This week, former Miss Clare Rebecca O’Neill shares her self-therapy tips on how to make yourself feel better. 

Being able to manage your feelings shows the skill of having emotional intelligence. It is difficult to promote self care when you’re feeling down and we don’t cut ourselves enough slack when it comes to having a rough time. Negative feelings often occur with a negative frame of mind and regularly results in being unhappy and anxious. I want to list some tips that really work well for me personally when it comes to making myself feel better mentally and physically.

1: Understand what motivates you

Everyone gets motivated by different things and it is good to discover what motivates you personally in order to make you feel better. Waking up early really helps me gain energy and productivity into my day. I usually try to start my day with a healthier frame of mind by involving healthy activities such as exercise and reading. This can be a lot easier said than done especially if you’re not a morning person like I used to be.

It is a big personal accomplishment once you begin to get into the habit of becoming an early riser. Some people thrive more when sleeping in later because they are at their best when doing so. Understanding your motivation and giving yourself drive can really help you succeed in daily challenges and improve your self esteem. This proves that everyone has their own thing that motivates them like studying something new every day, journaling their thoughts or staying active.

2: Healthy long term habits

Creating a long term habit should be tailored to your needs. These long term habits take a lot longer to achieve but remain worth it in the end when it comes to your overall mental health. This could be waking up earlier, going for a walk everyday, setting aside time to read every day or starting a new hobby. Putting pressure on yourself to start a new task like this might not work and can tend to leave you less motivated than you were before. Always take your time with this life change and if it drives you to motivation then you’re on the right path.

3: Self care time

I have mentioned self care so much in my columns because it is so important. People don’t generally realise how much it actually works in your daily routine. This habit is completely tailored to you personally whether it be watching your favourite TV show or having a nap. By involving something that you know makes you feel very content and comfortable can ultimately determine how well you will sleep that night. This shows that allowing self care time into your life can give you a very settled and calming feeling and naturally results in you being an overall happier person. Scheduling time for self care everyday is a good goal to start with and it is helpful to document the changes it has made for you mentally.

Not everyone is kind to themselves especially when they have a busy life. But establishing your values and considering time management can really help you schedule more time or yourself.

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