How To Master Emotional Self-Care (12 Important Ways)

Have you made up your mind to master emotional self-care? You couldn’t have come to a better place. 

This post covers 12 practices that will change your way of dealing with your emotions. Read attentively. You might need this post more than you realize.

What You’ll Find In This Post:

• What Does Emotional Self-Care Mean?
• Benefits Of Emotional Self-Care
• How To Master Emotional Self-Care (12 Gentle Ways)

What Does Emotional Self-Care Mean?

Like, do you bathe your emotions? Run a pencil over a blank journal?

Or do you read some enlightening books that can lift your mood (and then most likely forget them in stressful situations?)

Perhaps it’s all of those things, but at the same time, it’s so much more than having a self-care routine.

Emotional self-care isn’t a trendy phrase to be acknowledged and then ignored.

It’s about the way you deal with your emotions, a series of habits that can change your life.

Emotional self-care means being aware of your feelings, and prioritizing them over other areas of your life.

It’s also about being in touch with your emotions, and giving them the same attention you would to a loved one.

Caring for your emotions should be ingrained. But external pressure and a fast-paced life demand attention and ultimately leave little space for self-care.

With everything else going on in life, working on your emotions can seem like a monumental task.

But if you’re willing enough to put your faith in this practice, you can safely rely on it to simplify things for you.

Yes, it requires time to default yourself to prioritize your emotions. And no, it absolutely isn’t something that you can skip.

Here are a gazillion reasons why you need to start focusing on your emotions (okay fine, a few reasons. But they’re important, so don’t skimp past them. I gotta convince you to give this thing a try.)

Benefits Of Emotional Self-Care

• You gain strength and resilience
• You feel cared for
• Life becomes balanced
• You feel more connected to yourself
• Confidence skyrockets
• Your self-esteem increases

You can keep adding to that list. It’s honestly never-ending. But to reap the rewards of emotional self-care, you need to put in the work.

Your emotions need to be nurtured, understood, and prioritized. Honestly, you need to treat them like a bunch of good friends.

It’s so easy to be hard on yourself, but self-kindness is the real ordeal, and we’re going to be talking about how to achieve it.

Pin the post to save for later. 🙂

This post is all about how to master emotional self-care, with 12 practices that are as authentic as your feelings. Let’s dive in!

How To Master Emotional Self-Care (12 Gentle Practices)

1. Let Go Of The Past

Holding onto your past can cause you emotional harm. It often won’t be visible.

In fact, you won’t even know you’re lingering on the past until you stop yourself and ask a simple question:

Is there anything from yesterday, that I think about even today?

More often than not, people reply yes to that question, and it’s not their fault.

Our brain just loves storing information, and our emotions in turn feed on it. So, make it a point to not do this.

Whenever you find yourself slipping into something (or a person) from the past, call yourself out on it.

Reflect on your thoughts, ask questions to help you see why you’re stuck, and then nudge yourself to move on.

Talking about this thing in short terms, you might even find yourself thinking about how your day went.

There was a time when I used to do this a lot until I put a full stop to it for the sake of my mind.

Reflecting on your day is good, obsessing is absolutely not. What’s done is done. Let it go, and teach yourself how to stay in the now.

Think you have trouble sticking to the present? Check out The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

2. Hit Pause When Needed

As I said at the beginning of this post, life these days can be challenging. The more we progress and grow, the harder it becomes to balance things.

But you know what can help you find peace through everyday chaos? Taking rest whenever you need to!

This means if your mind is screaming from exhaustion, you hit pause and rest, no questions asked.

It might even be a great idea to rest even if you’re not tired. This way, you won’t get to the point of being utterly drained in the first place.

RELATED: 11 Signs You Need A Mental Break

Think of it like recharging your phone. If your battery’s at 20% and you have to leave your house in an hour, obviously you won’t wait till it gets to 0.

Instead, you’d put it on for charging so that it’s ready to be taken when it’s time to leave.

Do you get what I’m saying? For perfect emotional self-care, you need to rest your mind regularly.

Take a break from social media, spend time with yourself on weekends, and nap when your body asks for it.

You’ll get back to life refreshed and with more energy.

