Achieving Emotional Balance
In a dynamic world like ours, life can get so stressful and no matter how positive we try to be, unexpected turns sometimes happen, leaving us overwhelmed. Emotions are an essential part of our being, and how we deal with both negative and positive emotions plays a major role in shaping our life. This is why emotional balance is important.
It is the ability to stabilize our feeling and reaction in the face of unpleasant circumstances, rather than reacting automatically. Being emotionally balanced does not mean you don’t have unpleasant feelings; it means you can control your reaction towards them. If you have been feeling elevated levels of anxiety and confusion about how to handle them, there are simple, actionable steps you can apply to better control your emotions.
So let’s have a look at what you can actually do towards improving your emotional balance.
Steps to Achieving Emotional Balance
Being overly swayed with negative emotions will leave you anxious, stressed and cause unhealthy reactions. Furthermore, it can also develop unhealthy coping mechanisms, which is something you don’t really want. No matter how much you struggle with this, you can achieve emotional balance by applying the following strategies.
1. Be Self-aware
Being self-aware helps you identify your weak spots, cultivate healthy habits, and let go of the not-so-good ones. This helps you recognize the emotions you are feeling and the reactions they trigger which is essential for better emotional health. Once you recognize these emotions, acknowledging the negative feelings rather than suppressing them is a way to deal with them.
This way, you start to brew a healthy relationship with your emotions and are able to catch any automatic reaction of yours. It is helpful to verbalize how you feel at that instant, e.g. “I am angry at this situation”, “I feel scared”. Naming your emotions nullifies their power and makes you react more consciously. If you find this difficult, try journaling, this is another way to let out your feelings.
2. Develop a Healthy Sleeping Habit
Inadequate sleep can put you in a foul mood, which means that the body requires sufficient sleep for emotional and physical wellbeing. Though some circumstances can cause you to promote insomnia, it is crucial to find ways to increase your chances of a good night’s rest.
If you have difficulty sleeping, there are some routines you can start to improve your quality of sleep. Try to develop a sleeping pattern and stick to it, reduce caffeine intake, and avoid taking your devices with you to bed. Also invest in the setup of your bedroom, great lighting, and comfortable beddings, as well as pre-bed meditation and breathwork.
3. Practice Gratitude
Finding things to be thankful for will improve your outlook on life. It could be difficult to see the good in inconvenient situations but focusing on the positive, no matter how little, improves your emotional state. Pause at intervals throughout the day to identify things you are grateful for.
Make sure you are genuine with your feelings, and if you don’t have something to be thankful for currently, think about any moment in the past you loved. This is a good way to achieve emotional balance.
4. Learn to Manage Stress
Identifying the signs of stress and devising effective management techniques help with emotional balance. When distressing situations occur, try to spot your reaction, and learn to pause before responding. Your breathing can serve as pointers to your stress level if you find yourself breathing irregularly or erratically, and take deep breaths to regain control.
Meditation and yoga are also perfect stress management strategies, as it is a great tool for emotional balance through self-reflection and self-discovery.
Conclusion
Remember that the difficult times are only temporary, and are a normal part of life. The onus then lies on you to acknowledge these feelings and find the right balance to work through them. If you are having a hard time controlling your emotions, practicing the tips in this post will help you become more emotionally balanced, so do consider those!
