Mental Health

Cross Country Skiing

Seek professional help for suspected bipolar disorder.

OK, good question. What should I do if I think I'm bipolar? A couple of things. First of all, I know that we all have lots of insight sometimes into some of our behaviors and our mannerisms. But it's also really important that we aren't diagnosing ourselves. So you can have a guess or a hypothesis, but what I think you should do is actually really go schedule an appointment with a qualified mental health professional or someone who can truly diagnose. And then come up with a treatment plan. And I will say that there are some amazing medications for bipolar disorder that can really help stabilize your mood. And then just getting lined up with a good mental health professional. So I guess that's my answer. We all have insights and hypotheses and also family history of mental health issues and also physical health issues. But it's really important to seek a diagnosis and treatment from a qualified provider. So that is my insight.

It is important to seek a diagnosis and treatment from a qualified mental health professional if you think you are bipolar. There are great medications that can help stabilize your mood and it is important to get lined up with a good provider.

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If you suspect that you may be bipolar, it's important to take certain steps. While we may have insights into our behaviors and mannerisms, self-diagnosis is not recommended. Instead, I suggest scheduling an appointment with a qualified mental health professional who can provide an accurate diagnosis and create a treatment plan.

There are effective medications available for bipolar disorder that can help stabilize mood. It's also crucial to establish a relationship with a good mental health professional who can provide ongoing support and guidance.

While personal insights and family history of mental health issues can be valuable, seeking a diagnosis and treatment from a qualified provider is essential. Remember, they are equipped to provide the necessary expertise and support for your specific situation.

Unveiling REDS: The Serious Impact of Energy Deficiency in Sport

This is a great question. What is REDS? So REDS stands for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. And it is exactly what it sounds like. It is essentially a chronic mismatch between the energy that you're taking in, the food that you're eating, and your expenditure, which is what you need for your resting metabolic rate plus the workouts that you're doing. So sometimes, this happens intentionally, meaning it can overlap with an eating disorder. But it can absolutely be unintentional as well. And there are lots of pretty serious symptoms and repercussions for REDS. And so it's people getting sick a lot. It's people getting injured a lot, a lot of bone stress injuries. It's menstrual irregularity in women or people assigned female at birth. There are actually-- it's some erectile dysfunction in people assigned male at birth. It's GI issues. It's decreased strength and ability to adapt to your training and, also, depression. And so REDS is serious. It is actually very prevalent in the athletic community. There was actually a narrative review that says that up to 58% of athletes may be underfueling. So this is a big issue, and I'm happy to answer as many questions as you want about REDS. The good news is that it is treatable and it is something that you can overcome. So please hit me up with as many questions about REDS as possible.

REDS stands for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, and it is a chronic mismatch between energy intake and expenditure. It can have serious repercussions, including injury, GI issues, depression, and decreased strength. Fortunately, it is treatable.

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REDS, which stands for Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, is a condition characterized by a chronic mismatch between the energy intake from food and the energy expenditure required for resting metabolic rate and physical activity. It can occur both intentionally, often overlapping with eating disorders, or unintentionally. REDS has serious symptoms and repercussions, including frequent illness, increased risk of injuries and bone stress fractures, menstrual irregularities in individuals assigned female at birth, erectile dysfunction in individuals assigned male at birth, gastrointestinal issues, decreased strength and adaptability, and even depression.

This condition is prevalent in the athletic community, with studies suggesting that up to 58% of athletes may be underfueling. However, the good news is that REDS is treatable and can be overcome. If you have any further questions about REDS, feel free to ask.

What are some common red flags/warning signs of REDS?

RED flags: Chronic injuries, fragile bones, fatigue. Don't ignore the warning signs of REDS.

