Juanda GreenEmotional balance allows us to navigate life’s highs and lows with resilience. In this series, I will offer articles to assist you in learning the importance of emotional balance and to help you develop strategies and coping skills to find emotional balance and maintain it.
Emotional balance is an essential skill that is needed to navigate life’s highs and lows with resilience. Sometimes life feels like riding a roller coaster ride at the best amusement park. The thrill of slowly going up a monstrous hill and then quickly going down said hill, the feeling of imbalance felt when turning upside down in a loop, or the experience of being violently rocked back and forth that feels like you can possibly have a whiplash. Yes, just like riding a roller coaster, life can be both thrilling and terrifying. To be honest, I am not a fan of roller coasters; I find them to be terrifying. Amusement parks are designed for fun, but when we leave the park, life continues the ride.
How can we maintain an emotional balance, especially now as we live in such a chaotic society? Here are 3 keys to maintaining that balance.
- Becoming more self-aware, rather than remaining in denial. Life hurts and sometimes we must learn to sit in the pain with purpose. Not for the purpose of having a perpetual pity party, but to gain clarity on where adjustments may be needed in your emotional development. Emotional imbalance is designed to lead you to personal growth, not self-judgment or condemnation. Be kind to yourself as you grow and learn who you are becoming, instead of remaining in a stuck place, where you resigned yourself to be. You are in the process of learning to live from another level, a level of emotional maturity, as you gain a new perspective of God, yourself, and others.
- Becoming aware of our relationships. Are your relationships one-sided, where you do all the giving and people rarely ask how you are doing, or are you the one avoiding relationships at all costs? Are you in toxic relationships, ones that consistently emotionally drain you? If so, I ask you why? When I was growing up, one piece of advice my mother always gave me was to wear people lightly. At that time, I didn’t understand what she meant, but I do now. We encounter all kinds of people who are in our lives. However, we must discern how to handle those relationships. Here is where we learn not to embrace toxic people; we must wear them lightly and dismiss them if needed. My brother always said, “We would like to thank and dismiss whoever needs to exit the stage of our life.” This saying holds an essential aspect of letting go. Be able to thank as you dismiss. Be thankful for the lessons you learned from them, whether good or bad, and be thankful that you are at the place in life where you can let them go. If you can’t let go, you may have codependent or enabling tendencies. If that is the case, seek out a good therapist that can help assist you in breaking free from emotional bondage.
- As realtors stress the importance of location, location, location as being essential in finding a great property, mental health professionals stress the importance of self-care, self-care, self-care in building emotional resilience. Self-care is not a luxury; it is essential. Self-care is seen as putting on your own oxygen mask before trying to assist others. This is more than the familiar verbiage of flight attendants; it is the mantra of mental health professionals. I have been asked the question of how therapists can listen to tragic and sad stories from people all day long. Answering this question has two components for me. Number one, I see myself as one who is trained in guiding others in finding solutions for their emotional and relational problems. Number two, I understand and practice self-care throughout my day. Whether you are a business professional, a member of the clergy, a spouse, a parent, or have friendships, you must value yourself as you give to others. If you cannot take care of yourself emotionally, who will do it for you? Some people may think self-care is being selfish; it is not! Never forget, self-care is not a luxury; it is a necessity and is essential for maintaining emotional balance.
Looking forward to sharing The Path to a Healthy Emotional Balance Part 2.
I’ll keep you posted
