Mental Fitness and Body Image with Natasha Devon MBE #57
Natasha Devon, a mental health and body image campaigner, discusses mental fitness, body image issues, the impact of social media, and her campaign for mental health first aiders in workplaces. She also shares top tips for maintaining mental fitness and building resilience in children.
Deep Dive Analysis
9 Topic Outline
Understanding Mental Fitness and Personal Journey
Challenges in Mental Health Diagnosis and Treatment
Coping Strategies and Perfectionism
Body Image, Shame Triggers, and Health Narratives
The Nuanced Impact of Social Media on Mental Health
Campaigning for Mental Health First Aiders in Workplaces
The Interconnectedness of Physical and Mental Health
Building Resilience in Children Through Debating
Practical Tips for Maintaining Mental Fitness
5 Key Concepts
Mental Fitness
Mental fitness is the vertical axis on a graph of mental health, representing proactive steps one can take daily to maintain mental well-being, similar to physical exercise for physical health. It involves ring-fencing time each day to restore one's chemical balance and prevent mental health issues.
Shame Triggers
Shame triggers are specific vulnerabilities that, when targeted, can induce feelings of shame in an individual. For women, this often relates to beauty, while for men, it commonly relates to strength, influencing body image issues and societal pressures.
Good Box Mentality
This concept illustrates how external validation can override internal self-worth. It describes assessing one's own value (being a 'good box') based on others' opinions, rather than maintaining a consistent self-assessment regardless of external feedback.
Parity of Esteem
Parity of esteem is a political and healthcare goal to treat mental health issues with the same level of importance, funding, and respect as physical health issues. Despite being promised, current funding and services for mental health are not yet on an even keel with physical health.
No Man's Land of Nuance
This term describes the complex, often overlooked middle ground in discussions, particularly online, where people tend to engage in binary thinking and furious arguments. The truth or deeper understanding often resides in this nuanced space, which is difficult to explore in short, character-limited interactions.
6 Questions Answered
Mental illness refers to diagnosed conditions, while mental fitness is about proactively taking daily steps to maintain mental well-being, similar to how one exercises for physical health, to prevent or manage mental health challenges.
For women, body image issues often stem from a 'shame trigger' related to beauty, leading to food restriction and compulsive exercise. For men, the 'shame trigger' is often related to strength, leading to obsessions with muscle building and exercise, with food restrictions coming later.
Social media is not inherently bad, but its impact depends on how it is used. It can exacerbate existing issues, especially body image concerns if used for external validation, but it can also provide community and support for like-minded individuals.
This campaign advocates for a change in law to mandate mental health first aiders in workplaces, ensuring that for every physical first aider, there is also someone trained to provide initial support for mental health crises.
Debating builds confidence, teaches children to think on their feet, and helps them focus on the substance of an argument rather than emotional reactions. This skill allows them to respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively, which is crucial for self-worth and navigating disagreements.
The mind and body are interconnected and do not exist in silos; physical symptoms can often have psychological roots (e.g., anxiety causing stomach aches, stress causing back pain). Raising awareness for mental health is crucial to reach a point where 'health' is discussed holistically.
15 Actionable Insights
1. Daily 30-Minute Mental Fitness
Dedicate at least 30 minutes daily to self-care activities, choosing from physical activity, relaxation, or creativity (e.g., listening to music, journaling, walking, mindfulness apps), to top up your mental fitness and empty your stress bucket.
2. Personalize Stress Coping Mechanisms
Discover and implement coping mechanisms for stress and anxiety that suit your unique energy and personality, such as channeling nervous energy into physical activity like walking or punching a bag, rather than adhering to generic advice.
3. Ring-Fence Daily Self-Care Time
Dedicate a specific, protected amount of time daily for self-care activities to restore your chemical balance, which is essential for maintaining mental fitness.
4. Respond Compassionately to Struggles
When someone opens up about their mental health struggles, respond with compassion, non-judgment, and helpfulness, as your initial reaction is fundamental to their recovery pathway.
5. Promote Debating for Resilience
Encourage children to participate in debating to build confidence, improve quick thinking, and develop the skill of responding thoughtfully to arguments rather than reacting emotionally, fostering resilience and empathy.
6. Support Mental Health First Aid
Support the ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ campaign by signing the petition at wheresyourheadat.org and writing to your local MP to advocate for mandatory mental health first aid in workplaces.
7. Examine Intentions Behind Habits
Be mindful of your intentions and frequency when engaging in activities like social media or drinking; using them to medicate stress or fill a void can have a different, potentially negative, impact than using them for enjoyment or genuine connection.
8. Cultivate Strong Self-Esteem
Cultivate strong self-esteem by believing in your own worth, as this internal validation makes external opinions less impactful and helps you assess yourself as a ‘good box’.
9. Exercise Outdoors for Endorphins
Exercise outdoors in nature, as evidence suggests it magnifies endorphin production, contributing to better mood and overall well-being.
10. Simple, Traditional Health Habits
Follow simple, traditional health advice: eat fruits and vegetables, drink enough water, move regularly, and avoid excessive guilt over occasional treats like cake, to allow your body to be naturally healthy.
11. Train as Mental Health First Aider
Train as a mental health first aider to provide crucial first intervention for colleagues struggling with mental health, learning what to say and recommend for support, similar to physical first aid.
12. Adapt Life for Mental Diagnosis
If diagnosed with a mental health condition, make necessary life alterations to live with it, viewing it as a part of who you are but not defining you, similar to managing a physical condition like diabetes.
13. Exercise for Intrinsic Enjoyment
Engage in activities like exercise for intrinsic enjoyment and personal benefit, rather than solely for external validation or the pursuit of perfection, as this provides personal value.
14. Assess Social Media Relationship
Reflect on your social media usage; if you frequently photoshop or filter selfies, it may indicate an unhealthy relationship with the platform and a reliance on external validation.
15. Adhere to Mental Health Media Charter
Learn about and support the Mental Health Media Charter on natashadevan.com if you speak or write publicly about mental health, to ensure responsible and safe communication.
6 Key Quotes
Health is a lifestyle, not a look.
Natasha Devon
If you are, for example, photoshopping and filtering your selfies, that would indicate that you don't have a great relationship with social media.
Natasha Devon
All self-care is, is ring-fencing time every day to restore your chemical balance. And that's what mental fitness is.
Natasha Devon
If you're struggling with your mental health, the first person who talks to you about it is really fundamental in your recovery pathway.
Natasha Devon
Saying that being fat causes disease is like saying yellow teeth cause lung cancer. You know, that there is something that you're doing in both instances that causes the disease.
Megan Jane Crabb (quoted by Natasha Devon)
Physics has now proved that it is possible to have an out of body experience because you can shoot an atom through a tiny hole and it's in two different places at once.
Natasha Devon (quoting a theoretical physicist friend)
1 Protocols
Daily Mental Fitness Routine
Natasha Devon- Ring-fence at least 30 minutes every day for self-care (aim for an hour if possible).
- Engage in a physical activity during this time.
- Include a relaxation activity.
- Incorporate a creative activity.
- Choose activities that work for you, such as listening to/making music, journaling, walking, or using mindfulness apps like Headspace.