OK. So let's talk about some of the signs and symptoms of REDS. Which, again, is relative energy deficiency in sport. The chronic mismatch between what you're taking in versus what you're expending. So it's people who get sick a lot, right. So it could be the flu, or a cold, or whatever. But, essentially, your body is extremely fragile, right. It's people who have chronic injuries, right. So maybe you're always pulling muscles. But most notably, it is bone stress injuries. So stress fracture, especially, to the lower extremities. Which have become really fragile. In people who are female identifying, you might lose your period. But not always. If you're taking an over-the-counter pill, that will, actually, be a withdrawal bleed. So it's kind of a fake period or a synthetic period, if you will. It's a lot of indigestion. And so some people who suffer from REDS, frankly, eat too many vegetables. Vegetables are good. The general population needs to eat vegetables. Athletes, we really need our carbohydrates, right. And so if you're having a lot of GI issues, it's not always an intolerance, right. It might actually be what you're eating. And also what you're not eating, right. So it's the decreased ability to adapt to your training, right. It's being fatigued all the time. It's being irritable. It's not being able to experience the joy that you once had in your sport and with your teammates. So some people just have this very dull affect, right. So if this sounds like you, please get checked out. You can also go to red-s.com, for more information. And good luck. Please ask me as many questions about this as possible. It is treatable.

REDS is a chronic mismatch between what you take in and expend. It can cause people to get sick often, have chronic injuries, lose their period, have GI issues, decreased ability to adapt to training, fatigue, irritability and a dull affect. It is treatable, so please get checked out if this sounds like you.

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Let's discuss some common signs and symptoms of REDS, which stands for relative energy deficiency in sport. REDS occurs when there is a chronic imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Here are some warning signs to look out for:

1. Frequent illness: People with REDS tend to get sick often, experiencing flu-like symptoms or catching colds more frequently. This indicates that the body is fragile and not functioning optimally.

2. Chronic injuries: Individuals with REDS may experience recurring injuries, such as frequent muscle strains. Notably, bone stress injuries, particularly stress fractures in the lower extremities, are common.

3. Menstrual irregularities: Female identifying individuals may experience a loss of their menstrual period, although this is not always the case. It's important to note that if you're taking an over-the-counter pill, the bleeding you experience is a withdrawal bleed and not a true period.

4. Digestive issues: Some people with REDS may experience indigestion, often caused by an excessive intake of vegetables. While vegetables are generally healthy, athletes require an adequate amount of carbohydrates. GI issues may also arise from inadequate nutrient intake.

5. Decreased adaptation to training: REDS can lead to a reduced ability to adapt to training, resulting in persistent fatigue, irritability, and a loss of joy in sports and team activities. Some individuals may exhibit a dull affect.

If you identify with these symptoms, it is crucial to seek medical attention and get checked out. You can find more information on red-s.com. Remember, REDS is treatable, so don't hesitate to ask questions and seek support.

What are some suggestions for understanding (decoding) emotions and their corresponding feeling states?

Name it to tame it: Decode emotions with a simple exercise

So this is a great question. And as a licensed mental health provider, I talk about emotions a lot. And I have this saying-- it's name it to tame it. And it's this idea that, how are you even supposed to address your emotions or your mental health if you don't know what you're experiencing or what you're feeling? So I'm going to show you something that is in my office that I actually use to jump-start and kick off sessions. So these right here are my rocks. And my clients know this. They'll sit down on my couch. And they will pick up and choose some of the rocks that resonate with how they are feeling. And this is a great jumping-off point to have wonderful conversations. And so you don't have to have the rocks to do this, but actually try to name some of your emotions. And it can provide a great jumping-off point to address the emotions that you're experiencing. So I hope this helps.

In order to address your emotions or mental health, it is important to know what you are feeling. One way to start this process is to use a tool like rocks to help name the emotions you are experiencing. This can be a great starting point to have meaningful conversations about how you are feeling.

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Understanding and decoding emotions and their corresponding feeling states is an important aspect of emotional well-being. As a licensed mental health provider, I often emphasize the concept of name it to tame it. It's essential to be aware of and identify the emotions we are experiencing in order to address them effectively.

One practical tool I use in my office is a set of rocks. Clients sit on my couch and choose rocks that resonate with how they are feeling. This simple exercise serves as a starting point for meaningful conversations. While you don't need the rocks, you can still try naming your emotions as a way to initiate self-reflection and address the emotions you are experiencing.

