Do you take care of yourself physically when you have an injury? You probably do. You put a bandage on a scrape, see your physician when you feel sick, and go to the ER when some physical scare occurs. What about your emotional wounds? How do you take care of them? Or, do you fail to and, thus, continue to emotionally decline into an unhealthy place?

Guy Winch, Ph.D., has written an informative article entitled “The Seven Habits of Emotionally Healthy People.” He encourages people who sustain emotional kicks in the head to learn how to minimize the impact, learn from them, and continue the journey of sustaining emotional well being. The Seven Habits follow, along with my commentary.

1. Fail Successfully: Failure distorts perception; goals seem out of reach and our capacities seem less up to the task. We become demoralized and lose motivation. Ignore this gut reaction and make a list of the factors related to your unattained goal that are in your control (effort, preparation, planning, different approaches you could have taken). Then, consider how you might improve each of these factors.

2. Find Meaning In Loss: Searching for ways to recognize not just what you’ve lost but what you’ve gained will allow you to develop a new appreciation for your life and the people in it.

3. Stop Brooding: When we ruminate over distressing events we rarely gain insight into them. … Distract yourself with a task that requires concentration. I call that “changing the channel”.

4. Nurture Self-Esteem: Many people become self critical when they fail, kicking their self-esteem when it’s already down. Instead see your wounded self-esteem as an emotional immune system that needs to be nurtured back to health. Practice self compassion. Think of some of the things you might say to a friend that is down and offer them to yourself.

5. Revive Self Worth: When we make mistakes we tend to be self critical. After utilizing steps one through four, affirm the aspects of yourself that you value. Surely there must be plenty.

6. Combat Loneliness: Once we feel lonely it tends to feed upon itself. We minimize opportunities for rejection by isolation and other self-defeating behaviors. Make a list of the excuses you make to further isolate and combat them by reaching out to people who will be there for you.

7. Absolve Yourself: Sometimes our actions or inactions hurt others, and sometimes the harmed do not forgive us. We are left with guilt. It is important to forgive ourselves as well as others. Everyone makes mistakes.

Well, Respected Reader, what do you think? Are you able to bounce back from failures and hurts? Are you resilient by incorporating these habits into your approach for living? Hopefully this writing has awakened your awareness of the importance of staying emotionally healthy.

Dr. Stathas can be reached at 706-473-1780. Email: Stathas@plantationcable.net. Web site: drstathas.googlepages.com. Blog: drstathas.com