy process, but you will heal eventually; no matter how insignificant you think the event is.
3. Stay away from negative thoughts and don’t indulge in guilt -
You being hurt is not your fault. If you think that you did not work hard enough or aren’t good enough to get nice things to happen to you, then you need to stay away from such thoughts. Self-esteem is a necessary aspect of emotional hygiene and is essential to our survival. Be compassionate towards yourself — you are worthy, you will make it through.
Just like guilt, negative and depressing thoughts are harmful to your emotional health. They clutter your mind and do not let you pay attention to the process of healing. If you find yourself in such a situation, indulge yourself in some distraction like solving a Sudoku or a puzzle, or go for a run.
4. Change your response to emotional trauma -
When you cannot change the event, change the outcome. For example, if you have failed, then assess the event practically, If you want, make a list of the things you did well and the things that could have been dealt with better. Pay attention to your mistakes, but do not blame yourself for them. You might have made those decisions, but now you know better. Be persistent and your efforts will pay off.
5. Stop emotional bleeding -
Emotional wounds can create vicious cycles and the pain can recur. Just like you stop the bleeding of a physical wound, you need to make sure that you don’t ruminate or hurt your psychological wound. Instead, try to correct the situation with patience, planning, and consistent efforts.
6. Stay informed -
Know what things work for you and what don’t. Emotional hygiene is a personal thing and what works for you might not work for others. Pay attention to the ways you heal and stay away from the habits that worsen your mental health. In addition to paying attention to yourself, make sure that you have all the resources and information you need to heal.
Maintaining emotional hygiene requires some effort, but trust us, it will be worth it.
Having read this blog, we want to tell you that if you think you need professional help with your situation, then do consult a therapist. For additional help, check out this blog on ways to overcome negative thoughts and take care of your mental health.
For more such content, check out the mental health section of our blogs on Fuzia today.
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Originally published at https://www.fuzia.com.