9 Ways to Practice Emotional Self-Care

Our mental health is critically important to our standard of living, yet for many it is an everyday challenge. Activities that support our mental, as well as physical, well-being are important for keeping ourselves in the best shape. Below are 9 ways to practice emotional self-care and improve your mental health.

Spend Time Outdoors

The great outdoors can be a little intimidating. If you live in a city, it can be loud, crowded, and sometimes unwalkable. We recognize it’s not easy for everyone to equally be able to enjoy the outdoors. Physical limitations, travel restrictions, and health can keep us from getting outside. Still, if you have the means and the ability, it can be crucial for you to take advantage of the fresh air — nowadays more than ever.

More nature, better moods

Nature, especially sunlight, is inextricably linked to better mental and physical health gains. Even if you can’t necessarily make outdoor exercise a part of your routine, getting some fresh air can be beneficial. Try sitting in the sun or by an open window to refresh your brain and alleviate feelings of being “trapped" indoors. Every little bit can help.

Adding the outdoors to your everyday

To establish new habits, it’s important to incorporate them into a repeatable routine. This is no different for getting outside. Even if your goals are as small as spending thirty minutes per day outside, you should try to do them at the same time of day and at regular intervals. Set a reminder on your phone or put a note on the refrigerator to remind you to get some fresh air. The more you do it, the more routine it becomes.

You’re outside, now what?

There are plenty of activities to do outside no matter your ability. Even sitting and enjoying a nice beverage still counts. It’s the being outside part that is important. Some easily accessible exercises are short walks around the block, gardening, or reading outside! Don’t be afraid to experiment with what works best for you. As we’ve said, the goal is just being outside.

Meditation and Mindfulness

Meditation is the act of closing down surrounding distractions and focusing on the inner state of your being. It’s a practice that offers many benefits such as lowering stress, lowering blood pressure, and helping you sleep. The best part is you can do it anywhere. It can be paired with nature or done from the comfort of your own home!

Benefits of meditation and mindfulness

The benefits of meditation and mindfulness come from increasing the awareness of ourselves and our mental state. Being able to “tune out" from some of the constant noise and pressure of our lives causes ripple effects in our minds and bodies. It helps us shift focus away from negative thoughts and makes us more self-aware of when those thoughts affect us. Then we can slow our minds before the stress takes over.

Where do I begin?

Guided meditations are excellent beginner routines. You can find videos online that guide you, or find a local instructor you can work with. Otherwise, simple meditation routines such as breath exercises or simple one-concept concentration routines (like mantras) are great ways to start. Start simple with 5 minutes every other day, and build yourself up. It’s all about focusing on your comfort level at first.

Practice Gratitude

Another easy way to take care of your emotional well-being is by practicing gratitude. Gratitude helps ground us and deepen our connection with ourselves and others. It helps us replace negative, harmful thoughts with positivity and uplift. Here’s why, and how, you should practice expressing gratitude wherever you can!

Gratitude for a gracious life

Expressing consistent gratitude has been shown to provide better sleep, mental strength, and can even calm one’s anxiety. The more we focus on the good choices we’ve made, the help we’ve received from a friend or family member, or simply some good news, the less ability intrusive thoughts have to enter our brains. The more time you make for gratitude, the better you’ll feel overall.

Filling each day with gratitude

There are plenty of ways to practice gratitude in your daily life! Writing notes or a journal is an excellent and easy way to start. Start with 5 minutes in the morning or right before bed and write a short list of the things you’re grateful for from the day. It seems small, but it can do a lot of good. Another option is adding gratitude to your meditation practice to deeply seed those positive thoughts into your brain.

Connect With Loved Ones

It’s never a bad idea to express to your loved ones how much they mean to you, and how grateful you are to be a part of their lives. We all wish that we’d hear that unprompted too, don’t we? While we’re busy taking care of our own mental well-being, a little bit of energy spent sharing that positivity with others goes a long, long way.

A strong social circle keeps you grounded

Maintaining a strong connection with a social circle of support helps enrichen and even lengthen our lives. Send a loved one a note of appreciation, or offer to be a helping hand or empathetic ear. It’s not enough to just have a friend, you must, like a plant, feed the connection. Even if your loved ones aren’t located close to you right now, there are still ways to spend time with your social circle!

Keeping your loved ones close

Find interpersonal activities to enjoy with your friends and family. Video calls, playing games together, or watching movies over the internet can be done without physical proximity. If they do live close, invite them over for a meal or a drink, ask them to go on a walk, or ask if they need help with chores. Any activity that can be just about being around each other is a great start to building a strong bond.

Adding to your circle

As we get older it can often feel much more difficult making new friends. In a worst-case scenario, friends and family members may have drifted further from us leading to a feeling of social isolation.

