Mental health difficulties affect all kinds of people—including athletes at the very top of their game. It is also the case that sports can serve as a useful metaphor for some truths about improving your mental wellbeing.
In this post, we are going to look back on three previous entries. The first pulls together some thoughtful quotes from excellent athletes who have faced mental health challenges. The next two use particular sports—baseball in one and auto racing in the other—to suggest some things you should remember about your mental health journey.
Words of Wisdom From Big Time Athletes
In “Get Your Head in the Game: Athletes Talk About Mental Health,” we quoted three amazing athletes, each of whom has been honest about their mental health and its impact on their lives.
Among those athletes is legendary swimmer Michael Phelps, who reminds us that only the misinformed (or the mean) think getting help for a mental health disorder is a sign of weakness:
“If someone wants to call me weak for asking for help, that’s their problem. Because I’m saving my own life.” – Michael Phelps
At the link above, you can also find thoughts on mental health from tennis star Naomi Osaka (…there is usually light at the end of any tunnel) and NBA champion Kevin Love (Mental health…touches use all…).
You can also find a quote about hope from the great Magic Johnson here.
Taking Us Out to the Ballgame
In “Mental Health Lessons from the Baseball Diamond,” we considered what the sport might have to teach us about mental health. Key ideas include:
- There are going to be ups and downs when it comes to your mental health
- You are not out on the “field” alone; you have a team to provide support
- There are plenty of distractions you have to block out as you work to improve your mental health
We think the post is a home run, if we do say so ourselves, and we encourage you to follow the link to the full text.
Round and Round With Advice From Racing
In “Mental Health Lessons from the Race Track,” we turned to the high-speed world of auto racing to make some points about mental health. Those points include:
- Racing—like your mental health—is high stakes
- Racing—like maintaining your mental health—can feel repetitive
- Racing—like supporting your mental health—is not a solo effort
- Racing—like making mental health improvements—is cause for celebration
You can get the full race results at the link, but here we would like to highlight three of those ideas. Your mental health is every bit as important as your physical health (high stakes); sometimes, work on your mental health can feel like drudgery, but there is good news: improved mental health is worthy of celebrating for all the ways it will improve your life.
We also want to note that in each section of this post—the quotes, the baseball, and now the racing—we have noted that you do not have to face your mental health challenges on your own. Your supportive friends and family, your doctor, and your therapist are on your team.
Bonus Content for Football Fans
We kicked off (see what we did there?) a post about cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a consideration of the phrase “football game” and all the different things it might mean. You can check it out here.
CBT, meanwhile, is one of many kinds of therapy that can be helpful in various situations for various individuals. You can learn more about several approaches to therapy here.
We Have a Winning Record When It Comes to Mental Health
When you are struggling with a mental health disorder—whether it is one of the varieties of depression, panic, or anxiety, an issue grounded in traumatic experiences, or something else—it can seem like you are all alone with nowhere to turn. Some of that feeling might come from the ongoing stigmatization of mental health disorders—a societal problem that causes far too many people to forego seeking out the help they need. All of this can make it seem as though your mental health challenges are an opponent you simply cannot defeat.
Fortunately, however, that is not the case at all. At Peak View Behavioral Health, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, we are ready to join your team right now. We will listen intently to your story to understand your individual needs, and then we will create a personalized, evidence-based treatment plan to help you renew the balance in your life so that you can embrace hope once again. Our team is highly trained, has years of experience, and is dedicated to a spirit of empathy that informs everything we do.
Our campus is a safe, comfortable place for pursuing the healing you need. We provide physician supervision around the clock, and we offer medication management as well as group therapy. You can count on us to continue to be a resource as your mental health journey rolls along. Together—you and the Peak View staff—we can build a winning team.
