🌿 Feel It to Heal It: Natural Rituals To Improve Mental & Emotional Health
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May might have a polite name—Mental Health Awareness Month—but the feelings it lifts into the light are anything but polite.
They’re raw, real, sometimes rowdy. And that’s good news, because healing only happens when we actually meet what’s hurting.
Below is a full-bodied, no-fluff roadmap to love your mind the way you love your body and your shopping trips: with daily reps, nourishing inputs, and fierce self-respect.
1️⃣ Name the Storm
You can’t calm a beast you refuse to see. Before any fancy coping trick, give your feeling a mailbox label: anger, grief, meh, I-can’t-even. Spoken or written, the name shrinks the monster back to mammal size. Labeling emotions initiates recognition and validation. For example, identifying frustration as anger allows for objective analysis of its causes, such as unmet expectations or feeling unheard. Similarly, labeling loss as grief helps you understand it as a natural response, aiding navigation through grief stages with awareness and compassion. Using terms & phrases like I-can’t-even indicates being overwhelmed, suggesting a need for self-care or support. Naming emotions, whether spoken or written, externalizes them, reducing their power. This practice provides clarity, perspective, and is a first step toward effective coping strategies. By naming your feelings, you acknowledge their presence and begin managing them healthily.
Try it: Pause, breathe, and finish the sentence: “Right now I feel ___.” Bonus points for dramatic flair.
2️⃣ Breathe Slower Than the Chaos
Your lungs are built-in brakes for runaway thoughts. They serve as a remarkable physiological mechanism, acting like built-in brakes for runaway thoughts that can often spiral out of control in moments of stress or anxiety. The relationship between breath and mental clarity is linked to the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions like heart rate and respiration.
A simple breathing technique can harness this connection:
Try this: "Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 2 seconds, and exhale for 6 seconds."
This method calms the mind and engages processes that promote relaxation and clarity. Inhaling deeply for 4 seconds oxygenates the blood, fueling the brain. Holding the breath for 2 seconds maximizes oxygen absorption. The key is the 6-second exhalation, which stimulates the vagus nerve, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing heart rate and cortisol levels, and promoting relaxation.
These changes can occur within a minute, leading to calmness, reduced anxiety, clearer thinking, and improved focus. Regular practice of this breathing technique can manage stress and enhance mental well-being, aiding in challenging situations and daily life.
Longer exhales flip the vagus nerve’s (also known as cranial nerve X) “chill switch,” lowering heart rate and cortisol within a minute.
3️⃣ Write Wild, Write Honest
Journaling isn’t teenage drama—it’s neural housekeeping. A 2018 study showed expressive writing drops rumination and lights up problem-solving parts of the brain. Go three pages stream-of-conscious or 5 minutes timer-on, pen-unfiltered.
Pro tip: Burn or shred the page when you’re one. Instant ritual, zero evidence.
4️⃣ Move Like You Mean It
Yes, we covered fitness in Blog #1—but movement as emotional release deserves its own mic. Shake, stomp, twerk, sun-salute, punch a pillow. Trauma scientists call it “completing the stress cycle.” Your nervous system calls it “thank you.”
Stress triggers hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, preparing the body for action. While beneficial short-term, prolonged stress can lead to anxiety, depression, and heart disease. Completing the stress cycle helps restore balance and reduces stress's physiological impacts.
Techniques for Completing the Stress Cycle
Physical Activity: Exercise releases endorphins and reduces stress hormones.
The most underrated method is walking...btw
Deep Breathing Exercises: Calms the nervous system.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Reduces anxiety and promotes peace.
Emotional Expression: Talking, journaling, or creativity alleviates stress.
Social Connection: Provides comfort and reduces isolation.
Rest and Recovery: Sleep and rest are essential for recovery.
5️⃣ Sip Your Sanity
Drinking a nice cup of tea has many benefits. Here are some key advantages:
Antioxidant Properties: Tea is rich in antioxidants, which can help combat oxidative stress in the body.
