As I read the lyrics of the infamous Mick Jagger, Keith Richards hit song, I am struck by the image of a “knight in shining armor riding across the desert on a fine Arab charger”. The Rolling Stones would come to your emotional rescue. But I ask, “do you need to be emotionally rescued?”

Better still, “do you want to be emotionally rescued?”

“Yes”, you say, “anything to get me out of the feelings quagmire brought on by this relationship with my (blank).” Go ahead, fill in the blank. My boyfriend, my husband, my partner, my boss, my sister, MY MOTHER!

Our relationships can take over our lives. We lose ourselves in them, and in the process we tend to lose parts of ourselves. We lose our voice; we lose our values, our personal integrity. The emotions can be overwhelming and keep us up at night. You know those nights. Racing thoughts. Painful emotions. Tears. These emotions sabotage our ability to function and how we communicate. They can affect how we treat others and how we treat ourselves.

What if you could rescue yourself? What if you could resolve these emotions, learn to manage them, and find a way back to a healthy self who sleeps well at night and walks straight in their day? In doing this you bring a richer self to your relationships, helping those relationships become more balanced and full.

There are lots of theories that tell us how what we think influences our emotions. How amazing it is that we can affect how we feel, by changing how we think. The result is a shift in emotion, mood, attitude and behavior. Of course, this helps every relationship in your life. Especially the relationship you have with yourself.

I believe that individuals and couples can find emotional balance and realign their individual goals to improve their relationships. Healthy, well-balanced individuals make healthy, well-balanced relationships. Becoming aware of what your emotions are, what they are attached to, what defenses you have built, gives you a fighting chance to change your relationships today.

Be your own “savior, steadfast and true”.  Come to your own “emotional rescue”.

Emotional Rescue, lyrics by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, 1980