Are you an auto racing fan? Racing comes in many varieties, so there are a lot of options.
Many local or regional—and even the occasional national—races occur on dirt tracks. That makes racing one of the few sports where spectators need a shower at the end of the event as badly as the participants do.
But the most famous races—the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, and the like—take place on asphalt and push competitors to the limit with high speeds and long durations.
Whether you prefer dirt track racing, the biggest races of the year, or another kind of auto racing (or even no racing at all), the sport has lessons that can be applied to your mental health journey.
So, let’s take the green flag and get underway!
Racing—Like Mental Health—Is High Stakes
There is not always a lot of money on the line when folks race one another, but the stakes are high, nonetheless. That is because racing cars involves a certain amount of risk. A crash can damage the car, but it can also cause significant injury to the driver. In extreme cases, a racer can be killed in a collision.
Your mental health is high stakes, too. Untreated mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, or issues caused by traumatic experiences can upend your life in serious ways. To prevent mental health issues from causing the personal equivalent of a crash on the race track, you need to seek out quality care and work to make improvements over time.
Racing—Like Maintaining Your Mental Health—Can Feel Repetitive
Sometimes racers describe their sport in memorable ways, like, “Go until you see God. Then turn left.”
We can’t say how many racers see God, but there sure is a lot of turning left involved in many, many auto races. That can start to feel repetitive—to the spectator, but also, we suspect, to the driver. Still, each lap—indeed, each left turn—gets the driver closer to their goal of winning the race.
When you are working on your mental health, you might find yourself feeling a little bored with the routines designed to help you stay on top of your symptoms. Getting regular exercise, eating healthily, sleeping restfully, taking any prescribed medication, and going to therapy are all routines that can support your mental health. It is important to stick with them even when doing so seems hard. That is how you reach your goal of lasting mental health.
Racing—Like Supporting Your Mental Health—Is Not a Solo Effort
It is easy to think about the driver and the car as the full extent of a race team, but that is far from the truth. A driver’s pit crew, for example, is absolutely essential for success in a race. These are highly trained individuals who can perform important tasks—changing tires, filling the gas tank, etc.—in the blink of an eye to get the car back into the action as quickly as possible. A driver without a pit crew would not be competitive at all.
When it comes to your mental health, you can think of your doctors, therapists, group therapy peers, and close friends and family as members of your pit crew. These are the people who are going to stand by you when you need help and who are going to cheer you on as you work toward your mental health goals. Improving your mental health does not have to be an individual activity. In fact, it is better if it is not.
Racing—Like Making Mental Health Improvements—Is Cause for Celebration
Racers really like to celebrate victories. They might turn donuts before exiting the car. They might leap up and down on the car’s top and whoop it up. They might climb the fence that protects the stands from anything that might leave the track and pump their fist. And they certainly will hug everyone on their team and accept the trophy with pride. They have earned it, after all.
Making improvements to your mental health is also an accomplishment worthy of celebration. While we would not suggest doing donuts in your driveway, you should take a moment from time to time to appreciate how you have come in your mental health journey.
We Are Here to Help
Located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Peak View Behavioral Health provides personalized mental health treatment. We can help adults, adolescents, and families address mental health concerns so that they may renew a sense of balance and embrace a spirit of hope in their lives.
Peak View offers inpatient and outpatient care options and will work with you to find the best option for your specific situation and needs. And if you are struggling with a substance use disorder that may be entangled with mental health difficulties, we can help with that as well.
When you are ready to make a change for the better, we are ready and able to help.
