It was Jan 3rd, 2005, and instead of setting a bunch of goals to motivate myself for the next month, I was full-on defeated. I had given university a try that previous fall and it had not gone well. I decided to move back to Whistler, where I had lived for the 2 previous years.
My dad dropped me off and I walked into what was supposed to be familiar territory. It was the same place I had moved out of a few months earlier. It was a 4 bedroom condo right on a lake, full of some of my closest friends.
But something had changed and I no longer knew who I was or what I wanted. I was lost in a familiar world. It was heavy. Emotionally.
I had given university a shot in hopes of building a better lifestyle, but that didn’t go as planned. It didn’t seem like a fit for me, but being back in Whistler didn’t feel right either—I had no future there.
My hopes of becoming a pro snowboarder had been squashed after realizing what that actually took. My career opportunities in Whistler were also bleak. All I had done in two years was work in a rental shop, wash some dishes in a restaurant, and work at Subway.
Would you like tomatoes on your sandwich? How ’bout a side of hopelessness?
Over the next 5 years, I would go through a number of deep struggles, including two episodes of psychosis, a suicide attempt, hospitalization and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. But I also launched a student club, served as a student senator, met many incredible people and graduated from my 2010 SFU business program as Valedictorian.
Since 2010, I have completed 4 ultra-marathons, been co-host of the Balancing Our Minds Youth Summit at Roger’s Arena, launched Mavrixx – a social enterprise dedicated to raising awareness around mental health – and just started what may be a history-making adventure project – MINDvsMOUNTAIN.
The years since my diagnosis and suicide attempt in 2007 have been some of the best years of my life.
How did this transformation take place? Through a ton of support from a ton of people, but also through focusing on applying wellness strategies I picked up along the way.
One of the most important, yet underrated, strategies is the processes to release emotional weight.
Emotional weight is a feeling of being held back, feeling stuck, feeling down or overwhelmed by something in our life. Emotions are essentially the chemicals (hormones) in our bodies that create feelings.
By finding a proper balance, we can live like rock stars and create and produce at elite levels. But when our emotions become unbalanced, we feel uninspired, unmotivated, stressed and—my personal most hated feeling—overwhelmed.
In my studies and experiences, there are four simple strategies for releasing this emotional weight. They are:
1. TALK IT OUT
Talking about how we feel can be therapeutic, whether you’re talking to a therapist or your best friend. Talking things through helps us gain perspective and this can lead to feeling empowered, even by the heaviest of experiences. Make sure you’re talking to people that lift you up and don’t drag you down – that’s key.
2. PUSH YOURSELF PHYSICALLY
If there’s one magic bullet for overcoming heavy emotions, it’s exercise. Moving your body of course increases blood flow, but also increases the flow of lymph which is our body’s detox network. Exercise also makes us sweat which is another form of detoxing. This allows us to naturally eliminate toxins and emotions that can build up – putting us back into a healthy balance. You’ve heard of ‘runners high’, and the reason it exists is that our brains stimulate the release of feel good chemicals (hormones) when we push ourselves physically.
3. WRITE IT OUT
Another approach that can work along side talking and exercise is writing it out. Whether it’s journalling privately, writing emails to close friends and family, or blogging more publicly, writing – like talking – helps us gain perspective and allows us to process our feelings to better understand them and hence, gain control of them. Find your style and frequency and give this a try before diving into that bowl of ice cream next time you’re feeling stuck.
4. CRY IT OUT
Guys, listen up. Want to be a manly man? Then man-up to the fact that you cry just like our lady friends. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with crying and in fact a recent study has proven that crying can actually make us feel better, potentially due to the release of feel-good brain chemical oxytocin. Essentially, you get the runner’s high without going for a run – win-win! Admit to yourself that crying feels good and use it as a tool like the other 3 strategies.
FINAL THOUGHTS
How we feel emotionally is essentially the state we find ourselves in. Once we gain awareness of how we’re feeling and insight into what’s causing the feelings, we can take control of our state and strategize to experience the best state for each scenario we find ourselves in.
Identify your ideal overall emotional state and figure out what it takes to live in that state on a regular basis. Then dial it in even further with getting into specific states for each situation you find yourself in.
For example, my overall optimal state is Calm and Energized, and I do what I can to feel that way day to day. But if I’m speaking in front of a couple hundred people, I might aim for Inspired and Energized.
See how that works? Awesome!
Now if I can do these things living with one of the world’s most debilitating illnesses, what can you do?!?
Find me at Mavrixx.com and let me know!!
BRENT SEAL
Bret Hodge
Club Manager
Innovative Fitness Kitsilano
p. 604 714 1661 / c. 778 388 9125
www.InnovativeFitness.com
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