Breakup. Illustrative image.
Self-care is key to protecting our mental health. You have to pay attention to the signs that are given when something bothers you and work on specific situations with a professional if necessary. It is important to avoid over-demands, and to have relaxing moments and help children develop their emotional intelligence from an early age.
The Lic. Bettina Cuevas, President of the Paraguayan Society of Psychology, addressed in an interview with GEN about mental health and relationships that come to an end in the face of a love break. In this sense, she advocated find the right professionalaccording to the characteristics that the person is requiring at that moment, to to maintain adequate mental health.
He also indicated that We must pay attention to the warning signs when the other person or oneself something is causing discomfort. “It’s like an iceberg where we don’t see what’s going on below and we only see what’s on top or a volcano where we don’t see the internal process either and suddenly it explodes. In the case of human beings, we are giving guidelines, we are giving, let’s say, signs that something is bothering us. Sometimes we may not say ‘it bothers me’, but our containment network, those around us, family, friends, co-workers, are watching us, they are realizing and we are somehow saying ‘today I am not well, today I am not talk to me, etc.’, but sometimes they are moments that are passing. If that moment is not attended to or that situation was not worked on, analyzed, organized, it will be charged, that individual is going to be charged”.
What do we do to protect our mental health? The expert responds that the main thing is self-care. This implies being okay with ourselves, because if we are okay, those around us will be okay too. In this sense, he brought up that PAHO and WHO agree that mental health is well-being, being well, with the minimum level of stress required on a daily basis to carry out our daily activities, to be productive, and to be able to in good relations with those around us.
also highlighted the importance of seeing a psychologist, not precisely to receive treatment for years and years, since sometimes the problem can be mild and therefore the therapy treatments are brief. He added that there are different approaches in psychology that allow dealing with specific situations and helping that person at that moment to find the necessary tools to work on that difficulty that he is facing.
It’s important too have relaxing momentsfor example, going for a walk, watching a movie, meeting with friends, any activity that gives you pleasure, and that not everything has to do with demands or demands that we also habitually place as a priority.
Cuevas also mentioned that we must take into account our frustrations and the proper handling of them. Resorting to sport, which always requires being in competition with oneself, allows us to face challenges.
On the other hand, he recalled that Emotional intelligence must be worked on from childhood, for example, not giving in to the requests of the children, but explaining the situation and proposing a solution. “A child is formed by us as adults and we are the ones who often do not have enough tolerance to work on that child’s frustrations. So we adopted yaísmo ”, he indicated.
“I have already been locked up for two years, I don’t know what other pandemic can come. So we are accelerating or also infectious in terms of anxiety itself, which is also a negative point if we take it to an extreme. All extremes are pernicious, we have 24 hours a day and we have been told that we have 8 hours of sleep or we must have 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest in terms of relaxation or recreational activities. And today not even our children have that structure realized. Not all children sleep 8 hours, not all children have 8 hours or half or the part of the day that corresponds to them to do pleasant activities or without established schedules. All this from a very young age and managing our mental health and helping our children to work on their mental health as well, ”she explained.
The lawyer clarified that children’s tantrums are also necessary, because they form their character and personality. So, it is very important to talk with them and work on emotional intelligence. “If I as an adult cannot make a child understand that at this moment they cannot do such things because it is not appropriate for their age, then what adult am I who cannot find the tools to work on that emotional intelligence? It is important that they throw tantrums, because they are their affirmations of what they are building. However, tantrums as such should be dealt with. Not to give them a positive response or the famous ‘yes, take it, I’ll give you what you want’. The child is going to throw himself on the floor in a supermarket and he is going to want that candy or that toy that he saw, but as adults we must find the necessary tools to handle that and not give in because the other people in the supermarket are looking at me ”.
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