‘Go Until You See God. Then Turn Left.’
Automobile racing comes in many forms, and many different kinds of cars take to a variety of tracks to compete. But in the United States, the most common forms of racing involve a field of driving at high speeds around a dirt or asphalt oval. Nearly all of the time—think of the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, or the Knoxville Nationals—drivers go as fast as they can down the straightaways before turning left to make their way around the track. That has led some to describe the process as, “Go until you see God. Then turn left.”
We know you probably did not race to this blog in the hope of learning about motorsports, but we think racing offers some lessons that can apply to your mental health. Let’s take a look at a few of those lessons.
You Want to Find Your Best Path
Depending on some details about your car and the conditions of the track you are racing on, your path around the oval might differ from that of some of the other drivers. At first, that might seem like a bad thing—especially if your path doesn’t conform to what seems to be the “fastest line” around the track. Finding the line or path that works best for you is your best way to stay on the track and remain competitive.
The same can be said of your mental health journey. You might look around you and see individuals who are approaching their mental health differently from the way you are. Or you might see people who don’t seem to be thinking about their mental health at all—either because everything is going well for them or because everything seems to be falling apart for them. It can be tempting to think you need to emulate others, and it is certainly true that you might spot something that will work well for you. But in the end, your mental health journey is yours alone and your course to the checkered flag might be unique to you.
You Want to Heed the Warning Flags
Green means go. Yellow means caution. Red means stop. That’s true on the race track the same way it is true at a stoplight. And you want to be sure you are paying attention to those flags during a race just as you pay attention to traffic signals while driving around town. In racing, the yellow and red flags indicate that something has gone wrong and you need to react to it appropriately.
That is true when it comes to your mental health as well. It is important to watch out for yellow and red flags that might mean your mental health is in jeopardy for one reason or another. Examples of yellow flags might include a realization that you are drinking too much, too often, or that you are having trouble sleeping or are sleeping too much. Red flags might include toxic people in your life who are always making you feel bad about yourself or illicit drug use or ongoing financial difficulties you can’t seem to get on top of. Paying close attention to the warning flags can give you the opportunity to make a good decision about what to do next.
You Want to Rely on Your Spotters and Your Pit Crew
In many races, the drivers have team members situated above the race track, and those individuals help the driver identify opportunities to safely pass and the like. Each driver also has a pit crew—a group of folks responsible for filling the car with gas, changing tires, and making repairs throughout the race. While it can often seem as though a driver is competing all on their own, the fact is that a whole team is responsible for helping the driver find success.
That is true of your mental health journey, too. It might seem like you have to go out into the world and deal with challenges to your mental well-being without anyone to help, but that is not the case. Supportive friends and family, a positive and loving faith community, and, of course, doctors and therapists can all be part of your metaphorical team of spotters and pit crew members. They can help you stay on track even—or especially—when things seem to be going awry.
Let Us Help You Get Your Mental Health Back on Track
At Johnstown Heights Behavioral Health, we help individuals struggling with anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and suicidality. We also treat individuals who are struggling with a substance use disorder that may be entangled with a mental health challenge. We serve adults and adolescents, and we are committed to helping everyone we work with enjoy a new start in their life.
Located in Johnstown, Colorado, Johnstown Heights Behavioral Health can help you get back on track so that you can reclaim your quality of life.