3. Learn To Say No

Saying ‘no’ to others shouldn’t be an issue, really. But somehow, it’s a tough task to crack for a lot of people.

You know we have things to do. You are exhausted after a long day at work. Or perhaps you’re just not in the mood to step out of your zone.

Despite knowing all that, the moment someone calls you asking for a favor, or asking to go party, you find yourself saying yes.

Once in a while, doing this would be fine.

Putting others above yourself on some occasions is kindness. But doing so repeatedly is disrespecting your own needs.

Create a healthy and firm boundary between you and your social circle (including both your personal and professional people.)

Sure, go out of your way to help someone. People need to help each other out.

But also recognize times when you’re running low on energy, say no to others, and dedicate all your hours to yourself.

Also, don’t take it personally when the other person does the same.

Because saying no is a right everyone deserves equally. So, we need to be understanding about this.

4. Tune In To Your Body’s Needs

Self-care is an all-in-one solution to your problems. And the ideal way to go about it is to put equal emphasis on your physical and mental needs.

If your mind is a vessel for your thoughts and feelings, then the body is where the mind resides.

This is super important to realize. For proper emotional self-care, you need to work on your body.

This won’t require a lot on your part. All you need to do is heighten your senses, and become more in touch with your body.

Eat when you feel hungry, and stop eating when you’re about 80% full.

If you feel tired, rest! Don’t stay up when your eyes are tired and need to sleep.

Exercise regularly, because even if your body won’t tell you this, it needs activity to stay fit.

Basically, do what you must to ensure your body’s comfort and health. And you’ll find it easier to manage your emotions.

5. Recognize Your Emotional Triggers

It’s a sane practice to watch the weather report or glance at the sky for clouds before heading out of the house. That’s how we know if we need to carry an umbrella.

Similarly, being on the lookout for your emotional triggers can help you turn down their intensity.

What would you prefer – a temper burst, or staying calm because you already knew the situation could induce anger in you?

It’s simple, really. If you are in tune with your emotions and know how you function inside and out, you can improve your reactions.

Here’s a quick example (which I hope you’ll find relatable, otherwise that’d make me a horrible person, lol.)

If an annoying relative is visiting, wire yourself to be calm in advance.

Take 5 minutes to talk yourself out of getting annoyed. Even go as far as to list every possible reason why being annoyed is not in your best interest.

Devise a ‘stay-calm’ strategy. And fine, go ahead and list everything about your guest you find annoying. In short, vent and prepare in advance.

This might seem silly, but these small actions are just some of the ways you care for your emotions.

6. Get To Know Your Negative Emotions

Your negative emotions aren’t meant to be run from. If you’re truly looking to build a healthy mindset, you need to stop ignoring them.

This means you need to get to know yourself at your low points.

Observe yourself in these moments.

• How do you act when you’re experiencing a surge of negativity?
• Do you lash out, or withdraw from yourself?
• When you’re sad, do you give yourself the love and attention you need?
• And do you act kindly to yourself, or turn hard instead?

And after you’re done reflecting, find ways to lift your mood. This way, you’d have acknowledged and analyzed your emotions, and also gently nudged them away.

The next time when this emotion comes knocking again, you’d be better prepared, and act wisely.

With enough patience and practice, you can become a master at managing and redirecting your negative energies.

Related: 21 Amazing Habits Of People Who Are Always Happy

7. Do What Makes You Happy

You’ve heard this before, but I’m repeating it yet again – Do what makes you happy. It really isn’t that hard to achieve, contrary to popular belief.

You don’t have to alter your life by making big decisions. I’m not asking you to switch your careers in pursuit of happiness; that’s something you get to decide for yourself.

But in moments when you have time to yourself, treat yourself to dozes of happiness.

And how do you do that? By indulging in things that make you thrive like nothing else!

We all have activities that touch something deep in our souls. For tuning into your happiness, these are the activities you want to be hitting.

It could be a favorite hobby or a long-lost passion. Perhaps there’s an instrument that thrums your soul? Maybe you love keeping a journal?

Whatever it is, start doing it more often. Carve special time for it out of your busy schedule. You won’t know how much you need it until you start doing it.

