Guest Feature by Angela Lee Pucci, Waiākea Kōkua Ambassador

For a long time, I thought being mentally strong meant pushing through everything.

Keep going. Keep performing. Keep smiling. Keep fighting.

I think a lot of athletes are conditioned that way. And honestly, growing up in an Asian household, that mindset was very normal too. You don’t complain. You don’t show weakness. You work harder. You push through.

That mentality helped me achieve a lot in life. It helped shape the discipline and resilience that carried me through becoming a world champion at a young age.

But over the years, I’ve realized something important:

Pushing through isn’t always healing.

The older I get, the more I realize that caring for my holistic health and wellness is deeply personal. Mental health care isn’t one-size-fits-all, and what helps one person may look completely different for someone else.

For me, taking care of my mental health has become less about trying to “fix” myself and more about learning what helps me feel grounded, regulated, connected, and like myself again.

And honestly, a lot of that comes down to the small things I do consistently.

Movement has always been one of my biggest outlets.

Training. Sweating. Challenging myself physically. Moving my body. Martial arts has been a part of my life since I was a little girl, and there’s something about movement that has always helped clear my mind and reconnect me back to myself.

But over the years, my outlets have expanded too.

Since February of this year, I’ve also been doing therapy, and that has become another really important part of my healing and growth journey.

Therapy has helped me slow down and become more aware of myself, my emotions, my patterns, and the things I’ve carried for a long time without fully processing.

I’ve also learned how much peace I find in nature.

Jumping in the ocean. Watching the sunrise or sunset. Feeling the sun on my skin. Listening to the waves. Being outside.

Those moments help bring me back to the present.

I’ve found peace in journaling too. In art. In music. In cooking. In slowing down enough to actually be present with my family and the people I love.

But honestly, one of the biggest things that has impacted my mental health over the years has been learning the importance of boundaries and community.

Protecting my peace. Protecting my energy. Being more intentional about who and what I allow into my life.

And at the same time, learning that healing doesn’t happen alone.

To be continued.

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