1 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, Emily Abody here. You're listening to five Minute 2 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: Friday from Hurdle. This episode comes out the day after 3 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: World Mental Health Day, and I feel as though it's important. 4 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: And I did a little bit of this in the 5 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: weekly Hurdle newsletter as well, so make sure you're subscribe 6 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,200 Speaker 1: to that comes out every single Friday and it's absolutely free. 7 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: I feel like it's important to talk about mental health 8 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: for me. I certainly have had what feels like a 9 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 1: roller coaster a few years learning about my own mental health. 10 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: I would be remiss if I didn't say that I 11 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: certainly went through what I know now to be perhaps 12 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: bouts of depression in college and perhaps my teenage years, 13 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: but at that time I really just thought it was 14 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: par for the course. But at the beginning of twenty 15 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: twenty two, I believe it was. I experienced what I 16 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: now know was a debilitating bout of depression. I felt 17 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: as though so many of the things that I would 18 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: do throughout my day to day that once brought me 19 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: joy didn't have the same effect anymore, something like running 20 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: that makes me so so happy. I know this to 21 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 1: be true. I was doing it because I identified as a runner, 22 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: but I didn't feel anything in the act. I would 23 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: sit down at my desk for a day of work 24 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,559 Speaker 1: and hours would go by and I wouldn't be able 25 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: to tell you what I did during that time. I 26 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: was really really struggling. And there was an event that 27 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: happened one night where I went to get a pan 28 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: from a cabinet in my kitchen and I pulled it 29 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: out and a bunch of other pans fell out onto 30 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: the floor around my feet, and then I fell onto 31 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: the floor as well. And I remember in that moment 32 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: that I knew that I needed to take action, that 33 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: I knew that I needed to make a change, that 34 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,519 Speaker 1: I didn't want to feel numb to my own life. 35 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: And so through both speaking with a physician, going on medication, 36 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: and also choosing to work proactively with a therapist and 37 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: a life coach, I was able to make some really 38 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: great progress and get back to a place where I 39 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: felt at home in my body. Now years later, I 40 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: have so much more education, understanding and transparently awareness of 41 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:03,399 Speaker 1: what it's like to struggle with my mental health. And 42 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,880 Speaker 1: it doesn't mean that I don't have days where I'm 43 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: not struggling with my mental health. It just means that 44 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: now I have a really great toolbox that I can 45 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 1: lean into, a really great and I use this word already, 46 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: but awareness of what to do when things don't feel right. 47 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: And so for that, I'm really grateful. And that's a theme, right, 48 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: There's a theme with these difficult hurdles that we go through, 49 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: these difficult hurdle moments. It's that although in the moment 50 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: it is anything but easy, when you look back at 51 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: that time of adversity, you are better for having the 52 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: experience and understanding and learning more about yourself so that 53 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,760 Speaker 1: you can handle the tough stuff in the future and 54 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: perhaps even handle it better. And so I encourage you, 55 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: on your own time with your friends, with your family, 56 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: or whoever feels right, to have conversations about your mental health, 57 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: to talk about whatever it is that you are experiencing, 58 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: knowing that your experience may be unique, but you are 59 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: not alone in what it is that you are going through, 60 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: that there are so many other individuals that struggle with 61 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:20,360 Speaker 1: the same anxieties and frustrations and there is no need 62 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: to go it alone. My prompt for you this week, 63 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: what comes to mind first when you think about what 64 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: makes you feel safe? What comes to mind first, when 65 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: you think about what makes you feel safe. And now 66 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: a listener question. Hi, Emily, I am someone who is 67 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: on a weight loss journey and I have lost twelve 68 00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 1: pounds so far with a combination of healthy eating and 69 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: exercise under a physician's guidance. I am so proud of 70 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: the progress I've made, but I often get discouraged when 71 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: I see people post on social media seventy five hard 72 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: challenge transformations. My question for you is this, how do 73 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: I motivate myself to stay focused on my own journey 74 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: and avoid the self comparison. I would really appreciate any 75 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:17,719 Speaker 1: words of wisdom you have. Oh my God, when I 76 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: say comparison is the thief of joy, you clearly understand this. 77 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: I can really relate to where you are, and I'm 78 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:33,039 Speaker 1: withholding this person's name to be fair, kind, etc. When 79 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: it comes to really celebrating yourself, I would advise for you. 80 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,279 Speaker 1: And this is what I did when I was in 81 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: the crux of a very large journey myself back in college. 82 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: I made celebratory benchmarks that excited me individually. So if 83 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 1: there was a certain bag that I wanted to save 84 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: up for, or perhaps a new pair of genes, or 85 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: maybe going to lunch with two of my good friends 86 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: that I don't get to get together with very often. 87 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: I think you can understand where I'm going with this. 88 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: So every milestone that I hit, albeit they weren't very frequent, 89 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: maybe every five or ten pounds that I would go down, 90 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: I would reward myself with one of these things that 91 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,159 Speaker 1: really excited me and that helped me stay dialed in 92 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: on what I had going on. Now, does that mean 93 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,279 Speaker 1: that you're not going to compare yourself to other people? No, 94 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: I can't guarantee that, but you have the opportunity now 95 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,280 Speaker 1: to be strategic about what your inputs are. So if 96 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 1: your inputs right now aren't making you feel that good. 97 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: If you go on Instagram and maybe you're not even 98 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: following these people but they're just in your feed, then 99 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 1: as do you scroll, I would encourage you to mute it. 100 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: And there is often an opportunity to say I don't 101 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: want to see content like this. So if you find 102 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: yourself in the hamster wheel of comparison, do yourself a 103 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 1: favor and audit your inputs. Know that you have that opportunity, 104 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 1: right you get to be smart about what you're consuming. 105 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: Whether that's social media, who you surround yourself with, where 106 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:16,559 Speaker 1: you're even going out and spending your time. The last 107 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 1: thing I'll say is make sure you're also paying attention 108 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 1: to how you're feeling. So yes, a physical transformation is 109 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: something that can be extremely rewarding, especially one that you 110 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: are putting so much effort and energy into, and I 111 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 1: love to hear that you're doing it with the guidance 112 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: of a physician. That's so important. Make sure you are 113 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: also finding the time to write about how this makes 114 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: you feel or talk about how this makes you feel, 115 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 1: because we need to do work on the inside as well. 116 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: We need to and I know I just talked about 117 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 1: World Mental Health Day. Make sure that we're processing all 118 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: of the emotions that come up with a change like this. 119 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for trusting enough to talk to 120 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: you about where I stand on this. And I am 121 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: not a physician, So if you two are interested in 122 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: something along these lines, in losing weight, in making a change, 123 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: I would encourage you highly, highly to speak to someone 124 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: one on one about you and your body. Make sure 125 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: you're following along with Hurdle over on social It's at 126 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: hurdle Podcast. I am over at Emily a body and 127 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: if you have a listener question, shoot us an email. 128 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: Our inbox is hello at hurdle dot us. Hope to 129 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: hear from you soon another hurdle concord. Catch you guys 130 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:39,200 Speaker 1: next time.