Mental Health October: Exercise and Body Image

View this post on Instagram

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?

Continue reading →

Mental Health October: Meditation

I can’t remember when I was first introduced to meditation, but I do remember initially thinking that it wasn’t for me. What could I gain from sitting with my thoughts? What’s the point?

Now, however, meditation has become an important part of my self-care routine. I use it to disconnect from work or anything else that might be stressing me out. I also use it as a way to mentally reset and relax, especially when it gives me an excuse to sit outside and soak up the sun on a nice day. Above all else, however, it’s forced me to honestly sit with and reflect on all of my thoughts, which has been more helpful than I could’ve ever imagined.

Read more about my journey with meditation below!

Continue reading →

Mental Health October: Insomnia and Sleep Hygiene

A few weeks ago, I played Among Us with friends until 12:30AM – and wasn’t able to sleep until 4 hours later.

*Fun and also bad for your sleep hygiene (image from play.google.com)*

This is a really great example of how fragile my sleep schedule is! I was on my computer a lot longer than usual, playing a game that raised my heart rate quite a lot, and paid the price for it in lost sleep.

Though Among Us has gotten popular fairly recently, my sleeping problems have persisted for many, many years. In high school and college, I pulled many, many all nighters, and probably had a lifetime and a half’s worth of caffeine. I even worked night shifts that lasted until 2:30 AM at one of my work-study jobs. Once I left school, however, my schedule became a lot more predictable, and I struggled with new temptations, like staying out at a bar with friends until last call, or watching YouTube videos until the wee hours of the morning.

Over time, I’ve had to adjust my own habits in order to make sure that I get a full night’s sleep, which in turn allows me to function like a normal person upon waking up. It’s taken a lot of trial and error, but I think I’ve landed on the rights habits that work for me – read about them below!

Continue reading →