May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we sat down with Ice Barrel Ambassador Mal O’Brien to dive into how she takes care of her mental well-being, her latest life and career updates, and how she incorporates cold therapy into her daily routine.

From age 12-19, Mal O’Brien was a professional CrossFit Athlete. In 2023, she chose to step away from the sport of CrossFit to find more balance within her own life. Now in the stage of life that she’s in, she wants to experience all that life has to offer and is learning how to listen to herself and move her body in ways that it wants to be moved and not force it. With a focus on finding balance, Mal has been enjoying new experiences such as Hyrox, running, yoga, swimming, biking, and body building, to name a few.

How do you define mental well-being, and why do you think it’s important?

For me, it’s how I’m going about my day to day. Am I eating, getting enough sleep, and being active? Am I enjoying the tasks that I sign myself up for throughout the day? Am I treating others kindly or am I taking things out on them?

How do you recognize signs of stress or anxiety in yourself, and what do you do to address them?

Anxiety is something I feel physically, a tightness in my chest and an overwhelming sensation in my body. It helps to remind myself that it’s okay to take alone time. Practicing breathwork and going for walks also helps me manage it. I love listening to self-help podcasts, I find listening to things you can relate to makes a huge difference. Haley Cordova podcast or Chloe Trca are some girls I follow and they both are super relatable.

Can you discuss a time when you had to set boundaries to protect your mental well-being? How did you handle it?

Stepping away from competition, I had to isolate myself from all the negativity and noise/opinions from others. This was a very hard time for me going through such a large shift publicly.

What do you find has the largest positive impact on your mental well being? What’s a part of your routine that you will never skip?

Exercise. More importantly, exercise that I enjoy. It is so freeing, and I am doing something good for myself that is rewarding. Exercise has so many benefits and enjoying it makes those benefits stand out even more.

How do you approach self-care during challenging times or periods of high pressure?

Trying to keep my routine consistent no matter where I am at. Staying in routine or doing things that feel comfortable. Surrounding myself with positive people and people that have a positive outlook on what you are about to do or what you are feeling. Remind yourself of the WHY. Why are you doing what you’re doing? I signed up for this because I am really excited for it, and I’ve been excited for months. I have trained and prepared for this and this stress will pass. Discipline comes in here and I believe that is the importance of building healthy habits as well.

How do you talk to your friends about mental health? Who do you talk to, what conversations would you recommend others have? How do you bring it up to the people in your life?

It’s so important to surround yourself with people who make you feel good. You should never feel guilty for cutting off an old relationship/cutting ties. Make sure that the person you are talking to is listening and truly cares, you will be able to tell! Make sure it’s a helpful conversation you are wanting to have to better yourself and not just a complaint. Go through the steps on why you are feeling this way, where it came from, and how you can help yourself understand this feeling.

How do you cope with failure or setbacks, both professionally and personally?

Most importantly, do not let this setback take over. Stay the course and understand that when hard things happen, it’s not forever, let it ride out even if it hurts. Feel your feelings because they are there for a reason and if you try to bottle them up, they will just come out at another time.

When I decided to step away from CrossFit, it was really hard for me because I have done it my entire life. I didn’t know what to expect outside of it and I felt lost. I didn’t know what else life had in store for me outside of the sport as it was all I ever knew. Ultimately, I made this decision because I was really struggling and unhappy each day. Training starting feeling like a chore, something had shifted, and I was no longer enjoying it. I knew there was more out there for me. I had to make this leap to better my own personal well-being.

What drew you to add cold therapy into your daily routine?

The mental health benefits, along with my body feeling better during workouts and training and keeping my recovery on point. Taking an ice bath is scary, intimidating, hard, but completing an ice bath provides a sense of accomplishment that you can carry with you through the rest of your day. It’s important to teach yourself that you can do hard things. You already did one hard thing today, you can tackle the next!

For individuals who are new to cold therapy and are interested in exploring its mental health benefits, what advice would you offer to help them get started and stay consistent?

I understand that it can be intimidating to a lot of people. It’s okay to start slow just to build the habit and know that it gets easier as you go. If you start out sitting there for 5 minutes at the coldest temperature, you won’t look forward to getting back in. Ease into it until you build a routine that works for you and know that the benefits are so worth it!

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