8 Ways to Practice Emotional Self-Care

What Is Emotional Self Care?

Emotional self-care means taking care of your feelings and your inner well-being. While things like bubble baths or massages might come to mind when you think of self-care, emotional self-care is more about what helps you feel balanced and calm on the inside. It often involves practices like mindfulness, journaling, or simply taking time to understand and process your emotions. Instead of focusing on things you can buy or do, emotional self-care is about giving yourself the attention and support you need to feel emotionally healthy.

How to Practice Emotional Self-Care

Determining an emotional self-care routine can seem daunting, even tedious, at times. You may feel overwhelmed by responsibilities associated with work, your family, or your household.  However, emotional self-care is essential to your overall well-being, and incorporating exercises throughout the day can help you stay physically and mentally balanced.

Here are eight ways to practice emotional self-care:

1. Tune In to Your Emotions

A crucial part of emotional self-care is giving yourself permission to feel. Emotions don’t need to be fixed or suppressed—they simply need to be acknowledged. Tuning into your body can be a helpful first step since emotions often show up as physical sensations. For instance, anxiety might feel like tightness in your chest, sadness may weigh heavy on your shoulders, and excitement or nervousness could create a flutter in your stomach. Some emotions bring warmth that spreads through your body, while others might feel cold or numbing. Paying attention to these cues can help you identify and better understand what you’re experiencing.

Once you notice the emotions in your body, practice mindfulness by observing them with curiosity and acceptance. Rather than labeling your emotions as good or bad, focus on experiencing them as they are in the present moment. Mindfulness encourages you to acknowledge these feelings without judgment, allowing you to process them in a healthier way. There are many great mindfulness apps on the market today, like Headspace or Fabulous that make it easy to begin.

2. Find Healthy Ways to Express Your Emotions

Unexpressed emotions, especially when they feel heightened, can accumulate over time. If you don’t learn how to release them effectively, they often show up in other ways, such as lashing out on others, internalizing them, or numbing them out entirely. While these solutions may offer some immediate relief, they only perpetuate their intensity. If possible, start by getting in the habit of naming emotions and then either writing them down or saying them aloud to a trusted person.

It’s enough to say, This (situation) is making me feel (various emotions). You may also want to rank the intensity of the emotion on a scale from 1-10 just to gauge its potential impact. From there, consider how you can best take care of those emotions. For example, you might find that physical activity helps release anger, crying helps break up sadness, and texting an old friend relieves feelings of loneliness.

3. Set Boundaries Around Emotional Triggers

Everyone has emotional triggers—situations, people, or environments that provoke strong emotional reactions. It’s important to identify the specific triggers that tend to leave you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or angry. Rather than trying to eliminate these triggers entirely (which may not be realistic), focus on recognizing them and determining when and how to adjust your interactions.

For instance, if you notice that a particular relative often makes comments that leave you feeling shame or discomfort, you might decide to limit one-on-one interactions with them. Instead, you could choose to spend time with them only during larger family gatherings where the dynamic feels less personal. Setting boundaries helps protect your emotional well-being while maintaining balance in your relationships.

4. Ask for Help Before You Need It

Emotional self-care isn’t just about what you do for yourself—it’s also about recognizing when to lean on others. Asking for help before you hit your breaking point, also known as the “pre-ask,” is a proactive way to care for your emotional well-being. Whether you’re close to needing space, support, or someone to listen, reaching out early ensures that the people you trust have time to prepare and be fully present when they assist you. This approach not only makes it easier to get the support you need but also reduces the stress and overwhelm that can come from waiting until a crisis arises.¹

5. Spend Time With People Who Lift You Up

Social support is an imperative component of emotional self-care. We often feel better about ourselves when we’re surrounded by people who genuinely care about us. Similarly, if you’re around people who generally have a good attitude about life, their perspective can influence you. So, try to prioritize spending free time around people who feel like joy, connection, and safety. If you don’t have those people, aim to prioritize making that a goal for yourself- they are out there, but you need to invest time and energy to find and nurture those relationships.

6. Take Care of Your Body

Physical and emotional well-being are deeply connected, and taking care of your body is a crucial part of emotional self-care. Regular exercise is one way to do this—it’s not just good for your muscles and heart; it’s a proven way to boost your mood, reduce stress, and even complement therapy or medication.⁶ Additionally, nourish yourself with balanced meals, stay hydrated, and make sleep a priority. When your body is well-fed, rested, and cared for, it’s easier to handle life’s challenges and stay resilient.

7. Focus on Managing Your Stress

When you take steps to lower stress, you’re creating space for your emotions to stabilize and your overall well-being to improve. That’s why managing stress is such an important part of emotional self-care. Try to incorporate stress-relief activities into your daily routine. Regular exercise, and mindfulness practices like deep breathing or meditation, can help lower cortisol levels and give you a sense of calm.

One of the most effective ways to manage stress is by finding activities that help you feel grounded, relaxed, and even a little joyful. Are you a knitter, crocheter, or guitarist? Do you love photography or bird watching? What about that hobby you used to love but haven’t had time for lately? If there’s a skill or activity you’ve always wanted to try, like painting, gardening, or baking, now is the perfect time to explore it.

8. Practice Gratitude

Shifting our focus from what is going wrong to what is going well is a great way to practice emotional self-care.  By acknowledging what you’re thankful for, you create a sense of perspective that can reduce stress, improve your mood, and build emotional resilience. Practicing gratitude doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as keeping a gratitude journal, where you jot down a few things you’re grateful for each day, or taking a moment to reflect on something that made you smile.⁵