By taking the time to identify and name your emotions, you can gain a better understanding of your inner world and begin the process of managing and addressing them.

How do you handle being in so much pain during a race?

Unlock Your Potential: Reframe Pain and Embrace Speed

Okay, so this is a really good question. How do you handle being in so much pain during races and you know someone who works on the mental side of performance, I talk to people about this a lot and I have what I call the governor Theory and if you don't know what a governor is on a car you know the speedometer often will say the car can go 130 miles per hour but you know if you really tap out your car and the gas pedal it won't go over 90. And there is some form of the car in that instance, wanting to protect itself. Well, I believe that our brains have the same thing and if we are fearing the pain, we have either a conscious or subconscious kind of fear about the pain and our body is actually going to shut us down when really, we could go a lot faster. So I think it's really important to kind of Reframe that pain and talk about how it's safe pain about how its temporary pain because all of a sudden if we're not scared of it then you know our body will let us go there and I think a lot of us are a lot faster than we think. So if we can get over this hurdle of being afraid of the pain and know that it's the feeling we're supposed to have, and that it's okay. And that it means we're working. Hard, right? And this is what we achieve through intervals and practice and racing. We get used to that feeling. So there isn't so much fear around it. Because if there's fear, whether it's conscious or subconscious, I think our bodies and our brains will shut us down when really, we haven't even come close to tapping our capacity. So I hope that helps and thanks for the question.

In order to handle the pain during races, it is important to reframe the pain and talk about how it is safe and temporary. We should also get used to the feeling of pain through intervals and practice. This will help us to overcome our fear and tap into our full capacity.

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Handling intense pain during a race is a common challenge, and as someone who works on the mental side of performance, I often discuss this topic. I have a theory called the governor theory, which draws an analogy to a car's speedometer. Just like a car has a governor that limits its speed, our brains have a similar mechanism. If we fear the pain, whether consciously or subconsciously, our body will instinctively protect itself by shutting us down, even if we are capable of pushing harder.

To overcome this, it's important to reframe our perception of pain. We can view it as safe and temporary, reminding ourselves that it's a natural part of the process. By removing the fear associated with pain, our bodies can push beyond what we initially thought was possible. Many of us are capable of achieving more than we realize.

Building resilience to pain comes with practice, intervals, and racing experience. As we become accustomed to the feeling, the fear diminishes. Embracing the discomfort as a sign that we are working hard can help us push through and tap into our true capacity.

I hope this perspective helps, and thank you for the question.

Travel Tip: Ditch the Backpack, Roll with a Suitcase!

Okay, Michael good question. So I have to say cross-country skiers are notorious for having those huge backpacks where they carry where we carry all the things. And I have to say that those are really heavy and really tiring to carry around. So it depends where you're traveling. But if you are in and out of lots of airports, you know, and I can say this from experience just being on the world. Cup for many years and being on the road for five months. My kind of hack was actually a rolling suitcase and all the bags have to have wheels like ski bags, the big duffels, but even your carry-on and that really saved a lot of physical energy, but even just the emotional energy of having to carry your stuff. So that's one thing that I would recommend curious to hear what other people have to say. To hope that helps.

Cross-country skiers usually carry around heavy backpacks, but for those traveling often, a rolling suitcase can help to save energy and make the experience more enjoyable.

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My best travel tip/hack is to use a rolling suitcase for your travels, especially if you're frequently moving in and out of airports. As a cross-country skier, I know how heavy and tiring it can be to carry around those large backpacks. By opting for a rolling suitcase with wheels, you can save physical energy and even reduce the emotional burden of lugging your belongings. This tip has personally helped me during my extensive travels, including being on the world cup circuit for several months. I'd love to hear other people's travel tips as well. Hope this helps!

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Holly Brooks is an American cross-country skier from Seattle, Washington. She competed for Whitman College (2001-04) and has four victories in lesser events up to 10km (2009). She was a late qualifier for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2010 World Cup in Canmore. After retiring from skiing, she became a licensed professional counselor in Anchorage, specializing in working with athletes.

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