Hydration: Tea contributes to your daily fluid intake, keeping you hydrated.
Heart Health: Regular tea consumption has been linked to improved heart health and reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Boosted Metabolism: Certain types of tea, like green tea, may help enhance metabolism and aid in weight management.
Relaxation and Stress Relief: The ritual of drinking tea can be calming, helping to reduce stress and promote relaxation.
Understanding Herbs
Herbs aren’t woo—they’re chemistry.
Herb | Why It Helps | Easy Fix |
Ashwagandha | Lowers cortisol, steadies mood | Capsule or tea in PM |
Lemon Balm | Gentle anxiolytic, memory boost | Infuse in water bottle |
Chamomile | GABA activator—natural calm | Classic bedtime tea |
Passionflower | Quiets racing thoughts | Tincture before sleep |
House blend idea: I like to combine a twist of citrus peel to the Calming Tea — I call it My “Peace, Please”.
6️⃣ Digitally Detox (Tiny Edition)
You don’t need a monastery; you need micro-mutes.
Airplane mode during meals.
No-scroll first hour after waking.
One screen-free walk daily.
You can take a break for half a day in the morning or skip using them for 1 day to 1 week, which is called ‘Social Media Detox’. Studies show even 30 minutes less social media per day improves mood and life satisfaction in under two weeks. When you are in a bad mood, try to avoid the information overload situation, especially from social media.
7️⃣ Curate Your Circle (my fav choice to improve my mental & emotional health)
Healing thrives in community. Text a friend “Hey, I’m doing a head-check—how’s your heart?” Vulnerability is contagious in the best way.
Community plays a crucial role in the healing process, offering support, shared experiences, and compassion. A simple text like “Hey, I’m doing a head-check—how’s your heart?” can spark deeper conversations and emotional check-ins. Vulnerability encourages others to open up, creating a safe space free from judgment, fostering belonging and solidarity.
And if you need pro backup, therapy isn’t weakness; it’s personal coaching for the mind. Seeking professional help, such as therapy, is a proactive step toward healing, providing guidance and tools for personal growth. In a community valuing open communication, mental health discussions help dismantle stigma and empower individuals to prioritize well-being.
By cultivating connections through check-ins, sharing vulnerabilities, and seeking guidance, we create a nurturing environment that supports and values everyone, fostering a culture of collective healing.
Conclusion
As we wrap up Mental Health Awareness Month, it is important to not just utilize these tools this month but all year round. Just as we prioritize regular checkups with a dentist or doctor, let's also prioritize our mental well-being alongside our physical health. That being said, the steps you take to improve your mental & emotional health are never straightforward; it's continuous and can move up, down, or sideways. Don't push yourself or punish yourself if you can't do everything here or if you can't get to daily tasks, show up for yourself whenever and however you can. Remember you are not alone in this.
Ready for deeper work? Download my free “Daily Emotional Reset” Checklist. Your mind is the engine—let’s keep it finely tuned.
Print it. Post it. Practice it.
Want to go deeper? Join the Emotional Reset Challenge and use this checklist daily in our community to support, reflect, and reset. You’ll get:
A weekly journal prompt
Daily herbal tips
Group check-ins
🎯 Sign up here and start feeling like you again.
Healing starts with habit. Use my free, personal & printable checklist to track your emotional and mental health like the sacred priority it is.
👀Let's try this together for the next week: Tag your journey with #FeelItHealIt and let’s normalize emotional maintenance like we normalize brushing teeth.
📝 Your 7-Day Emotional Reset Challenge
Morning label: Name your waking emotion.
2-minute breath break after lunch.
5-minute journal dump before dinner.
Shake-it-out song sometime after work.
Herbal sip ritual at dusk.
30 screen-free minutes before bed.
One honest check-in with a friend each day.
Disclaimer:
The tips provided in this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional for medical diagnosis before starting any new exercise or nutrition program, especially if you have any underlying medical conditions or injuries.
