Mental Health October: Mindsets

A few years ago, my work book club brought the book “Mindset” by Carol Dweck up for discussion. I borrowed a copy from the office, not knowing that my nose would be buried in it for the next couple of days, ravenous for more.

I sincerely believe that consciously adopting a growth mindset has been one of the most helpful changes that I’ve made for my mental health. Without it, I wouldn’t have gone to therapy, accepted the lessons I learned there, or done the self-examination needed to grow and persevere through my issues.

I know this all sounds very woo-woo! But if you’re interested in learning more, click on!

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Mental Health October: Work-Life Balance

I am one of a lucky few that settled into remote work well at the beginning of quarantine. In the “before times”, I generally worked from home 1-2 times a week. Because of this, working from home was not as big as an adjustment for me as I’m sure it was for other people.

On the other hand, this way of thinking ended up being a mental trap! I went into quarantine with the mindset that it wouldn’t be that bad, and didn’t change much about my usual way of life from the beginning. As time went on, however, I realized that I would need to make some changes for my own physical and mental well-being.

Below, read up on some of the new habits and routines that I’ve built up around my work life in quarantine!

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Mental Health October: Exercise and Body Image

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My @liveCandid tip to stay strong: Mix it up. Obviously, right now I can't train with my team but I like to go for walks or a jog to get some fresh air. I might do some sit-ups, lunges, and jump rope. And then as time goes by I find myself looking at online workouts and dance workouts too to mix it up. #emergestronger #livecandid #throwback

A post shared by Simone Biles (@simonebiles) on May 16, 2020 at 8:38am PDT

In the summer of 2008, I was on vacation with my family at Disney World. After a long day at the parks, I spent every moment we had in the hotel room watching the Beijing Olympics. This is when I fell in love with watching gymnastics!

I remember watching Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin and the rest of the women’s team absolutely destroy their events – doing flips! spins! splits! tumbles! the rest! (I don’t know gymnastics terms!) I was enthralled! I wanted to be as strong as them, fly through the air like them, be as confident as them, the whole thing!

While watching one night, one of my family members commented on how chubby the girls looked. Why were they wearing leotards when their legs were so fat? If they worked out so much, why weren’t they all skinny?

My brain started short-circuiting. They’re some of the strongest athletes in the world! It’s all muscle! They responded, Eh, is it worth being so strong if they look so chunky? I wouldn’t want to look that heavy.

I’ve spent most of my life trying to reckon with these conflicting values. Do I want to be strong and healthy? Or do I want to look thin and “beautiful”, according to traditional values?

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