By: Camila Almeida, Staff Scientist
Life isn’t always easy. The journey includes many bumps, and sometimes pain can obscure the joyful moments. That’s how I felt after I had my first daughter, when postpartum depression kicked in.
A baby is often called a “bundle of joy.” But those words didn’t really describe that time of my life. In addition to my difficulty bonding with my daughter, I felt irritable, fatigued, unmotivated, my body ached, and I was having trouble sleeping. To make matters worse, my postpartum depression went untreated for several months. I realized things wouldn’t get better on their own, so I decided to seek professional help. That was one of the best decisions of my life.
The beginning of my medical treatment coincided with my new job at the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP). CHAMP promotes Total Force Fitness (TFF) as a framework for Human Performance Optimization (HPO). I quickly learned that health and wellness depend on optimal performance in 8 interconnected domains—physical, nutritional, social, spiritual, psychological, medical, financial, and environmental fitness. I also learned that becoming more fit in one area can improve performance in others.
Here’s how some of the TFF strategies helped me get back on track with my mental fitness.
Healthy nutrition
As a neuroscientist, I knew food had a direct impact on brain health. But this knowledge hadn’t affected my food choices. Then, soon after I joined CHAMP, I went to presentation on the importance of eating plenty of antioxidants for overall health. The content wasn’t new to me, but the way it was delivered made me realize better food choices might improve my depression.I knew that nutrient-dense foods, such as those high in omega-3s and antioxidants, could benefit my health. But the presentation made me think, “Why aren’t I eating the foods I know can help me get better?” That “aha” moment encouraged me to change my food choices. Every time I approached a meal, I chose the option that could help me get better. I was taking an antidepressant, as prescribed by my doctor, but I was also convinced that eating healthy, nutritious food would help make my healing process faster and easier. I noticed a significant improvement in my energy levels, mood, and sleep quality.
Mindfulness meditation
A few months after I joined CHAMP, I attended a presentation where a professor of psychology discussed how mindfulness meditation before deployment can protect Service Members from declines in mental performance. I realized this practice might help me too.Everything about mindfulness meditation was new to me, so I dug deep into the scientific literature to learn as much as I could. I was fascinated to find out that mindfulness meditation can change your brain function and improve attention and mood. Once I started, I couldn’t believe I had never practiced paced, slow breathing before. The deep breathing exercise alone made me feel much more calm and relaxed.
I timed my mindfulness meditation practice right before bedtime as a way to unwind and slow my thoughts. The good thing about mindfulness is it only takes 12–15 minutes, 4 times a week to see improvement. I was able to commit to that—and I did. The biggest improvement I noticed was my sleep. I fell asleep faster and felt like I got more restful sleep.
Supportive relationships
Another TFF strategy that had a major impact on my journey back to health and wellness was the decision to be more intentional about my relationships. My baby consumed all my time, and I wasn’t nurturing meaningful relationships outside my family. I felt alone and isolated. I’ve always enjoyed meeting girlfriends for dinner, a cup of coffee, or a nature walk. But after I had my daughter, I unintentionally distanced myself from all those meaningful relationships. My default answer became, “Sorry, I can't make it” for every chance I had to get together with my friends. I felt drained and I didn’t have the energy to make those encounters happen. But then I realized isolation only made things worse.
Meaningful relationships can improve brain health and help build resilience. I’d missed those moments and knew I needed to get them back in my life. I started to reach out to people and say, “Yes, I’d love to do that” whenever someone reached out to me. I was reenergized by laughing and sharing my life. Spending time with my friends also opened up opportunities for me to talk about my struggles with people who care about me.
Strong spiritual core
My faith in a loving higher power has carried me through the ups and downs in my life. During this hard time of postpartum depression, I would frequently meditate on a Bible verse that says, “He restores my soul” and pray, “God, please help me feel well and alive again.” On many days, all I could do was cry and repeat this prayer. Spiritual fitness is a foundation block of resilience, and it helped me get through my postpartum depression.Mental fitness is an important part of wellness and human performance. You can’t be the best version of yourself when emotional distress or chronic stress forces a heavy burden on you. I’m grateful I had wonderful medical providers, peer support, a strong spiritual core, and other TFF tools to help me overcome my roadblocks.
If you’re struggling, reach out for professional help from a physician, therapist, or other health care provider for the tools to help you be your best self. To learn more, visit HPRC for resources on mental fitness and other aspects of TFF.