Highly Recommended: How To Be A Happier Person – 8 Ways To Enjoy Life To The Fullest

8. Celebrate Every Little Joy

Don’t suppress your joy when you’re over the moon.

Each happy moment, big or small, needs to be celebrated like a festival. Doing so magnifies your joy, and also leaves you feeling happy for longer.

We live for these precious moments, so shower them with grandeur to make them even brighter.

Had a small success at work or school?

Head out to a small cafe with your friends. Treat them to cups of coffee and sandwiches! It won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

If you’ve had a productive day, reward yourself by buying the top thing on your wishlist. Make your weekend awesome.

For everything in life that goes right, pat yourself on the back for nailing at the art of living.

Because trust me, you deserve every ounce of happiness that comes your way.

Related: 35 Little Things In Life That Can Make You Happy

9. Don’t Be Afraid To Be Emotional

Rule number 9, for mastering emotional self-care, is to allow yourself to be emotional.

Yes, you are one hundred percent allowed to do this.

Nobody would think any less of you. And seriously, even if someone does, it’s their problem. Let them handle it.

It might sound ridiculous to someone to see you crying easily, or laughing a lot.

But honestly, to me, nothing’s ever made more sense than letting myself just BE.

I don’t want to hide my tears. And I absolutely do not want to smile when I don’t feel like it.

Sometimes, screaming out loud at the top of a rooftop is just the thing that you might need to vent.

So, allow yourself to scream, and PLEASE laugh out loud at stupid jokes that nobody finds funny.

Your laughter is precious, and your tears are too. So, do not hold back.

You Might Like: 15 Amazing Self-Care Weekend Ideas To Reset Your Mind

10. Sleep With Your Worries Chucked Out The Window

It’s a simple fact that your body needs proper rest to function well.

And sleep is a long-form rest that you partake in every night. It’s a key ingredient to healthy thoughts.

Most of us have a habit of tossing in bed, thinking about a million things, and eventually falling asleep with a restless mind.

This leads to fitful sleep; don’t fall into this trap.

If your mind doesn’t know how to be quiet during bedtime, teach it how to do so.

No matter how your day’s been, you need to start chucking all your worries off the bed, because you need peace for blissful nighttime.

Use guided meditation to dull the chatter of your brain. Sleep as if you have no burden on your shoulders.

This will create a positive impression on your next day. You’ll wake up feeling fresh, stay energized, and take on less stress.

Have trouble sleeping well? Skim through these super-helpful tips to sleep better at night.

11. Don’t Take On The World’s Problems

This might sound a little insensitive, but the world’s problems are not yours to carry.

Though the kind part in your heart might tell you otherwise. It’s the most human thing in the world to care for others.

But things that aren’t supposed to impact your life, should not impact your life in any way at all.

You can’t help others if you allow yourself to be swamped by someone else’s worries.

The best way to care for someone is to be there for them, and have strong mental endurance throughout it.

Be empathetic, and show up for others when they need you.

But for the sake of your gentle heart, come back to yourself as soon as you can.

12. A Self-Care Hour

Set aside a self-care hour for yourself every day, and practice it without fail.

After a tiring day, it can be your ‘me’ time, when you focus just on yourself, no external energies allowed.

This means you allow zero noise from the world, avoid touching social media, and instead focus all of your awesome energy on caring for yourself.

If your brain resists the idea of doing this, you have to fight back. In fact, even if the world burns away, you do not abandon your self-care routine.

That’s how important it is. And you’d know its value once you start following it.

Here are a few things you can add to your self-care hour:

• Shower
• Skincare
• Journaling
• Music
• Green tea
• Reading
• Watching a show/movie

Bookmark For Later: 101 Quick 5-Minute Self-Care Activities For A Refreshing Time

Emotional Self-Care Is The Need Of The Hour

It can change the course of your thoughts, make you more resilient, and make you love yourself for who you are.

Practice these 12 habits. Write them down somewhere if you need to.

And at moments when the need arises, don’t hesitate before allowing yourself to grab a tip and make use of it.

Self-care is not selfish. It’d do you all too well to remember that. 🙂

What does emotional self-care look like to you? Tell me in the comments! It’s always great to hear from you.