A
Better
YOU
Written by : Gina C De Baca
Hello and welcome to the March edition of A Better You ! I am hoping everyone has kept up with their resolutions for the new year or have at least committed to making small changes that benefit your overall well-being .
March is our final month with our self-care series . We will be learning how to take care of our emotional and spiritual well-being . To me , these are the most important parts of ourselves to care for , yet the ones that are often overlooked . This can stem from trying to stay strong for everyone around us and disappointment .
When I feel myself lacking in these areas I step back and evaluate why I am feeling what I am feeling and figure out how to get back on track . For many years I poured everything I was and everything I had into everyone and everything but me . Over time I became tired , bitter , angry , and strayed away from my faith . My overall health declined and climbing out of the trenches was not easy .
If you do not care for your emotional and spiritual well-being , you will most likely not care for your mental or physical health either . If we lack in any area it will trickle into every part of our being . We must be very careful to ensure we are caring for ourselves . If we aren ’ t taking care of ourselves , there is no possible way we are giving 100 % to our family , friends , job , or anything else .
So , what exactly is emotional well-being ? In a nutshell , it is an individual ’ s ability to function in society and meet the demands that life throws at us . Now that we know what it is , let ’ s discuss how it is related to our mental health . If we are not in a positive emotional state , we can fall into an unhealthy mental state , such as anxiety , stress , or even depression .
There are many things we can do to increase our emotional self-care . Many we do constantly without even realizing it . The one I struggle with the most is keeping expectations of myself and others realistic . Letting people down is not something I like to do , and I will pretty much do anything necessary to ensure I can follow through , even on the most unrealistic expectations . Some days I feel like I need to be Wonder Woman and most of the time I cast that expectation on myself . The flip side to that is while I consistently go above and beyond , I tend to expect it from others . I must remind myself that we are all only capable of so much , even myself .
Another I tend to struggle with is setting realistic goals . Again , Wonder Woman status . Why must we believe that we have to be everything to everyone and everything ? Setting realistic goals makes them easier to attain and when we are able to accomplish them , our well-being improves . Unrealistic goals set us up for disappointment and failure which harms us .
A Better you