This past weekend I was privileged to be part of one of the best conferences in the UK, organised by the British Psychological Society of Northern Ireland. I enjoyed the quality of the content, which was mostly based on very solid research, the expertise of the speakers, the hospitality of local people, local live music and drinks, and the location – the city of Portrush.
The conference titled “Wellbeing and Re-engaging” indeed made me feel very well and super-engaged. We talked about leadership, menopause, reverse mentoring (my favourite), brain health, the joy of running, and many others. What is more important – we were trying different activities together, like swimming in the freezing Atlantic ocean, and running/walking in the morning. I enjoyed the practical implications.
And, as a sex therapist, I kept one wondering about one question: How come sexual well being was not even slightly mentioned anywhere? How come this sphere is completely ignored? Not that it is central or should have practical exercises on spot, but it is indeed strange that it was not discussed even vaguely, until…I raised this topic, and I was invited to make a seminar for the next meeting. Could I have been more excited?!
Another aspect that I questioned there as well was about the tremendous benefits of sports, which all of us know, but somehow it is not a strong enough motivator. What if we should use “unhealthy” narcissistic motivators for the healthy life style? Like good looks, neurotic competitiveness, the stupid need to prove yourself, big goals to brag about, and decluttering your mental garbage beliefs regarding sports, distinguish traumatic sports-related stories from sports itself. At least the latter helped me much more than the intellectual knowledge of the “magic” of sports.
Yet, I want to repeat myself that the conference was far beyond “well” – it was excellent in most of the aspects.