The term ‘emotional hygiene’ invented by Dalai Lama himself got extremely relevant while in quarantine. As we experience more than usual unexpected emotions, we shall remember to keep them clean and stay mindful of our emotional health.
Unveil your inner Elsa, a.k.a. let it go
Anger, sadness, frustration, anxiousness, joy, disgust, surprise, anticipation – all the emotions are okay. Even the so-called ‘bad’ ones. Emotions rise inside us for a reason. The question is, how can you handle them?
All the emotions are actually good. Even the so-called ‘bad’ ones. The question is, how can you handle them?
It comes down to your belief system. You have your opinion about every little thing around you, may it be a material thing or a political theory. You also have your believes about emotions. If you consider anger as a bad emotion, you’d probably start shaming yourself when feeling angry, trying to hide it and pretend it isn’t there. It can make it even worse. Though every situation demands our different behavior in terms of controlling emotions, sometimes accepting an arising emotion and letting it run naturally will lead to it ending much faster.
Try not to judge your emotion, just let it be.
So, if you have the opportunity, try not to judge your emotion, just let it be (read more here). Imagine yourself as an observer of that emotion and try to understand where does it come from. After a few minutes of such observation, you should feel calmer and see the situation from a different angle.
Don’t skip that emotional shower every day
The same as you keep brushing your teeth every single day or washing your hands (and other parts), you should be conscious about your emotional hygiene to stay healthy and, well, sane.
“How do I do that?” – you ask. These steps can help:
Your time for yourself is as much important as your time for your friends.
Stay tuned with your needs. Be brave and practice saying “no” to your friends. Sounds harsh? But aren’t you being strict with yourself when you accept that invitation for a beer, coffee, or cocktail when all you want to do is go for a solo walk in the woods or read that book you’ve waited for so long? Remember, your time for yourself is as much value as your time for your friends. Explain it to them – they will surely understand.
To all the occasional melancholy lovers – be careful with it. As romantic as that Monday (or Sunday, or any other day) blues may look like, it can do more harm than good.
Hit those negative thoughts with an imaginary baseball bat!
To all the occasional melancholy lovers – be careful with it. As romantic as that Monday (or Sunday, or any other day) blues may look like, it can do more harm than good. It’s effortless to start drowning in the dark side of thoughts when there are so many shitty things happening in the world. And the job usually sucks. And you messed up your relationship. Or you could ruin it in the future. The list can go on forever through this kind of thinking does not solve any problem. It only puts you in a bad mood. Repetitively. That can easily lead to depression. So even though it’s hard to break that negative pattern of thoughts, remember that you have to do it to start the changes in your life. We see the world around us, depending on what we are focusing on.
Keep doing these steps every other day and if you forget about them, check them out again (find out more here)! Make it a habit, so you don’t have to remind yourself to love yourself more and stay conscious for the sake of YOU. Keep your head clean. It will eventually pay off.
