Blog | Health | Mindset Moving The Dirt with Mental Health

Author / John Durrett

7 - 20 minutes read

About 15 years ago, during my Sophomore year of college, I attempted to take my own life. I figured I’d drop that bombshell early on this post, so we can get everything out in the open.

As a result, I ended up staying at a mental health facility for 9 days. The first couple of days I was listless, ashamed, and lost. I didn’t know what I was doing with my life, and a combination of difficult events, poor lifestyle choices, and a soon-to-be diagnosed Bipolar Disorder had left me feeling like my problems and the emotions tied to them were simply too big to be overcome. Suicide seemed to offer the perfect escape, an end to the negativity.

Talking with the therapists at the facility, we collectively concluded that my relationship with training, especially lifting iron, and the martial arts, would be a major key to my recovery and my ability to keep on choosing to live. I had always enjoyed physical activity but I had never taken it seriously and that combined with a bad diet had left me obese and unhappy.

There was no time like the present, so I started to walk up and down the singular hallway at the mental institute, doing push-ups on one end and squats on the other. It may sound crazy, but I started to feel better almost immediately.

After I got out, I signed up for a local gym, and I trained every single day, without a day off, for over two years. I learned about rest days a little later! I joined a martial arts gym, where I now work as the head S&C Coach and as a martial arts instructor. I lost a ton of weight, gained an immense amount of discipline, and learned how to deal with my demons. I’ve collected some lessons from the journey I’ve been on, and I’m happy to share them with you all today.

1. Diet, sleep, and exercise won’t necessarily cure your mental health problems, but if you’re eating poorly, not getting enough sleep, and living a sedentary lifestyle, you aren’t even giving yourself a fighting chance. A proper diet will help to keep you energized and focused. Lack of sleep is a major driver of depressive symptoms, and getting enough sleep is a key to good health. We’ve beaten that topic to death in other posts, so I won’t go into it here. Exercise helps your body produce more energy and the endorphin boost during/after training is especially beneficial. Regular exercise will also help you have more energy, will help you get deeper sleep, and can reduce stress.

2. Training can help you to find a community. Whether it’s the online Power Athlete community on TrainHeroic/Discord or the people you meet at the gym, finding others who are embracing a health and active lifestyle can be a major key in helping you overcome a wide variety of mental health issues. Feelings of loneliness are a major factor in poor mental health, so find your tribe: Hop on a program today!

3. Getting in shape and taking ownership of your body and health can be extremely empowering. Focusing on what we can control is a great way to cope with anxiety, and doing what we can to improve our health and fitness is a great way to focus on how we can positively impact our life. Also, getting in better shape can dramatically improve your sense of self-worth and self-confidence.

4. Life is a lot more fun when you are working on something. Having a goal that you’re reaching for, whether that’s a squat PR, a number on the scale, or an event to train for, helps to give your life focus. The discipline and healthy routines that you cultivate will seep into every area of your life, and the structure can help keep your mental health more stable.

5. Training can improve your cognitive function. When dealing with mental health issues, it can feel like everything is stacked against you. Exercise has been shown to boost cognition, memory, and focus to help you get back into the swing of things.

6. Last but not least, training hard can make you a tougher, more resilient person. When we train, we embrace discomfort, and when we make it through each session, we build on the belief that we can handle hard things. Few things in life are as challenging as dealing with mental health issues that seek to debilitate us, but you have what it takes to keep moving forward, and you always have. Overcoming challenges in your day to day life will help you believe in your capacity to move forward when you’re dealing with a tough time.

It’s important to understand that I am not claiming lifestyle changes will “fix” your mental health issues. I haven’t cured my Bipolar Disorder. I still have dark days and tough times. As often as once a month, I still grapple with suicidal ideation. However, I have not tried to take my life again. Changing the way I lived my life has made me dramatically more resilient. I have several communities of people that I have met since embracing “physical culture” who have become strong support systems for me. I hope that the same can be true for you. However, if you are experiencing a severe issue and need immediate help, please reach out to a trained mental health professional. There’s nothing to be ashamed of; we all deal with tough times. The key is to stay positive and keep moving forward, moving the dirt one day at a time.

John Durrett

John is a Coach at Underdog Mixed Martial Arts in West Hartford, CT, where he teaches both martial arts and strength & conditioning. For over a decade, Underdog has built several professional fighters, even sending some to the UFC and Bellator. John began training martial arts at a traditional Karate dojo at the age of 6 years old. This was the start of a lifelong journey which has seen him log countless hours in a myriad of styles, including Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Kali, Eskrima, and Jeet Kune Do. In addition, John has spent over a decade working as a professional strength and conditioning coach, coaching at the High School and D-III Collegiate Level. Along with over a dozen other certifications, he holds the distinction of being a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA and is honored to be counted as a Power Athlete Block One Coach. He is intensely passionate about empowering athletes to find their max potential and explore their body’s unique capacity for the martial arts.