If we don’t have our emotional or mental health in a good place, it will affect all of pillars of our health. We’ll have a hard time making progress. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about emotional wellness, a pillar of the eight foundational principles of wellness, part of the summer Vitality Revolution podcast series.

Dr. Weiss says, “Emotional wellness is your sense of self worth, your confidence, and certainly we each have a story. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had a business for over 20 years. My kids are now out of the house and grown. All of these life things are going to affect how emotionally well I am, and that’s going to change, and then understanding that that’s ok. But you have to have a sense of self worth and that’s going to be hard for some people. Let’s say you 50, 60 years old, maybe you’re approaching retirement age, having an idea of what you want to do next. Some people think, ‘oh, it’s over. I’m just gonna go downhill from here,’ when it’s just not the truth and it doesn’t matter where you are physically or financially or spiritually, you have to believe in you, and you have to believe that there are better things to come once these life changes start.

“We know a lot of people that get set in their ways. Some people are like, ‘you’re not going to change me. This is how I am,’ and certainly you can’t make somebody a social butterfly that’s never been a social butterfly before. But if you are scared to try new things, if you feel like you just don’t know where to start now that all these things have happened, you’ve lost your sense of self.”

Dr. Weiss adds, “The idea of self care on a daily basis to me starts with routine. I coach and treat patients 50, 60, 70, 80+ years old. There’s always room for self care and you have to get into that habit, and that starts with how you start your day. You want to have set times to wake in the morning, get outside, set your intentions for the day. I absolutely have a quiet time in the morning. I have my morning coffee, I write down a few things I need to do, and I kind of check in with myself. What are my goals? How am I going to accomplish things? If you start your day by saying, OK, what am I grateful for? What are my blessings? It will offset some of the things that you have [gone through]. It starts with right here. It starts in your mind.

“They’ve done so many medical studies, where they’ve done brain scans. Just the act of thinking about what you’re grateful for rewires the brain to positivity. When you start out your day with positive information, and feeling self-worth, and knowing that ‘I am worthy of good things come to me. I’m going to put A, B, and C aside, and I’m going to feel good about my day.’ It’s amazing what can happen. So again, the self-care piece starts with you taking time for yourself, involving other people in your life, reaching out to friends and family.

“If I had to pick one thing to do in the morning to help you set yourself up emotionally, it’s get outside. Because it kind of is two-fold. When you get outside, even for 10 or 15 minutes in the morning, it really is uplifting, and then if you take a walk — no headphones, nothing — feel nature, look around, observe your surroundings. It’s a walking meditation. That’s one of the best ways to start your day.”

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