5 Ways Trainers and Athletes Deal With Mental Health Challenges in Their Daily Lives

The relationship between exercise and mental health goes both ways: Physical activity supports your mental health, and when you're in better spirits, you're probably more likely to stay active.

There's research to back this up: Exercise is linked to fewer depressive symptoms, according to a September 2018 study in ‌The Lancet Psychiatry.‌

And regular physical activity is linked to improved mental health symptoms — whether or not you have a diagnosis or you're just struggling through a tough week, per the American Psychological Association.

But what about when things aren't so rosy? Feeling stressed, anxious, indifferent or depressed has been shown to contribute to excessive sedentary time, according to a September 2018 study in ‌Preventive Medicine Reports‌, which tends to make mental health worse.

We asked trainers and athletes what they do when they're having a tough mental health day, and they offered tips that might give you a much-needed nudge, too.

When Jen Landesberg, RYT, coach and yoga instructor for the EvolveYou app, has a difficult stretch, she focuses on taking the first 10 minutes after she wakes up as an opportunity to prep for the day before getting out of bed.

"Those first waking moments shape your entire day," she tells LIVESTRONG.com, so she aims to spend them grounding herself and moving slowly.

This technique helps Landesberg ruminate less on unwanted thoughts, she says. It also prompts her to think about what would truly help her mental health.

"Some days it feels right to release trapped energy through heavy exercise, but sometimes it feels better to take the day off and find kindness for myself," she says. "So, it really is about tuning into my body and asking what it needs on those days.

While preparing to compete in her third Ironman event, trainer Jacque Crockford, CPT, noticed during her tapering period that she had become more agitated than usual, causing her motivation to dwindle. This wasn't the first time she experienced this, but because it had happened before, she was able to anticipate it and prepare by including more recovery time in her program.

"Everyone should know that struggling with motivation is a normal part of training, especially if you're working on a new, particularly challenging goal," she tells LIVESTRONG.com.. "Have grace with yourself when those feelings arise, and know you're not alone."

Joining support groups online has been helpful, she adds, as well as sharing her feelings on Ironman groups on Facebook. But, she emphasizes, it's also important to recognize that if lack of motivation or depressive symptoms linger for longer than a couple weeks, it may be time to chat with a mental health care provider in case there's a different underlying issue to address beyond potentially overtraining.

As head trainer at Blink Fitness, Ellen Thompson, CPT, spends the majority of every day motivating clients and other trainers. She also deals with social anxiety and imposter syndrome, she tells LIVESTRONG.com, and works to acknowledge those feelings when they arise.

"The first thing I do is acknowledge the resistance, and let myself sit with those feelings for about 15 minutes," she says. "Then, I ask myself a series of questions that will get me moving in the right direction." Here's her list:

• What's the goal here, and why is it important to me?
• How much progress have I made with this goal?
• Where is this resistance coming from?
• How can I acknowledge and accept this resistance?
• Can I recall a moment of feeling powerful and accomplished after working out?
• Am I ready to release this resistance so I can feel that powerful and accomplished feeling again?

This tactic takes practice, she says. Over time, training yourself to dig deeper in this way may provide an opportunity to take control back and realize your worth and power, Thompson says.

When 26-time Ironman finisher and trainer Tom Holland, CSCS, is experiencing particularly strong unwanted feelings, he switches his training plan to a long LISS (low intensity, steady state) workout like a jog or lengthy bike ride.

There are plenty of other LISS options, like kayaking, doing a 90-minute yoga flow or taking a meandering walk. The point, he says, is just to keep moving — and getting outside can be particularly helpful.

"I know from years of personal experience that exercise will be an enormous help in combatting my mental health challenges, often within the first few minutes," he says. "When the [unwanted] feelings begin, I do everything possible to break a sweat as soon as I can."

That also means letting go of all metrics, he adds. Trying to track his pace, heart rate, power output and other variables tend to add to already existing stress and anxiety. Instead, he takes off his watch, goes outside and enjoys the long workout instead.

Sometimes, what worked for you the last time — or last dozen times — for a mental health boost doesn't seem to be doing the trick anymore. That's why it's important to stack up numerous strategies, says Reda Elmardi, CSCS, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and founder of The Gym Goat, an online wellness site.

He focuses not just on regular exercise for improving mood, but also on talking through his feelings to friends and family members, meditating with a particular focus on deep breathing work, getting enough sleep to help his athletic recovery and mental wellbeing and writing in a journal often about what might be upsetting him.

"We've all been there, where you're feeling sad, angry or anxious, and it might be a bad mental health day or a diagnosed mental condition," he tells LIVESTRONG.com. "Either way, having a breadth of approaches can not only help you get past the bad days, but possibly even prevent them in the first place."