That’s why our hobbies and interests become important. We may not have new people to meet at work or in school, but tons of cities have different groups you can join. Whether you’re a dog owner, enjoy books, sewing, or trivia, there is a like-minded group of individuals who like doing it, too! These can be great sources of meeting new people and expanding your social circle.

Practice Self-Compassion

Blaming yourself for mistakes and mental health struggles is never the answer. It’s always okay to treat yourself or be kind to yourself. Self-care is an important part of any mental health work. Here are some ways to practice self-care no matter what your resources are.

What is self-compassion?

Self-compassion, or self care, is fairly simple. It’s doing whatever it is that makes your mind and body feel nourished and enriched. This doesn’t necessarily mean spending money on things for yourself, though sometimes it’s perfectly okay to do so. Self-care can be as simple as a longer shower to take care of your hair, or taking a little bit of time while working to enjoy an extra break.

How to be self-compassionate

Having self-compassion takes a lot of introspection. Often our emotional wants don’t line up with things we need. A therapist can provide an outside perspective and routines that would be beneficial. One of the most important things about self-compassion is alleviating the guilt and shame about things you cannot control. So get that coffee and cherry pie or take a nap in your favorite chair. You’ve earned it.

Engage in Creative Activities

Hobbies are a great way to pass the time and to boost our mental health. Making time for yourself to enjoy some of your favorite activities will always be beneficial. Here’s some ways to get started today!

Getting creative to improve your mood

Creative arts help boost your emotional well-being by giving your brain a break from the stress and anxiety of our everyday lives. Try to find activities that involve both your brain and your body like playing sports, card games, sewing, or crocheting. Simple activities like reading or drawing can also be beneficial.

Who has the time for creativity?

Mindfully make time for your activities. Weekends are always great, but don’t feel afraid to try and fit some creative fulfillment into your weekday as well! Just like exercise or other routines, start in slow bursts to make it habitual.

Play Solitaire

Have you ever tried playing a card game by yourself? It’s a lot more creatively fulfilling and enriching than you might think. A game like Solitaire takes mental focus, intelligence, and cognitive reasoning to complete, all skills that are necessary for good mental health.

Fun games for calm minds

Solitaire can be used to distract yourself from your day or to practice integral skills such as math, multi-level thinking, and strategy. Reduce the stress of the everyday by using your brain to push yourself through a thrilling game of Solitaire. Using games to occupy your mind can help alleviate stress and keep your brain skills sharp and tested whenever you like!

How and when to play

You can incorporate Solitaire into your daily routine at 247Solitaire. Here, you can play dozens of thrilling variations of Solitaire like Scorpion, Wasp, and Freecell wherever and whenever you want! No sign-up required and available on any device!

Exercise Regularly

With so many people working digitally, it’s difficult to work exercise into a daily routine. Still, exercising regularly can have a tremendous benefit to our overall physical and mental health.

Move your body, clear your mind

You’ve likely heard that exercise can help alleviate the pressure and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Exercise gives our minds a break as our bodies become more active and we focus on the task at hand. A healthier body strengthens our mind and helps us feel more energized, as opposed to tired and in pain.

Find what works for your body

Exercise can be for everyone! If it’s been a while, lower-intensity exercise is best. Try something simple like yoga and stretching. Even walking around your neighborhood or a light bike ride can be less stressful and intimidating than running or going to the gym. Experiment to find what works best for your health levels, and work up from there.

Every little bit helps

Incorporating exercise into your routine can be difficult. The best advice we can give is to do a little at a time every day. Ten minutes to fifteen, twenty to twenty-five, find whatever your body is comfortable with to start. The time or intensity can increase as you gain more practice in your exercise. Listen to your body so you don’t over-exert yourself and cause an injury.

Limit Social Media and Screen Time

Social media is so omnipresent in our lives that there’s even a ghoulish term to describe its more undesirable effects on our mental state: “brain rot". Limiting how much time we spend in front of a screen is crucial to better mental health.

Doom scroll is real

Doom scrolling can be simply summarized as an overconsumption of social media content which is often distressing. Many social media sites are an endless scroll downward with constantly refreshed content put in front of you, hence the “doom scroll".

Social media algorithms are designed to be addictive. This vicious feedback loop of dopamine and adrenaline can have disastrous effects on your daily mental health. It’s never been easier to have a wealth of posts, ads, news, and comments at your fingertips. The less time you spend in the scroll the better.

Healthy social media can be achieved

It’s likely impossible for any of us to quit social media entirely for many reasons. It is a genuinely helpful tool to stay connected with many of our family and friends. However, like any entertainment service, moderation is key. Setting limits on your screen time or app usage is a good way to start if the burden of social media dependence is weighing on you heavily.

Take care of your body and brain

Hopefully you’ve found some new tactics and tips to take care of your mental health every day. At 247Solitaire we have plenty of guides for you that cover everything from mental health to Solitaire tips and tricks. Stop by today for a free wealth of unique information!

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