Taking good care of yourself starts with paying attention to your mental health.

In summer, we live more outdoors than indoors, especially in the Algarve in Portugal, of course. And if you look around you right now, you'll see that people are paying a lot of attention to their bodies and appearance. You can instantly tell which people have taken the time and effort to go to the gym, the padel club or a clothing outlet. Admittedly, the latter is less sporty, but believe me, it can also be tiring. And let's be honest, it's great fun to look good and feel energetic! In addition, when you are physically fit, eat healthily and get enough exercise, this has a positive effect on your mental health. The reverse is also true.

Because taking good care of yourself is not just about the outside. Just as it is important to take good care of your body, it is just as important to pay attention to your mental health. You can do this, for example, by using positive self-talk when you are dreading something. By telling yourself that you will meet nice people when you go out or that you will feel better and stronger afterwards if you go to the gym, you will find it easier to get moving than if you think “it's pointless anyway”. Bookshelves full of books have been written about the power of positive thinking, and for good reason. Your thoughts influence your feelings, emotions and behaviour.

The way you handle your emotions is just as important. I already discussed this in my blog about suppressing feelings. An important first step in recognising your feelings, thoughts or behaviour is awareness. It means being mindful, paying attention to what comes up in your consciousness.

That may sound vague, and that is probably why we often overlook it. These signals do not seem important, so we do not recognise the initial phase of awareness as such. It can be an uncomfortable feeling, a slight uneasiness, a daydream, a foggy, unclear shape that may feel annoying. By pausing to consider this unclear, vague, foggy “something” and giving it your attention, it will naturally take shape.

If you pay attention to it, you may discover, for example, that you still have to arrange something that you have been putting off for a while, that you feel quite tired and have not had any rest for a long time, that you avoid conflicts, that you forgot to call someone... it could be anything that has been lurking in the background. If there are too many dormant processes active in the background, a lot of energy is lost and, in the long term, mental health problems can also arise. These can include: fatigue, difficulty relaxing, restlessness, gloominess or depression, physical pain, insomnia, outbursts of anger, indecisiveness, crying spells, etc. As a Gestalt therapist, I help you to make the vague concrete, so that you can do something about it and ultimately regain control of your life. Normally, a conversation with someone close to you is enough. Talking helps you organise your thoughts, and a listening ear often works wonders. Taking good care of yourself starts with paying attention to your mental health, and what you give attention to grows.