Ever since I competed in bodybuilding, I have been acutely aware that our bodies are a system. I learned first-hand the impact of stress, nutrition, hormones, and the domino effect on performance when one or more areas are affected by depletion or deficiencies. We cannot have an imbalance in one area and expect to function optimally. This sparked my journey into integrative health, and more specifically as a mental health counselor and performance consultant, I have found the strong correlation to our mental health and thus performance. Since then, I have adopted an integrative approach when working with individuals.
Integrative mental health means assessing all components. Not only mental. But emotional, physical, spiritual as well and medication should be a last resort. If we resort to medication but have not done sufficient work to address the deficiencies in other areas, then we are only putting a band aid on the problem. Yes this may upset some pro-med people, however my specific approach is integrative. For us to be able to optimize performance, we must start with the basics. Mental health before Peak performance. If we expect peak performance without mental health, then we are simply running an engine on no gas. Eventually you will crash and burn. So let's examine each component.
1) Physical:
Sleep:
· Are you getting enough sleep?
· What is the quality of sleep? (Are you waking up multiple times?)
We need sufficient sleep. What is that amount? (Lea, D., 2024)
· Children Kids 6–12 should get nine to 12 hours of sleep.
· Teens Young people ages 13–18 should get eight to 10 hours of sleep.
· Adults Those older than 18 need seven or more hours of sleep.
An article by Mayo clinic reveals this, “Studies of collegiate athletes show that when they don't get enough sleep, their reaction times and accuracy decrease. One study focusing on basketball free throws and three-pointers found that sleep-deprived athletes can see a drop of 50% in accuracy. With 10 or more hours of sleep, accuracy can increase by 10%. That's a 60% potential difference in performance.”(Lea, D., 2024)
Nutrition:
· What are you eating?
· What is the quality?
· Macros, are you getting enough protein, carbohydrates and fats?
Eliminating or having unbalanced intake can immensely affect performance, and even mental health. There is a connection called the “gut-brain” access, in which imbalances in our gut can directly affect mental health. 90% of Serotonin receptors are produced in the gut therefore poor diet and nutrition may have direct impact on how you are feeling, including depressive symptoms. (What Is the Gut-Brain Connection?). Also changes to gut microbiome can lead to physical symptoms as well. Imbalances in nutrition can have detrimental effects to our overall well-being.
Hormonal: there are so many symptoms, particularly in females can be linked to hormonal fluctuations within their cycle. We must be able to track and link symptoms to these fluctuations to help understand how the hormonal fluctuations affect an individual. Also, FATS, healthy fats are needed for adequate hormone production. A specific body fat percentage is needed to keep and maintain healthy cycle in females.
2) Emotional:
· Are there any negative emotions being experienced?
· Are you attuning to these?
· Are you coping in unhealthy ways such as through avoidance, isolation?
· Stress, are you experiencing any stress?
· How do you reduce stress?
Emotions need a healthy outlet, or our body will hold on to this and become stagnant energy showing up in other ways such as autoimmune or aches and pains. Reiterating having a healthy outlet for stress to reduce long term impact. Stress can increase cortisol levels which can lead to long term damage in the body, changes to the brain included reduced memory (reduced hippocampus size), mental functioning; and also cause undue inflammation which thus can also impact things like soreness, recovery process (Appleton, J., 2018). This may even link to our gut health through issues such as leaky gut, or digestive issues as well.
3) Spiritual:
· Do you feed your soul?
· Do you have a sense of purpose or meaning in your life?
· Do you practice gratitude, and appreciation for positive aspects in your life.
Spirituality is an essential part of the human dynamic and to be ignored is detrimental to our health. Whether you choose to believe in God or not, having a practice of daily gratitude can go a long way. Finding a way to be connected to others, as well as to the source of life is essential.
4) Mental:
· What are the belief systems you hold?
· How do these impact your interactions and perceptions of the world?
· What is your self-talk? Looking at self-talk as a mirror for some of these belief systems.
Exploring specific symptoms associated with anxiety or depression to find the source, and if there are any simple adjustments to be made that can decrease symptoms, to determine if this is a situational and circumstantial association or whether deeper issues exist and possible a genetic history of such mental health ailments.
In conclusion, each athlete is a whole system. Interventions and goals vary based on the unique needs of that individual. Providing a comprehensive assessment to identify performance breakdowns and introducing adequate interventions is key to success.
Dr. Ross is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and also a Certified Integrative Mental Health Provider. She takes a customized approach to all clients she works with and assists them in reaching peak performance through personalized interventions. If you would like to work with her, reach out for a complimentary consultation. coach@renewperformance.org
References:
Appleton J. The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2018 Aug;17(4):28-32. PMID: 31043907; PMCID: PMC6469458.
Cleveland Clinic., “The Gut-Brain Connection”. What Is the Gut-Brain Connection?
Lea, D. 2024. Sleep your way to better athletic performance. Sleep your way to better athletic performance - Mayo Clinic News Network.
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