When the body forces us to stop
Sometimes a simple cold is enough to make us stop.
Not a big crisis. Not a dramatic event.
Just a body saying: “Enough.”
And then, between runny noses, fatigue, and overly fast digestions, we come face to face with something we often prefer to ignore: our own fragility.
In many Gestalt therapy and personal growth processes, learning to listen to the body becomes a doorway to a deeper understanding of ourselves.
Because sometimes the body speaks before the mind does.
Physical strength and emotional strength
I’m not used to getting sick.
And when I lose physical strength, I also feel my emotional stability weaken.
I feel vulnerable, fragile, surrounded by darker thoughts than usual.
I know I’m not the only one.
For many people, physical energy and emotional state are deeply connected.
That is why, in many Gestalt therapy processes, working with body awareness becomes essential to understand what we are going through.
Being a therapist does not exempt me from being human
Accompanying personal development processes does not mean having everything resolved.
It does not mean having no fears.
It does not mean never feeling tired.
It does not mean never falling.
It means something much more honest: learning to accompany myself as well when these moments appear.
Without demanding that I be invulnerable.
Without demanding that I be anything other than a person on a path.
Gestalt therapy does not look for perfect therapists, but for people who are aware of their own processes.
When I don’t know how to stop, my body stops me
Sometimes I wonder if small physical discomforts are the body’s way of reminding us of something essential.
That we need to slow down.
That even when our mind wants to keep running, the body asks for rest.
In many therapy and self-care processes, learning to listen to these early signals can prevent deeper exhaustion.
Perhaps we do not have to wait until life forces us to stop.
Perhaps we can learn to do it earlier:
slow down before exhaustion appears,
take care of ourselves in the invisible moments,
listen to what the body is trying to tell us.
Balance may not always feel exciting… but it is necessary
Years ago, a teacher told me something that irritated me at the time:
“In the middle of extremes lies the truth.”
Young and passionate, I answered:
“In the middle of extremes there is only boredom.”
Today I recognize that she was right.
Because although excess may feel more exciting, balance is the only truly sustainable path.
And often, in Gestalt therapy, the work consists precisely in recovering that inner balance.
A process to learn to listen to yourself again
Gestalt counselling does not seek to eliminate your extremes or force you into rigid molds.
It seeks something more human.
That you can recognize your internal mechanisms.
Understand your rhythms.
Discover your traps… and also your strengths.
And from that awareness, learn to take care of yourself in a freer, kinder, and wiser way.
If you feel that the time has come to look at how you treat yourself and how you could accompany yourself better, this path may help you.
