How to make emotional health your top priority

LET THIS BE THE YEAR YOU'RE BETTER ABLE TO COPE WITH UPS AND DOWNS, SAYS ELLA WALKER

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ALL the chat around 'new year, new you' can be incredibly depressing. Pressure to go on an extreme diet, push your body to the limit at the gym and cut out anything tasty can make the start of the year an ordeal. With all that focus on how we look physically, our emotional health often gets bypassed, or forgotten altogether.

So why not reflect, recalibrate and put in place strategies that will help you manage your feelings and protect your mental health; strategies that will have an impact long after you lose interest in avoiding cake.

"Emotional health refers to our ability to recognise, understand and manage our emotions in a balanced way," explains Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic.

"It's about being in tune with our feelings, responding to them in a healthy manner, and coping effectively with stress, setbacks and life's challenges.

"Emotional health also means having the resilience to recover from difficult situations, maintaining a sense of wellbeing and building positive relationships with others."

Here's how to make 2025 the year your emotional health becomes a top priority...

Set an 'emotions goal' for 2025

"We often set goals for our physical health, but how about setting one for your emotional wellbeing?" suggests Claire Fitzsimmons, emotions coach practitioner and founder of If Lost Start Here.

"This could be believing that your feelings matter this year or taking time to notice them when they show up.

"It could be to allow for a whole range of your emotions over the next year, and not just happiness - often our default choice - so we can feel more fulfilled and connected to ourselves and others."

Practice self-compassion

It can be hard to find time for yourself, but a little bit of self-care can make a huge difference.