EMOTIONAL FIRST AID

We know that we need to put a plaster on a cut or a cast on a broken arm, but how many of us fail to give the same care to our emotional health? Just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean that it’s not as important! It’s not a case of just getting over’ psychological wounds, which can be just as crippling as physical ones. Leading UK life coach Carole Ann Rice shares 5 tips for emotional first aid.

1. Recognise it – the first step to dealing with emotional pain is to recognise it when it

happens and treat it early. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring it and hoping it’ll go

away – it’s likely that it’ll only become worse.

2. Change your gut reaction – it’s very easy when you’ve been hurt to let your feelings

spiral into other, more painful or even unrelated feelings. To stop this kind of emotional

spiral, learn to change your gut reaction.

3. Take care of your self-esteem – be compassionate to yourself. Self-esteem is like an

emotional immune system that buffers you from emotional pain and strengthens your

emotional resilience. Treat yourself as you would your best friend or loved one.

4. Use positive distraction – when your thoughts are getting you down, interrupt the

pattern with positive distraction. Habitual rumination isn’t healthy or helpful in any way.

5. Know yourself – pay attention to yourself and learn how you deal with common

emotional wounds. Get into the habits of recognising the signs and giving yourself the

love you need, at the right time.

Thank you to REAL COACHING Co for this post - Carole Ann Rice from Real Coaching Co is one of the UK’s leading life coaches and personal development experts. She helps people all around the world discover the best version of themselves.