The Importance of Emotional Hygiene: A Christian Perspective
By Dr. Bethel B Webb
We brush our teeth every morning, shower regularly, and wash our hands throughout the day. Physical hygiene is second nature to most of us. But what about the invisible mess that accumulates in our hearts and minds? What about emotional hygiene?
What Is Emotional Hygiene?
Emotional hygiene refers to the practices and activities that help us clean up the emotional clutter filling our minds and bodies. Just as dust settles on surfaces we forget to wipe down, negative emotions like frustration, disappointment, anger, resentment, and worry can accumulate within us when left unattended. Day after day, these feelings pile up, weighing us down and clouding our ability to experience joy, peace, and gratitude.
Practicing emotional hygiene means intentionally addressing these emotions rather than letting them fester. It’s about creating space in our hearts so we can truly appreciate the good things God has placed in our lives—the laughter of our children, the beauty of creation, the warmth of community, the peace that comes from His presence. When we’re carrying around unprocessed pain and unresolved conflict, we miss out on these blessings simply because there’s no room left to receive them.
Jesus Practiced Emotional Hygiene
If anyone could have skipped emotional hygiene, it would have been Jesus. Yet throughout the Gospels, we see Him consistently tending to His emotional and spiritual well-being, even amid demanding ministry.
Jesus withdrew to pray alone, sometimes before dawn or late into the night. He wept openly at Lazarus’s tomb. He expressed righteous anger in the temple. He shared His deepest anxieties with trusted friends in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking them to stay awake with Him in His hour of need. He wasn’t afraid to articulate His feelings, even crying out to the Father about feeling forsaken on the cross.
Jesus modeled what it looks like to be fully human and fully healthy. He didn’t suppress His emotions or pretend everything was fine when it wasn’t. Instead, He processed His feelings honestly before God and in the presence of safe companions. If our Savior needed to tend to His emotional life, how much more do we?
We Are Limited Human Beings, Created to Practice Emotional Hygiene
Unlike God, who is infinite and unchanging, we are finite creatures with real limitations. We get tired. We feel deeply. We carry wounds that need healing. This isn’t a design flaw—it’s part of what it means to be human, created in God’s image with the capacity for rich emotional experience.
God designed us with emotions for a reason. They’re signals that help us navigate life, alerting us to danger, drawing us toward love, and connecting us to others. But just as our bodies need rest and nourishment to function properly, our emotional lives need regular care and attention. We weren’t meant to carry every burden indefinitely or stuff down every difficult feeling until we explode.
Practicing emotional hygiene isn’t selfish or weak—it’s stewardship. When we tend to our emotional health, we’re better equipped to love God, serve others, and fulfill the purposes He has for us. We can’t pour from an empty cup, and we can’t reflect Christ’s love when we’re drowning in unprocessed pain.
Practical Examples of Emotional Hygiene
So what does emotional hygiene actually look like in daily life? Here are some powerful practices:
Journaling allows us to externalize what’s swirling inside. Putting pen to paper helps us untangle complicated feelings, identify patterns, and gain perspective. The Psalms themselves are essentially journal entries—raw, honest prayers that don’t shy away from expressing confusion, anger, or despair before ultimately turning toward God’s faithfulness.
Talking to a trusted friend about what’s bothering you brings relief and often clarity. Proverbs tells us that “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” There’s something healing about being heard and understood by someone who cares. Isolation allows negative emotions to grow unchecked, but vulnerability in safe relationships brings light into dark places.
Praying out loud engages both your mind and body in conversation with God. There’s something powerful about hearing yourself articulate your struggles, fears, and needs. Speaking your prayers aloud can make them feel more real, more honest, and can help you process what you’re truly feeling rather than what you think you should be feeling.
Crying is not weakness—it’s release. Tears are a gift, a physical mechanism God gave us to express and process grief, frustration, and even overwhelming joy. Jesus wept. We should feel free to do the same. Suppressing tears often means suppressing the very emotions that need to be acknowledged and healed.
Laughing might seem like an odd inclusion in emotional hygiene, but joy is just as important to express as sorrow. Laughter releases tension, shifts perspective, and reminds us that life contains lightness even in difficult seasons. Proverbs 17:22 tells us that “a cheerful heart is good medicine.” Sometimes the best thing we can do for our emotional health is watch something funny, share a silly moment with friends, or simply allow ourselves to delight in something absurd.
Making It a Practice
Emotional hygiene isn’t a one-time event but an ongoing practice, just like brushing your teeth. It requires intention, especially in a culture that often prizes productivity over wellness and strength over vulnerability. But as followers of Christ, we have both the permission and the responsibility to care for the whole person God created us to be—body, mind, and spirit.
What emotions have been piling up in your heart? What would it look like to bring them into the light today? Whether through journaling, conversation, prayer, or tears, take a step toward emotional hygiene. Your heart will thank you, and you’ll find yourself with more capacity to experience the abundant life Christ promises.
After all, we can’t fully embrace the joy set before us if our hands are full of baggage we were never meant to carry alone.
