MENTAL HEALTH & SELF-CARE

In recent months, mental health in sports has come to the forefront of the news. You will often hear people discussing Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles and the decisions that they have made in order to put their mental health first. There is a stigma around mental health and even more so when you are in the public eye. The pressure to be perfect and have the ideal public image can put stress on your mental health and prevent you from taking the steps needed to give yourself self-care. If you are expected to be a role model, whether it be to your friends and family or as a public figure, you need to be in the proper mental state to do this in a positive light. If you do not take care of yourself, you cannot properly represent yourself in a way in which you can inspire others. 
 
It is important to take a break, sit with yourself, and take part in daily self-care rituals. There are few ways in which you can engage in self-care. Some of these include: 
1. Putting your phone away and getting off of social media for a period of time
2. Taking a walk or engaging with nature
3. Enjoying a bath with calming music
4. Reading a book for leisure
5. Exercising 
6. Expressing yourself in a journal
 
There is nothing wrong with putting yourself first and taking care of your mental health is the first step in doing that.