To Everyone On The Verge Of Emotional Bleeding: Practice Emotional Hygiene

 Do you feel distress? Do you feel like you're always sitting on the edge?

Anxious. Depressed. You feel like you're always a moment away from your last straw.

People on the brink of emotional bleeding tend to always hurt bad and hurt for long. 

Sure, we may feel those day to day irritations.  And hope to wade through the sea of life not expecting to encounter a wave or even a ripple. 

But that's not realistic. 

Life is full of surprises. Sometimes pleasant and sometimes nasty. It's either you gasp or gulp.

You're stunned and dumbed in wonder or just stare in bewildered confusion. People who are about to bleed emotionally can't seem to adjust easily.

 They feel a sustained period of emptiness, ennui and boredom. They are chronically fatigued.

And what's worse, if their issue is not addressed right away, they are prone to self- destructive behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse, eating binges, gambling, overspending on shopping sprees and sexual addiction.

WebMD  recommends you contact your physician and request a thorough physical check up and undergo a series of lab tests. If results are okay, ask your doctor if professional counseling would be beneficial.

Or you may opt to practice emotional hygiene.

" Emotional Hygiene is being mindful of your psychological health and adapting brief daily habits to monitor and address psychological wounds. It's taking care of our emotions with the same level of care we apply to our bodies." According to Guy Winch, Mental Health expert and whose Ted Talk gained over a millions views on YouTube.

Mr. Winch insisted that we put band-aid to our cuts and wounds and why shouldn't we take care of our emotions and mental processes?

Rejection, grief, failure and loneliness are emotional as well as psychological injuries. These can get worse if ignored. You just can't say " You'll get over it" or "Shake it off." Picture saying to someone with busted kneecaps and in similar tone you'll say " "Put ice on it and walk it off."

Statistics say that prolonged loneliness increases the chance of an early death by 14%. There can be serious repercussions if we let psychological wounds fester.

So here are methods to practice proper Emotional Hygiene as what Mr. Guy Winch recommended:

1. Anytime catch yourself ruminating and brooding over past failures and hurts -- the minute you are mentally replaying  guilt and shame in your mind, distract yourself from that endless loop.It is unproductive.

  Engage your mind in mental stimulating games like solving puzzles, playing video games,  take a hike or jog in the park. Break your current negative state as much as you can.

 2.Think of failure as a stepping stone to progress and success. List resolutions next time you tackle the task. Try until you succeed.

Persistence pays off big time in the long run.

3. Schedule self-care and apply self-compassion. Don't be too hard on yourself. Don't set an unreasonable timeline. Turn off negative self-talk . Instead do affirmations and  faith declarations vocally.

 Self-care means sipping green tea, propping your feet up, letting your hair down and relax. Do deep breathing until you doze off.

4.Stay in your own lane.Resist comparing yourself to others. Realize we are on different stages in our lives' journeys.

5. When you feel isolated, have mood swings and short fuse-- if there's feeling of restlessness and you feel yourself wallowing in self-pity, don't let it smolder. 

Take action.Reach out to  trusted friends and family. Vent out your feelings. The mere act of venting has a healing factor.   

All the toxic emotions are bottled up inside you. Instead you open the lid and let off steam.

6. Constantly check in with yourself. Evaluate your moods, thoughts and emotions. Ask yourself questions like:  How am I feeling today? Identify feelings one-by-one and plan steps on how to deal with all. 

7.Don't imagine or worry about the worst-case scenarios it's  unhelpful.

 8. Seek professional counseling. Consult a rabbi, priest or a qualified therapists.

 9. Smile.

10.Be humble and be open to new experiences.

 11. Attend church services. Pray. Surrender to a higher power.

 12. Laugh. Watch sitcoms.Attend live stand- up comedy shows. As what the late comedienne  Joan Rivers said "When you laugh it's like you're taking a mini-vacation."

13. Get sufficient sleep.

14.  Write in a journal. Trap your mental as well as your emotional cobwebs on paper. It's a good way to process and achieve clarity.

15. Jog. Run.Walk.Do deep breathing. Do calisthenics.  These activities will produce feel-good hormones in your brain like serotonin and dopamine.

16. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Everyday discover three things to be thankful for--the weather, the surprise call from a long lost friend, that wonderful aroma of coffee wafting from nearby coffee shop. 

Gratefulness breaks our inner negativity bias and turns you from a pessimist into a deep-rooted optimist.

 17  Connect with nature. Smell the roses.  Bask in the tropical sun, stroll along the sandy seashore, walk  through  the forest (if that's your thing )They call it forest bathing.

18. Pet your St. Bernard or your Himalayan tabby kitten. This produces oxytocin in your brain that's responsible for feelings of happiness and joy. It lowers  the level of stress hormone called cortisol. 

19. Create a vision board.It will provide a map to your aspirations and goals in life. This fosters  hope and inspiration.

 20. Volunteer or do random acts of kindness.  Pay for someone's groceries,  babysit your neighbor's chubby toddler. 

In conclusion, emotional hygiene practitioners are aware what's causing their stress. And immediately they start to implement strategies to combat it.

Emotional Hygiene To Feel Better In Crisis

 Have you been  crying frequently? Do you feel out of it? Do you have unusual tiredness and feelings of worthlessness? Overwhelmed? Angry? 

We all go through emotional rollercoaster one way or another in our lives. That's normal. Get into the habit of scheduling a me-time  and do self-care.  

The most important task you have to do is to identify your feelings,  monitor your moods and plan strategies to diffuse these negative emotions. Seek professional help if any of these symptoms are sustained for longer periods of time

Emotional Hygiene For Students 

      Most adolescents have issues with identity and self-esteem.Have to make sure  that their self-worth is rooted in something permanent like family and faith. And not in something temporal like drinking buddies,  popularity in school or social media. 

Young adults should:

1.Choose good company, not out and out dropouts or addicts. They must be in the presence of people with strong moral ethics and people with  the right goals in life, like finish college. 

2. Start new hobbies and cultivate new interests. 

3.Identify their strengths.  Suggest to them to take classes to develop their skills and talents.

4. Educate them with practical stress management techniques.

4. Instill in them good leadership skills.

 Emotional Hygiene For Parents 

      Emotionally  well-adjusted parent reflects and models her resilient and well-adjusted child.

The ideal should be to create a healthier environment within the brood.

Why does emotional hygiene matter?

 Imagine yourself  being able to navigate the storms of life,  wade through daily annoyances and being able to bounce back from adversities with resilience.

 Your living your best life. All these are possible if you practice emotional hygiene on a daily basis.

 

Here are more benefits if you practice emotional hygiene:

 1. You are aware of your feelings and you can catch your own self-judging and self-critical inner voice.

2. You don't poke your emotional cuts and scrapes through regrets and rumination.

 3. You have overall improvement in your physical health as well as your emotional well-being.

4. You improve your mood and resilience to stress.

5. You work on Building emotional strength and persistence.

6.They don't let guilt or any unresolved  feelings linger .They take action.They pay debts,ask forgiveness or forgive someone.

7. They regain  feelings of control and high self-esteem after failure and rejection.

8. They monitor their emotions, identify each and they  align, adapt,perform  and draw insights to handle obstacles.

9.They discover what inspires them and do these  things often.

10.  They create and nurture social connections.

11. They are generous in giving out compliments and gratitude.

 12. Overall, they have improved quality of life. They released feelings that no longer serve them. And best of all,  those who practice emotional hygiene are emotionally agile and well-balanced.  

They have new perspectives.  Improved self-esteem and able to handle daily irritations and traumatic experiences with a sense of grit.