2020 is finally upon us. The last decade has been…interesting for many of us. But for others, it has been very emotionally challenging. If you are feeling apprehensive about the future or you just want to reclaim control over your emotional health, here are four tips for putting your emotional health first in 2020.

Redress Your Work-Life Balance

Striking a healthy balance between our work and personal lives is increasingly difficult in the modern world. Technology was supposed to make our jobs easier, but it has also blurred, or in some cases completely demolished, the barriers that once separated work from play. Many workers are now expected to be on-call virtually 24/7, which is great for businesses but not so good for their employee’s emotional wellbeing.

If you are lucky enough to work a job that you love, it is all too easy to fall into an unhealthy relationship with your work. In fact, people who enjoy their jobs are more likely to end up overworking themselves than those who are desperate to get away from their jobs. Try to confine your work activities to specific hours of the day and make these your office hours. Outside of these hours, your time is your own.

Consider Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a fantastic tool for managing our emotional wellbeing. It is not a panacea, but mindfulness offers benefits to everyone, regardless of their current mental health status. Those who are already in good health can benefit from a reduction in feelings of stress and anxiety, while those who are already prone to these emotions will often find that they are able to control them much more proficiently.

Mindfulness is much easier to practice than many people realize. There are plenty of books out there that cover mindfulness and meditation in some detail. Or, if you don’t have the cash to splash on a new set of books, there are also online tutorials. YouTube is awash with mindfulness guides and guided meditations that you might find helpful.

Honesty And Self-Reflection

A healthy emotional outlook requires you to be open and honest with yourself about your current circumstances and wellbeing. Most of us like to think of ourselves as honest, at least with ourselves. Similarly, we all tend to believe that we are open to change when presented with evidence of our wrongdoing.

However, those people who are already prone to poor emotional and mental health are likely to find self-reflection difficult. For example, someone with low self-esteem may be prone to being overly harsh on themselves and find it difficult to know how to respond. In other cases, people who have been through emotional trauma and have heightened defensesmay be more prone to denial because of the additional barriers they need to break down to reflect on themselves properly.

If this is something that you find difficult then it is a good idea to speak to a mental health professional. They will be able to objectively assess your reactions and will know how to respond in the way most conducive to your development.

Consider Alternative Treatments

Conventional medicines and therapies definitely have their place. But while western doctors are excellent at treating physical ailments, science and technology have yet to deliver us to a place where we can easily align our emotions. Science and medicine are about logic and objective facts, whereas our psychology is much more subjective and nuanced.

Many spiritual gurus in eastern cultures will recommend western medicine for physical ailments, but a spiritual healer for emotional wellbeing. There is nothing contradictory about accepting pharmaceuticals and surgical interventions for your body while choosing to get in touch with an energy healer for your emotional needs.

Your mental and emotional health is too important to be cavalier with. Now that we are entering not only a new year but a new decade, this is the perfect time to reinvent yourself and reformulate your approach to your emotional wellbeing.