Taking care of ourselves mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually is essential for optimal well-being, especially as we navigate difficult and uncertain times.
When we are navigating loss, when we become sick, unbalanced or reach a health crisis, we are forced to look at the entirety of our system. What works and what doesn’t. We are called to pay closer attention and take inventory of what is going on for us in our inner and outer worlds.
It is important that we don’t overlook the role that our emotions play in our overall health, well-being and relationships. When we don’t understand what’s going on internally, aka when we don’t understand our emotions – they often create fear, uncertainty and discomfort in our minds and bodies. As a result, we try to repress, deny or ignore them, creating further challenges.
The rise of mental health challenges tells us that this does not work. Temporarily, sure. Long term, not so much.
Our emotions are just one part of many energetic bodies that make up our entire being. When we mismanage our emotions by ignoring, suppressing, or disregarding our internal state, we create an imbalance in the body. What we need instead is to deepen into emotional awareness and emotional acceptance, so that we can begin to practice emotional energy management.
Here are 5 ways to practice emotional and energetic self-care so that you can deepen into your emotional energy management:
01. MORNING PAGES
Starting off your day with a fresh start and a clear mind. Morning pages is a simple yet powerful practice involving stream of consciousness writing, first thing each morning.
Think: Brain dump. We often wake up in the morning and immediately the wheels start turning, we start thinking about all the things we have to do, begin checking our phone and rushing around the house. Morning pages allows us to pause and release whats on our minds so that we can transition into our day feeling calm, free and clear.
The beautiful thing is that there is no right or wrong way to do this practice, all you have to do is show up to the page and write 3 pages of whatever comes to mind. Do this each and every morning and you will find your own benefits along the way. Allow it to be an experiment.
Morning Pages is created by Julia Cameron - Check out her book here: The Artists Way
02. SLOW DOWN
When we’re busy, it can be easy to forget about our energetic self-care. Are you a helper, healer, lightworker, mother, father, empath, caregiver, highly sensitive human? The more you support and give to others, the more nurturing you require yourself.
What would it be like to let go of the need to be busy all the time? To let go of your milelong to-do list and hustle to do it all? What if instead you allowed yourself to be more intentional and purposeful in what you do, to be more mindful of what is happening right now, and experiencing life as it is unfolding in this moment?
If we want to live a life full of meaning, contribution, purpose and passion, we must become intentional about cultivating time for ourselves. Slowing down helps us create the needed space. It helps us let go of the hustle just a little bit so that we can release exhaustion, burn out, busyness, productivity and perfectionism as ways of measuring and proving our worth.
Invitations for Reflection:
What in my life makes me feel busy?
What is stopping me from slowing down?
What beliefs do I have about slowing down?
What would be different if I allowed myself to slow down?
03. TURN TO NATURE
Earthing, or grounding, is a simple practice with HUGE benefits. All that is requires is standing barefoot on the earth. These days we are overly connected to our devices and under connected to nature. Connecting to the earth helps to balance out the electrical charge in our body that is often overstimulated by our connections to our devices and wifi signals. Nature heals.
04. DAILY ENERGY CHECK IN
Our energy levels fluctuate daily. Checking in with ourselves is a simple way to ensure we are attending to our own needs each and every day. One question I encourage all my client to ask themselves each day is: What do I really need right now? When we tend to our own needs, we deepen our levels of self-trust.
Morning Check In:
How much energy am I starting out with today? How much capacity do I have?
Do I have enough energy for all the things I have packed into the day?
What tasks or things throughout my day require the majority of my energy?
How much time and energy is dedicated or set aside to focusing on my own health and well-being today?
Are there any changes I need to make to create more balance and more time for myself?
05. ASK FOR HELP
Being human is hard sometimes, and navigating this human experience takes all kinds of different support. Asking for help and allow ourselves to receive support can be one of those things that is easier said than done, but you don’t have to navigate your experiences alone. If you don’t have the support you need from those around you, working 1-1 with a therapist or wellness professional can help to deepen your self-understanding and provide individualized plans that serve you best.
If you would like to explore if working together would be a good fit, book a free connection call here .
CONCLUSION
Life is busy, so when things begin to get off track, remember to check in with yourself and give yourself permission to bring it back to the basics – food, water, sleep, and connection. Once we have a solid foundation we can begin to build from there.
Each of us have different things that speak to our souls, different things that we find nurturing and supportive. If you try one of these things, all of them, or none of them, my hope is that you find a self-care practice that works and feels best for you.
FREE RESOURCE:
3 Effective Ways for Releasing Emotions from Your Body
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About the Author:
Hayley Yarish is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC), Grief Therapist, Compassionate Bereavement Care Provider, and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist®. She specializes in supporting individuals who are navigating loss and grief of any kind. Her own experiences with grief and loss have cracked her heart wide open and led her to doing this sacred work in the world.
Specific areas of focus: death of a loved one (recent or past), life changing transitions, relationship transitions and break ups, pregnancy loss, grief around family planning, and supporting entrepreneurs through the grief that comes with growth.
To learn more about Hayley or to book a session with her, click here.