135: Self-Acceptance in Transition

For some people, sports and physical activity can be a healthy outlet for coping with the difficulties around mental illness. For others, it can become a way of repressing emotions and can create a toxic cycle of ignoring the difficulties of life. What if you shifted that mindset from constantly pushing your physical limits to ignore what’s brewing inside, to instead, putting your mental health first? On today’s episode, mental health advocate and high performance coach, Bonnie Mosby, shares her experiences of transforming her own disordered relationship with sport from being unhealthy, toxic and hyper focused on perfectionism, into one that’s a lot healthier, and one where having fun plays an important role. Bonnie was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disorder and social anxiety following a traumatic brain injury that abruptly ended her decade-long professional rugby career. After years of hard work and being dedicated to truly understanding herself, she now uses those experiences to support and encourage others committed to forging their own paths. She wants nothing more than to bring sustainable strategies to the table, as she rocks the world with how she approaches high performance training, whether that be in a sport, at work, or within oneself. Tune in to hear more about how radical acceptance and new hobbies—like owning dozens of houseplants— can help your mental health. Topics discussed in this episode: Learning to trust your own feelings is key to understanding your diagnosis Create boundaries in relationships (and with yourself) Healing is not a destination, it’s an ongoing process Let go of relationships that you’ve outgrown How collecting house plants helped shift Bonnie’s perception Advice for how to talk about your diagnosis Where to find support groups and build a community Learn to have compassion, especially with yourself If you are a creative or an athlete with invisible disabilities and mental illness, looking to build a support system, head to Bonnie’s website and make an appointment with her! Connect with Bonnie: Instagram Connect with Paris: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn To purchase Paris Prynkiewicz’s book ‘Crooked Illness’, head to Amazon. To hear more episodes, visit Apple podcasts. Be sure to write a review and let me know your thoughts on the show!