6. Use positive self-talk. Pay attention to how many mean or degrading things you say to yourself every day and begin to challenge those thoughts. Speak to yourself as you would a friend. Repeat daily affirmations, even if it feels silly or foreign to you at first.
7. Use a journal. Did you keep a diary as a teenager? Do you keep one now? Whether it’s to reveal your secrets or simple thoughts and ideas, take a few minutes each day to write down whatever you feel you need to get out. Consider a dream diary or a poetry collection. Perhaps daily doodles are your cup of tea instead!
8. Flip your perceptions. You’ve heard of a dandelion that some see a wish while others see nothing more than a weed. The dandelion isn’t different for each of them, but their view of the dandelion is different. It is the same with everything in life. Our perceptions shape our experiences.
9. Validate your feelings but don’t get stuck on them. Learn to feel them and let them flow without attaching yourself to them too much. We can cause ourselves more distress by holding onto emotions long after we need to let them go.
10. Love and be loved. Miraculously, when you focus on loving others, lifting others up, and encouraging people, your own emotional health improves. You will begin to feel more loved, lifted, and encouraged yourself.
