Article written by Ashley Hughes, founder of Supple[Mental] Sports
Mental health is not rocket science. Sure, the brain may be quite the mystery, but when it comes to taking care of and maintaining mental health, there is a plethora of affordable, easy and even fun ways to support one’s psychological welfare. The challenge is, many people are unsure where to or how to start taking care of their mental health.
So let’s start with the basics. Many mental health practices are theoretically common sense. As you read through, you may think “duh,” but I will challenge you to really check-in with each concept.
In 2021, we have too many options to distract ourselves from day to day challenges and needs. You can scroll the gram for 45 minutes and allow yourself to put off any task. You can pick up more shifts at work or volunteer to help on projects to avoid life at home. We became experts at avoiding life’s mental challenges, but the truth is, if we do not take care of our wellness, we will one day, have to take care of our illness.
Take it from me — After I sustained trauma in 2017, I made it 18 whole months before I asked for help. I only asked for help because my life fell apart. I had to stop working, could not be in a relationship, hated food and brushing my teeth felt like running a marathon. In those 18 months prior to falling apart, I worked three jobs, traveled non-stop, worked out 2-3 hours/day and applied to hundreds of jobs in the sport industry. You may wonder when I had time to sleep. I didn’t.
By month 16 and 17 I was clearly showing signs of severe depression, anxiety and suicidality, but I refused to believe anything was wrong (we’ll talk about overcoming stigma in another post). Had I taken the time to truly check-in with anything I share below, things may not have gotten as bad as they did and perhaps I would have asked for help earlier.
The Basics:
Hydration
Nutrition
Exercise
Sleep
Positive Interactions
When we talk about basics in mental health, you may think, “Wow, I know nutrition is important” or “Yes, people are often cranky when they’re tired,” but you may not understand the full impact of just how important each of these fundamental mental health needs are.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! When you are dehydrated, your brain has to work harder to manage even the easiest of tasks. Cognitive skills like decision making and processing are slowed due to reduced neural function. There are studies that show dehydration as the cause of meltdowns in toddlers and young children. As adults, we may have more stamina to resist a full-blown tantrum in Whole Foods, but why run the risk? Drink up! When was the last time you got the recommended 2L of H20 in a day?
Nutrition: Yes, that cookie will make you feel better for three minutes (truly, sugar highs last for three minutes). Why? Sugar and carbs mimic dopamine — the happy hormone. However, once that high wears off, you’ll need more or your mood can crash. If you notice wild cravings for sugar and carbs, it’s possible your body might be making less dopamine or serotonin or those hormones might just be a little out of balance. By eating highly nutritious foods and enjoying a treat every now and again, your brain can better balance your moods, no matter the challenges you may face. As my PTSD took over my life, I relied on sugar to make me feel better. I felt incredibly low, so you can imagine how many cookies I ate to sustain a three minute sugar high. Take a moment to check-in. When was the last time you ate a vegetable or an apple?
Exercise: To quote the famous Elle Woods, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” Exercise is a mood booster because it ups your endorphins, another happy hormone. BUT! It is important to exercise in accordance with your energy level and mental health symptoms.
For example, people struggling with depression often struggle to get out of bed. Depression makes the body exhausted from head to toe. Going for a run while feeling depressed may deplete what little energy a person has left. Yoga, gentle stretching or a short outdoor walk might be the move. Anxiety creates pent up energy that has to go somewhere. If you’re feeling anxious, get it out! Time for a HITT workout, an intense hike, lift, play football, something that will help you expel nervous energy.
As my mental health worsened, I over exercised hoping my feelings would just go away. It’s important to understand how to exercise when your mental health is in jeopardy. When was the last time you dusted off the old sneaks or rolled out your yoga mat? Check-in with what your body and brain need before you pound pavement or hit the gym.
Sleep: Taking care of mental health is like taking care of a toddler. If you’re not getting adequate sleep, it will catch up to you. You can take all the adderall mixed with RedBull you want but your brain, mood and mental health will continue to suffer. Most adults need 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. From the day I sustained trauma until recently, I’ve had a pretty rough sleep pattern. I’ve been prescribed almost everything under the sun to calm my nightmares and flashbacks because exhaustion slows down the recovery process. As my sleep finally started to improve in 2021, my recovery process sped up exponentially. The correlation is real! When was the last time you got a good night’s rest?
Positive Interactions: If you are reading this, you are probably old enough to no longer care about popularity and keeping toxic people in your life because it makes you look cool or might help you land a job. It is time to make some cuts. If there are people in your life bringing you
down, you have the ability to set boundaries and primarily engage with people who lift you up. If you have a toxic boss, maybe it's time for a new job or a lateral move to a more pleasant department. If you have that one childhood friend you keep around because you’ve known them since you were five, but you feel emotionally drained every time they call, it might be time to part ways. Life is short; ain’t nobody got time for people who bring you down.
Mental health is often a taboo subject that seems complicated. Scientifically, mental health disorders are caused by chemical imbalances and the brain’s inability to fire neurons at the correct time to the correct place. Oftentimes these imbalances can be prevented or better managed by checking-in with the basics. If the basics are out of whack, it will be much harder to tackle the larger issues.
There is a term in the US used to suggest how we can better take care of ourselves: “Self-Grandparenting.” Treat yourself like your favorite grandparent would. They made sure you were fed, hydrated, slept well, got some fresh air and only ever sang you praises.
Today’s post was meant to educate you on the simplicity of taking care of one’s mental health.* While trauma is my mental health’s primary source of challenges, the basics are integral to my recovery. I wish I had the knowledge I had now before trauma or during the early stages of my recovery so that I could have taken care of myself before things became as tough as they did.
Perhaps you’re more intune than I was or you’re able carve out the time during your busy schedule to ask yourself how you’re doing and give an honest answer, but to the majority population, I encourage you to take the time to check-in.
Supporting our own emotional welfare is not hard, it’s just that we rarely take the time — whether we’re afraid to face the music or too busy.
If there’s anything you take away from today’s post it’s don’t be like me. Avoid waiting until your body starts to shut down and your brain can barely process a simple task to pause. By taking the time to check-in with the basics listed above, you are giving yourself a wealth of opportunity to enhance your performance at work or in your sport, relationships and your overall human experience.
In my experience, most people want to take better care of themselves, but they often need a little guidance or feel afraid to check-in. My two-cents? Take the time, pause for five minutes a day and check-in with basics so you can truly set yourself up for success in everything you do.
Note:* Many mental health issues are unable to be managed solely by going back to basics, but the basics lay a foundation for strong mental health.
Ashley Hughes graduated from the FIFA Master in 2017. Since graduation Ashley became a mental health advocate, specifically in the sport industry. She consults on mental health programs and aims to educate and empower the world of sport through workshops, workbooks, 1:1 coaching and monthly courses. To learn more visit www.supplementalsports.com