Where’s your Emotional first aid kit?
First Aid. What popped into your head after reading that? For me, it was a lunch box with a Red Cross on it. I remember seeing one in the lunch room at my grade school and in the nurse's office. I'm guessing many people have some sort of first aid kit at home with bandaids, Neosporin, elastic wrap bandages, scissors, etc. How about an emotional first aid kit? Do you have one of those lying around?
I was recently reminded of a Ted Talk by psychologist Guy Winch, PhD who talks about emotional first aid (link below).
His talk motivated me to get some thoughts out so here we go.
For a quick overview, Dr. Winch explains how in general, our society places emphasis on physical health while neglecting emotional, mental health.
For example, typically, we may learn brush their teeth at least once a day, shower every 1-2 days, try to get some sort of exercise at least couple times per week, go to your primary care provider for a physical exam every 1-2 years, etc. Maybe you even remind and encourage an elderly loved one about scheduling their eye or hearing test. What about mental health? What kind of emotional hygiene are you doing?
I wonder if the brain is long forgotten because we cannot visibly see it with our own eyes. We can see other people’s skin, eyes, ears, teeth, and nose so do focus on caring for what can be seen in fear of judgment by others?
As Dr. Winch further discusses in the Ted talk, we as humans encounter more “psychological wounds” than physical wounds on a daily basis: fear, pain (emotional), rejection, guilt, failure, to name a few. I worry and fear my private practice will crash and burn more often than stubbing my toe, getting a bruise, or having a tooth cavity. We as a society clear have this backwards, emphasizing physical health over mental health.
I propose we start changing the narrative here. It’s never too late to evolve onward and make a change. Slowly but surely, we can introduce a healthy habit into our daily routine, whether it be taking 1 minute, 30 seconds, 5 minutes, whatever you can afford. Brain research is now clear: the brain changes throughout life and we can shape our brains for the better by engaging in healthy habits (I’d be happy to share research supporting this, let me know!).
So, please take a moment to think about your emotional first aid - what are you doing to care for your brain? Next time I will share about different healthy habits that you could introduce into your routine so stay tuned!
Given it is Valentine’s Day week, please don’t forget to blow your brain a kiss and thank it for never taking a day off.
References:
Center for Healthy Minds - https://centerhealthyminds.org/feature/neuroplasticity
Dr Guy Winch, PhD Ted Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2hc2FLOdhI
