Energize your Body by Becoming Your Best Self
by Victoria Scanlon, LMHC, CEO of Charlotte Behavioral Health Care
It’s that time when we are all thinking about our New Year’s resolutions and how to be our very best in the year ahead. It’s also that time when some of us join gyms and start programs with the very best intentions but can’t sustain them.
Many of us are juggling families, jobs, even community responsibilities. We make these resolutions because we want to feel better and be the best version of ourselves. As a mental health professional of over twenty-five years, I humbly (and somewhat embarrassingly) admit today that I’ve really only been working on self-care since COVID. I’ve done yoga and dabbled in it here and there, but I’ve never really been intentional about my health and particularly my mental health. In my late 40s, after developing significant stress and gut issues, I finally showed up to the party.
My time as a mother of three young children, then a single mother of three, and now a blended family of six – all while holding down an executive position – could have prevented me from ever really doing this. Frankly, I think I have some pretty good excuses; I am busy. And I’m guessing that some of you have some pretty legitimate reasons as well.
But if we want to maximize our ability to help others, our health is a reality that cannot be ignored. I have personally learned that I help others best when I help myself first. And when you begin these positive efforts, they snowball.
I’ve been learning that most of my efforts towards my physical wellness affect my mental wellness in a positive way and vice versa. Our mind and body are very connected, and they can affect our brain health, even though for many years it was perceived that it was mystical and out of our control. And I’ve learned that as I work on both, I actually have more energy now than I did in my 30s. This has really been an “aha” moment for me.
So how do we take care of our bodies to be the best version of ourselves?
1. First, we look at what we put in our bodies. I’ve learned that what I put in my body really does affect my mental health directly; food affects my mood. And it also affects my energy, my digestion, and how well I sleep. I use supplements, but my goal is to put clean, healthy organic food in my body to give me the fuel and energy that I need. I’ve worked with a nutritionist as needed, researched nutritional strategies for each physical struggle I have, and worked to optimize mental wellness and good neurotransmitters like GABA and Serotonin.
2. Next, I’ve learned that sleep is at the center of it all – my health, my moods, my energy, and my willingness to exercise. Poor sleep has a negative domino effect, and it affects women more directly from around our late 30s and on. So I’ve been studying sleep exhaustively (no pun intended) and learning everything that I can. Interestingly, I begin working on my sleep at about 8 am. As I said, I eat foods that help me sleep, but I also get out in natural sunlight in the morning—without sunglasses—to positively affect my body’s circadian rhythm. In the evening, I avoid bright lights and blue light for an hour before bedtime. I know this is not fun, but this is pivotal, and I’m living proof that we can live without our phones for an hour. I practice meditation and yoga in the evenings and then listen to podcasts to wind down. If my family wants to chat with me, they know they can pop in at any time and sit with me in the mostly dark room to chat. I know this might sound over the top, but I invest tons of effort in ensuring quantity AND quality sleep. I use a device to track my sleep, and the quality of my sleep is greatly improved. I spent most of my 20s, 30s, and early 40s sleeping poorly and then caffeinating to compensate, leaving me wired and tired, and I can promise you these strategies are a much better solution.
3. Research tells us that the better we sleep, the better we exercise. They’re very correlated. And exercise is a wonderfully effective anti-depressant that helps us resolve those stress chemicals that build up in our body. We already know exercise is essential for physical wellness, but there is so much research to support its efficacy on mental health. And during these beautiful months in Florida, being outdoors and getting sunshine and exercise is an award winning formula for good physical and mental health. So with that, I get up early and walk several miles a day, three or four days a week, and try to do strength training a couple of days a week. I found that for many years, exercise was what I added in after everything else was done, but now I begin my week ensuring this time is on my calendar.
It took me several years of slowly habit-stacking to arrive at my own personal formula for success. As I look at 2024, I will be looking at additional small habits to add in along the way. I suggest you do the same, slowly stacking the habits that best fit your wellbeing, and watch the snowball effect it will have on your health and mental health. Honestly, we can’t afford not to, people are counting on us. Having faith in something greater than myself allows me to find the strength to exercise on the days when I feel weary, calmness when my mind is uneasy, and wisdom to make the right choices for my spiritual, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Let’s bring our best selves into 2024.