Emotional Health Awareness
Emotional Health Awareness
The National Center for Emotional Wellness states that the term refers to an awareness, understanding, and acceptance or your emotions, and your ability to manage effectively through challenges and change. Our emotional health is just as important as our physical and mental health. We should be emotionally well to successfully navigate through the challenges we face in life.
Emotional Wellness Activities
Focus on the Positive Our natural tendency is to concentrate on the negatives and what isn't working or going well. Making a daily effort to proactively focus on what is working or going well can help us stay focused, have more energy, and feel more creative throughout the day. According to research, focusing on three things that went well that day at the end of each day (Three Good Things App) can improve mood, depression symptoms, and overall well-being. There are a few things you can do to start developing a more positive mindset:
Give yourself credit for the good things you do each day. Try the Three Good Things Exercise
Surround yourself with positive people who give you energy.
Give yourself and others grace – learn from mistakes and what goes wrong, but try not to dwell on them – focus on how you will move forward with those lessons in mind.
Check out Positive Psychology in Times of Crisis, for additional ideas that draw from the principles of positive psychology and coaching can be incredibly grounding.
Re-establish Boundaries Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many people have lost work-life or work-home boundaries. While some may have been productive, others may have contributed to feelings of having too much or not enough space from your work. This can lead to feelings of frustration, anxiety, and stress. Some important ways to re-establish boundaries are as follows:
Set an intention each day for what you want to accomplish and prioritize your time during that day in service of those goals. Spend your time and energy getting these goals/tasks done, and recognize this as an accomplishment as you complete them. If you are unable to accomplish these tasks, look ahead in your week and consider when you may be able to get them done.
Set limits with others re: communication and meeting times. How do you prefer to be contacted? At what hours is it ok to call, text, email, or meet? Stick to your limits, and help others do the same.
Try to spend part of your day doing things that bring you joy and help you feel better about yourself.
Try to give yourself technology-free times of the day. Disconnect purposefully and give your attention to someone or something else.
Limit social media, and when you do engage, do so with purpose.
Be Mindful Mindfulness is about being completely aware of what is happening in the present. It means not living your life on “autopilot”. To be more mindful:
Breathe in through your nose to a count of 4, hold for 1 second, and then exhale through the mouth to a count of 5. Repeat often.
Go for a walk, and notice your breath and the sights and sounds around you. If thoughts and worries enter your mind, note them but then return your focus to what you are hearing and seeing around you.
Mindful eating is being aware of taste, textures and flavors in each bite.
Recognize the parts of your day where your energy is low and try to engage in something purposefully that will fill that up (walk, conversation with a colleague, snack, water, stretch).
Find mindfulness resources in your local community, including yoga and meditation classes, mindfulness-based stress-reduction programs, and books.
Acknowledge Your Losses Almost everyone is able to name a loss or losses related to the COVID-19 epidemic. People, relationships, positions, or opportunities may be the focus for some, while security or safety may be the focus for others. These are only a few instances of significant losses brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic. When we lose something or someone that is significant to us, we naturally experience grief. As a result, almost everyone is grieving in some way. Instead of attempting to "fix" your sadness, think about how to deal with it and what options you may have for moving on. Healthy coping mechanisms for loss and sadness include:
Acknowledge your losses by naming them and the impact they have had on you and your life. Naming our losses honors them and their significance, and allows us to then focus on how we move forward despite our losses.
Take care of yourself. Try to eat well, exercise and get enough sleep. Avoid bad habits that can put your health at risk.
Talk to friends and colleagues about your experiences. Listen to them as they share theirs.
Ask yourself, what would it look like to be kind to myself today? Try doing one small thing each day to be kind to yourself.
Use self-compassion – remember you re doing the best that you can with the resources you have right now.
Rather than think about what you SHOULD be doing at any moment, think about what you COULD be doing, and whether or not you have the energy for that. If you do, go for it. If you don’t, then give yourself grace and consider what you might need to be able to do what you want to be doing.
For assistance please visit the I.M. Emotional Support Hub: Protect your health and well-being by connecting with easily-accessible peer support through the Physician Support Line, and affordable, confidential counseling is available through the Emotional PPE Project and The Therapy Aid Coalition.
Accept Yourself We are usually our own harshest critic and set expectations for our life and behavior that we wouldn’t set for others. Everyone has self-judgment and self-doubt. Learning to accept yourself is a gateway to a happier, healthier life. Start accepting yourself by:
Surrounding yourself with positive affirmations and things that inspire you. When you feel insecure and doubt creeps into your thoughts, turn to one of your inspirations.
Let go of what you think perfection looks like. The pursuit of perfection can keep you from accomplishing your goals. Good can be good enough.
Believe that you can do anything because you can. You are getting through this day, one way or another, and you can get through tomorrow as well.
ReLOVEution Are you mentally exhausted? Emotionally drained? Feeling anxious, sad, or scared? ReLOVEution is here to compassionately listen! Take 15-60 minutes to talk to one of their volunteers! Completely free and confidential! Sign up here!
Goals for your Emotional Wellness
Accept your feelings as valid indicators of what you are experiencing. Consider what those feelings are telling you about what needs you have, and how you might be able to meet those needs.
Open yourself to be able to experience and express a wide range of emotions such as humor, joy, fear, anger, frustration, appreciation, sadness, etc.
Develop boundaries and practice sticking to them.
Practice self-compassion.
Identify how you cope best with stress, and how you can use that to support you during hard times.
Develop, establish, and maintain supportive relationships.
By employing creativity and self-expression to inspire, explore, and share, PeaceLove works to improve mental health. Everyone, in our opinion, needs a secure setting in which to express their feelings. We are developing new strategies to foster tranquility as COVID-19 continues to have an influence on communities all over the world. Our online classes offer a safe space to express oneself honestly and without inhibition. an opportunity to contemplate, be vulnerable, and gain power from others. a location where we can access artistic resources to enhance our mental health and find peace of mind.
Access the Virtual Workshops
Visit the landing page: https://workshops.peacelove.org/mgh
Click the button that says Access the Virtual Workshops
Enter your access code: 77134 Note: You should only need to enter your access code once per device, but it would be a good idea to save this in case you need it in the future.
Reach Out to the We Care Peer Support Program
Peer support is “emotional first aid” for clinicians affected by traumatic events or situations in the context of patient care. Peer supporters are fellow clinicians who have been specially trained to provide emotional support, coping skills and resource information for additional support and/or treatment. Support is empathetic, non-judgmental and strictly confidential. The Peer Support website offers more information on peer support, resources for coping with COVID-19, and additional support resources. To request peer support services, please complete the Request Peer Support form, and a peer support specialist will contact you within 24 hours.
Sources:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/201910/what-is-emotional-wellness
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/mindfulness/why-is-emotional-wellness-so-important/