Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

This Mental Health Awareness Week 2024, the theme is Movement for Mental Health. In this text, MQ Ambassador, athlete, LGBTQ advocate and writer Amazin LeThi shares with our employees author how motion has been an integral a part of her psychological well being journey.

Moving Through Childhood

Like a number of youngsters, I began shifting and doing athletics at a really younger age, I should have been about 5. But I discovered staff sports activities very hostile. I used to be picked on for being Asian. But I immediately realised the facility of motion and the way it made me really feel inside it was like a fireplace had ignited within me and, that, that although I could not verbalise, I understood the correlation between psychological well being and bodily well being. I did not know what psychological well being was to verbalise it, however I might perceive the correlation of motion and the way that made me really feel.

I used to be very younger, after I began weight coaching. I used to be round six, and after I began going to the fitness center. That was the start of a lifelong journey of motion. I’d spend time simply shifting totally different machines, shifting my physique, watching individuals transfer and taking a look at them. I might see different individuals transfer with confidence, which gave me the boldness to have the ability to transfer.

Movement helped me in so many various methods. It helped me see myself for the primary time as a queer Asian child, although I could not verbalise it. It helped give me the self-worth that I wanted, as effectively.

You cannot be depressed and luxuriate in your self shifting. There’s a shift, a bodily, psychological and a chemical shift that your physique makes while you begin shifting that makes you’re feeling good. And in that second, you assume, I can not have a tragic face. I’m in such an excellent place after I transfer.

Movement is Mental Wellness

When you’re feeling depressed, or down, it for me appears to be like like sitting nonetheless, my head is dropped, my shoulders are slumped and I’m hunched over, my face is unhappy, and I’m not shifting.

If somebody is blissful – what does that appear like? If they’re ecstatic and so they really feel alive, they might be doing the superhero pose! They’d be trying up, they might be smiling. They can be dancing. There can be motion.

Mental well being isn’t a perception system. But if somebody mentioned to you shut your eyes, and keep in mind, the happiest time that you’ve got had not too long ago, you’ll see a physiology shift in that individual. And that individual would start to really feel higher.

“When I feel physically burned out and my mental health is wavering, I know as an athlete, I must keep going, when my body fails, my mind must take over.”

When I take into consideration actions, for me it’s the yin yoga. It’s about stress-free the physique to coach the thoughts, going into the pose and simply holding it. But even while you’re holding a pose, your physique continues to be in motion. And on the identical time, your thoughts is in motion to chill out and launch its ideas and its stress. So you find yourself calm, within the current.

Celebrate the Little Wins

I do a number of breath work now inside my very own psychological well being, as a result of that is one thing that you are able to do. Still, while you sense that anxiousness or panic otherwise you sense your psychological well being beginning to waver. You can simply take a couple of moments in silence, and simply do some deep breaths. You might discover a physiological and psychological shift in you.

And I believe one other a part of psychological well being is temper and motion. We neglect to rejoice the small wins. We at all times go for the Big Golden Nugget on the finish as a purpose, however for many people although, that’s not attainable. But motion might be merely getting off the bed. Let’s rejoice that win. Because for the previous few days, possibly I have not been ready to try this. That’s nonetheless motion.

Movement might be taking the steps as an alternative of the raise, strolling two blocks as an alternative of 1. It’s a matter of celebrating these little wins alongside the way in which. And it is as a result of that gratitude helps us recognise we’re doing a lot better than we thought.

Imagining Lessons Learned

Movement has taught me about correlation between the thoughts, physique and spirit. My thoughts can return, because of my creativeness, to all these occasions that I’ve moved in a method that made me so blissful and lifted my spirits. So when I’ve these moments the place possibly I’m having a psychological well being problem and I can not transfer, my creativeness can create a bodily and psychological shift.

I’m humbled by how vital motion has turn out to be for me, and the way it’s saved me. Without motion, I would not be right here immediately.

“On the journeys I’ve had with my mental health, movement really saved me because I was able to pull in those strengths as an athlete to keep going.”

What I’ve discovered over time is the significance of priming your physique. There are key issues that I do to prime my physique, like within the morning, I do meditation, I do gratitude workout routines, I consider the targets that I’m going to try this day. And then as soon as I get off the bed, I do a number of motion and prime my physique, so it creates a special state. So if I used to be having a psychological well being problem, as soon as I try this priming, my complete physique lifts. It’s onerous. Sometimes it is not simple, however then one thing modifications.

It’s like, as an athlete, while you’re coaching, you get to the purpose the place your muscle groups are aching, and your thoughts is so worn out and also you simply really feel like you possibly can’t go on. But it is like that push while you push your self over the ache barrier, that’s while you begin seeing outcomes.

Movement Begins With Stopping

During the pandemic, motion grew to become all the things, particularly when you possibly can’t do anything. I spent a number of time outside coaching in the course of the pandemic – shifting my physique, making an attempt to floor myself in nature. I don’t take it as a right as a result of I realise how shortly it may be taken away from you. For me the fitness center had turn out to be a spot I might go day-after-day. I by no means had imagined a day that I couldn’t go to the fitness center. And then in the course of the pandemic clearly all the things was closed worldwide.

And now, having a canine has modified me. Movement isn’t simply going to the fitness center. Movement has turn out to be going to the park for prolonged intervals with my canine and actually having fun with each second of motion.

Movement may be standing nonetheless in a park, closing your eyes, and letting the wind transfer your hair, simply feeling how good that feels on your thoughts and your physique. My physique has helped me be taught to understand how little motion it is advisable make you’re feeling good. So not often can we stand in a park and shut our eyes or taking off our sneakers, being grounded with the earth and simply shifting our toes in grass. How good that makes you’re feeling – these little issues.

Since the pandemic many individuals live and dealing in a different way. The time that we didn’t have earlier than ‘because I’m working continuous within the workplace, I’m working by means of lunch!’ has modified. Many persons are working from residence. So you can provide your self time for motion. We must be extra intentional about it.

If the pandemic has taught us something it’s that we have to cease and take time for self-care, to take these breaks. People would possibly assume ‘I don’t have time to take breaks and take care of myself!’ however you do. We do. You are allotted a lunchtime and even when it’s simply 5 minutes to face exterior and really feel the solar on you and really feel the motion of the air round you and inside you.

Movement requires us to cease. Before we will start any motion, be it bodily, ideological or political, we have to first cease. And then mindfully make decisions. But motion begins by stopping.

Thank you to Amazin for sharing her story. Read extra about Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 right here.

Find out extra about Amazin’s story right here.