Feeling off lately? Worn out after the holidays and all the stress that accompanied 2020? You may be in need of an emotional detox. Similar to health detoxes, emotional detoxes help purge your body and mind of negative emotions, which could be a result of burnout, trauma, stress, etc.
Here are a few signs you should indulge in an emotional detox:
• You are easily overwhelmed by your daily thoughts and responsibilities.
• You find yourself overreacting to situations that normally would not trigger you.
• You feel as though your emotions are out of your control.
• You are stuck in a cycle of regret, sadness, or anger over a past event, like a breakup or childhood experience.
Though emotional detoxes aren’t as quick of a process as juice cleanses or other health detoxes, they are well worth it in the end, when you are able to regain control of your emotions and see the world with new eyes. Here are a few ways to go about your emotional cleanse:
Be aware of your emotions.
A lot of us have a bad habit of suppressing our feelings. It’s not necessarily your fault – hearing things like “keep your chin up!” and “big girls don’t cry” throughout our childhoods can lead to mismanagement of emotions, or the denial of their existence altogether. But, feeling your feelings is key to overcoming them. The next time you feel sad or angry about something, don’t suppress these negative emotions. Feel them fully and try to identify where the emotion is coming from.
Try a “complaint cleanse.”
Do you complain a lot? Whether it’s about your job, your haircut, the lack of food in the fridge, or your child’s grades at school, it can be hard to contain your distaste for certain people, places, or things. Yet, complaining often results in an accumulation of frustration and helplessness – which does nothing for your emotional well-being. A “complaint cleanse” can help you regain control. Try going a full 24 hours without complaining, and you’ll see how the lack of negative talk positively impacts your mental health.
Identify and limit your vices.
Pouring a glass of red wine after a long day isn’t inherently unhealthy. But, if you’re turning to your vices to deal with your emotional distress, you are only temporarily dulling the pain at-hand, rather than addressing it. Not to mention, overindulging can lead to serious problems like obesity, drug and alcohol addiction, and more. Instead of reaching for your favorite vice when the going gets tough, stop, and reflect on the root cause of your emotions.
Apartment living is all about a maintenance-free lifestyle. At Oxford at Sonterra Apartments in San Antonio, Texas, we go above and beyond to ensure that you have a completely stress-free day-to-day routine.