By Abike didn’t realize it, but she was carrying an invisible bucket.
Not a fancy designer bag.
Not a portable cooler of small chops.
heavy, leaking emotional bucket._
Every day, it filled up with:
- Unanswered emails from work,
- Passive-aggressive texts from her auntie,
- “Can we talk?” messages from her situationship,
- And of course, her own unspoken worries.
By Wednesday, the bucket was overflowing, and so was Abike’s chest, exhibiting tightness & snappiness. Then her neighbour Mama Titi, a retired nurse and part-time philosopher said something profound while peeling yam:
You wash your body daily. Why not your emotions too?
That line arrested her soul like LASTMA; So Abike Started Practicing Daily Emotional Hygiene:
- Five-Minute Feel Check
Before grabbing her phone in the morning, she’d ask: “What’s sitting on my chest today?” and name it. - Digital Detangling
She muted anyone who drained her, not out of pettiness, but peace. - Micro-Journaling
She writes down Three lines before bed:
- What went well today?
- What drained me?
- What do I need to release?
- She embraced Silence as Medicine
No music, no gist just 10 minutes daily to sit, breathe, and be. - She Practiced Kindness to Self
When her thoughts turned harsh, she’d interrupt: We don’t speak to ourselves like enemies anymore.
Abike didn’t change her life overnight.
She just stopped letting her emotional bucket leak until it drowned her.
Because emotional hygiene isn’t about perfection.
It’s about checking your heart as often as you check your mirror.