How much work do you put into your physical appearance? It might be an amount we’re a little reluctant to admit, no matter which end of the spectrum you fall on.
Some parts of maintaining physical presentation no one thinks anything of. Nice soap, the right shampoo or styling product, a certain style of clothing. Some parts, we put a lot of time and energy into building our physical health into the best we can. Most people get regular haircuts, many have a gym membership, we pay attention to whether our clothes fit us in a flattering way, which colour looks best on us. We put a lot of time, money and energy into maintaining certain parts of our image. Time spent in the gym, maybe a spray or real tan, nails and eyelashes done at home or by professionals, maybe a weight loss meal plan, branded clothing, skin care, shoes that give you the best support or the best look, supplements and vitamins. How much money do you think you spend in a month trying to maintain or improve your unique look?
What if you put the same effort into your mental health maintenance? We’re all guilty of neglecting to monitor our mental status. Pressure from work builds up and we ignore certain symptoms: not sleeping well, impatience with family members, over or under eating, and just a general unwell mood. What we need at this point is specific attention and energy towards mental wellness. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget and this is how we lose sight of positive coping strategies.
A hairdresser/barber helps us keep our locks in check, but who helps your mood and happiness when you’re out of ways to help yourself?
A little time and energy into mental health maintenance can help you sleep better, manage emotions and patience, and feel better about yourself, no matter how much effort you put into your image today.
Maple Leaf Therapy is a great place to start this process. Working together, you can learn the tools to keep a more balanced mental health. What does that look like? We can start by creating a space for you to feel what you’re feeling without needing to hide it, put on a brave face, or maintain an image. Where else can you get that? We can then identify the parts of your mental health that you want to be better. The process won’t make you perfectly happy 100% of the time, because no one can achieve that and it’s not what life is about. Mental wellbeing is about being able to recognise a negative emotion, accept it, and move on from it in a healthy way. We can think of our mind like a muscle, training it to cope the right way takes practice, care, and achievable goals to build up to. When you want to build your muscles, you spend time and energy on them.
To work on building a solid mental maintenance plan, message or call me. I’ve worked with athletes and business owners to help them reach their full potential, why not let me help you reach yours?