SACRAMENTO, Calif. — How are you doing? No really, how are you doing?
Conversations about mental health deserve a place in our newscasts as we continue to deal with tough topics like coronavirus and unemployment. Additionally, folks are experiencing heightened loneliness while still in the pandemic, according to the CDC.
Dr. Taylor Burrowes, a life and relationship coach, is here to help you understand what it means to have an emotionally healthy relationship with yourself, especially if you're feeling lonely.
"In order to be emotionally healthy, you really have to be consistent and have self-control, which is really hard, especially when you feel all cooped up and you're not able to relax and let that steam off a little bit," Burrowes said. "You need to test yourself and see what's important to you: what you prioritize, what your values are, but you need to take time away from distractions in order to really look inside and confront yourself, which is not always easy."
According to Psychology Today, when confronting yourself, it often means acknowledging your past mistakes and trusting that you won't make the same mistakes again.
"When you're able to control your behavior and basically align your thoughts with your feelings and your actions, then you can start to trust yourself. And most people don't actually trust themselves," Burrowes said.
The experts at Cal Berkeley also agree that when you don't trust yourself, you may also have a hard time forgiving yourself for past mistakes.
"You have to commit to the process of gaining strength, emotional strength in order to manage that time just with yourself. Once you're able to do that, you will see the benefits with other people quite easily," Burrowes said.
If you're feeling lonely, you can always join a support group, too. Dr. Burrowes hosts a Telegram group that can help you navigate through these trying times.
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