What We Can Do To Cultivate Our Emotional Wellbeing.
This is a small part of a larger interview done for Thrive Global. The full article is here.
Can you share three good habits that can lead to optimum emotional wellness? Please share a story or example for each.
1. Therapy, therapy, therapy.
There isn’t a human on this planet who wouldn’t benefit from seeing a therapist. The truth is — no one has it all figured out. Even if you think you do — you don’t. If you don’t believe me, go see a therapist and see what comes of it — prove me wrong. We all have traumas from our lives that may we may think we are past, but they still have micro-control of our conscious actions. Don’t let yourself be a slave to your programming, start therapy. It may be uncomfortable, but as they say — no pain, no gain. If it isn’t uncomfortable, it isn’t growth. And if we’re not continually challenging ourselves to grow, why are we here?
2. Take ownership of your own happiness.
In a world where our emotions have become so accessible to media outlets, we have all become incredibly vulnerable. The harsh truth is that there’s no one out there who is looking out for you — other than yourself. If you’re not taking care of yourself, know that no one else is going to do it for you. It’s up to you to protect yourself and ensure that you’re not allowing the media to control your emotions. Limit media intake — whether it’s social media or news. Many of us don’t realize the large toll the media takes on our emotions. Challenge yourself to a week with only 10 minutes of media exposure per day, and see if you notice a difference!
3. Trim the fat.
I’m not talking about your weight. I’m talking about your personal relationships. Tease out relationships that no longer serve you — and pull back from them. Healthy friendships and relationships leave you feeling good about yourself, and feeling energized. Think about relationships that do the opposite — maybe it’s a friend who drains you of your energy with their negativity, or a friend who makes you feel more negatively about yourself. A friend who always flakes on plans, or a friend who takes advantage of your people-pleasing tendencies and gives nothing in return. Pull back from those relationships, and seek out people who share your values. When it comes to personal relationships — focus on quality, not quantity.
Remember the quote —
“You can’t change the people around you, but you can change the people around you.”
Meaning: you cannot change anyone else, but you can change who you choose to surround yourself with. Again, this goes back to taking ownership of your own happiness, as I mentioned above.
