Today I have decided to make a post about a topic that is talked about often but maybe not enough, especially with college students. This topic is mental health and trying to understand it. Mental health can affect everyone differently and there is a wide spectrum that someone can be diagnosed as. As a student-athlete and a female, I have may fair share of dealing with mental health and anxiety and some days are way better than others. When I am having an off day, I find myself secluding myself from everyone, in negative mindset, and I also struggle with sleeping. Knowing your symptoms is a good start to realize you may be struggling with your mental health and need to seek help. Asking for help is the first step to get better and steps in the right direction. It is okay to not be okay.
Today was PSACs for XC and the women race a 6k, which was a big change from a 5k at the start of the season but has gotten a lot easier. I have had very good race and other races I had a lot to learn from this season, there is no race gone to waste because you can learn from every time you run. I have learned throughout my season that I need to go out slower and then work up to catching people and today I did that. Today was one of my best races that I have had in a really long time and I really needed that because I was starting to get worked up and really down on myself. When racing today I really felt my body pushing through the wall and going to a different level and ended up getting a new PR and finding my purpose in running a little bit more.
I can really relate to this post because mental health has always been something that is difficult to talk about and deal with. I find myself coping in unhealthy ways as well by using negative self-talk that just results in more stress and anxiety. With therapy, I am now able to realize and address how I'm feeling. I also like how you included that it is okay to not be okay. Sometimes people feel guilty for having an off day, which shouldn't be the case at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that someone in tech well was able to talk about this subject, it sometimes feels like taboo to talk about it. But as SWE it should be everyone's job to spread awareness towards it since mental wellness is incapsulated in the broad term of health, and since poor negative health is so prevalent especially in college. It truly is hard to take on everyday with a full head of steam and positive attitude, so some things I enjoy is listening to music, driving, or exercising and for me these can turn the day around for the better. And really the most important thing in life is mental health so if that means taking a day off for your own health then it's not really a day wasted right? Finally, I like what you said about asking for help because it should never be frowned upon by anyone and it doesn't make you any less of man or woman to do so. Too many times I hear about other men that thought they had nobody to turn to for fear of what others think of them. I feel like I'm going all over the place with this comment but I really like your blog post and what it stands for!
ReplyDeleteI think this a great post and I'm really glad that you decided to make a post about it. Mental health is something that I have always made as something so important because it really is and it's just as important as physical health. Times when I struggle with mental health, I like to go outside for a walk in nature or listen to music and just give my mind a little break. Mental health is something that should always be made aware and I think it's something important to always keep in mind because we can't always see others mental health. I also like how you said it's okay to not be okay because sometimes others are hard on themselves when they aren't feeling okay. This is a great post and topic to talk about so thank you for posting about it!
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