JG Gillis Counselling

With most if not all of my clients, I recommend a simple (but sometimes hard) exercise: self-care. Many people don't understand why. Some misunderstand what I mean by self-care. I thought I'd take some time this morning and briefly talk about what self-care is and why it is so important to everyone, but especially to everyone who is dealing with mental health issues. Self-care isn't all massages, manicures, and bubble baths. If those things make you feel great about yourself, by all means, do them, but I'm talking about small things that you can do in your daily routine, as simple as brushing teeth (or other hygienic things, which for people with depression, may seem hard) right up to taking a walk or having an outing with or without a human or animal friend.  Free photos available at Pixabay.com The purpose of this kind of activity is simple. It is to feed the part of you that rarely gets any thanks or gratitude from anyone, the part of you that feels alone, misunderst...

  I just got back from a walk with hubby and the dogs. It's been so muggy the last two or three weeks that walking seemed more of a chore than anything; I would sweat profusely at the end of even 20 minutes. But tonight, the humidity went down a bit, as did the temperature, and now only my face and neck are moist. I'll take it! I'd been feeling a bit down and discouraged about a few things as we came to the end of June 2023. It was a rainy month, and the temperatures seemed cold; the grass was wet EVERY day.  Free photo by Susanne06 at Pixabay.com Near the end of June or the beginning of July, I had a health scare and started taking seriously the food choices I was making, and the activity level I was settling for. To combat getting my shoes wet, I got some rubber boots (pink, why not?) and started taking the puppy out on a regular schedule, which started around 8:30 am. Within 3 weeks, she was going "outside" to do her business (on leash of course) more than hal...