Emotional Hygiene
Protect your self-confidence, get out of your comfort zone…
Various physical injuries cause pain and discomfort, which is why they require instant care and attention so that we do not have negative consequences for our health. Because of the same injuries, we often go to the doctor, but when it comes to the emotional pain we sometimes feel, we don’t always respond adequately. The list of life situations and challenges that can impair our mental health is long. We experience failure, rejection, defeat, loss, and many other circumstances on a daily basis that, if we do not respond in a timely manner, can result in deep emotional wounds. A seemingly insignificant thing calls into question our mental functioning.
The author of the book First Aid for Emotions, Guy Winch, emphasizes the importance of dedicating care and mental health care. It provides compelling arguments for practicing emotional hygiene that, as a habit, can be practiced. Neglected emotional wounds can be just as dangerous as physical ones. Chronic loneliness, for example, increases the chances of premature death by 14%. It causes high blood pressure and cholesterol and impedes the functioning of the immune system.
Emotional wounds often "play" the game with our minds, so even more often they distort our perception, a clear view of the situation, which leads to negative thoughts. It is not easy to replace them with positive ones, but it is not impossible either! The first step to getting out of the vicious circle of wounding is to accept responsibility and the need to change your mindset. Nothing external can affect our view of a situation. The second step involves adequately planning for change (suggestion: write down on paper the things that gain but also lose through change), providing self-compassion keeping in mind the possibility of returning to old patterns of thinking (it is okay to sometimes give in) and finally implementing the planned .
Guy Winch gives three practical tips for developing an emotional hygiene habit:
Get out of your comfort zone by taking concrete actions / activities (learn, work, travel, socialize, train).
Protect your self-confidence (believe that you can, try and invest, develop your potential).
Stop "ruminating" (constant "chewing"; a repetitive way of thinking that directs a person's attention to an awkward situation they are experiencing that makes them feel bad).
Without a change in mindset there is no change in behavior and then no solution to the problem. With the change of way of thinking, the habit of maintaining emotional hygiene also develops. If we do not know how to help ourselves, if our emotions make it difficult for us to function and perform our duties on a daily basis, we can always seek the help, advice and support of educated professionals.
It’s not the worst thing in the world either, is it?
