Welcome back to our monthly Upside-Down-Time blog posts! If we’ve not met before, hi, I’m Rachel. I have a background in psychology and sport science, I currently work at a national children’s charity and whilst I have been involved in All Star, University and School Cheerleading, I’m currently cheering recreationally due to my shift pattern at work. My role here at Cheer From Head to Toe is to lead the weekly Upside-Down-Time feature each Friday. Upside-Down-Time has been running for a little over a year now. We took a short break over the summer and made some teeny tiny tweaks – hence this reintroduction article. Throughout this article I will be explaining exactly what this feature entails, what to expect each week and how you can get involved!

So firstly, what do we do here at Upside-Down-Time?

Each Friday we share a piece of content on our socials relating to physical activity and wellbeing. I’m a huge advocate for how physical activity can positively impact our wellbeing. However, there can be a few pesky little factors that get in the way of that: injury, busy schedules, finances, health etc. As well as all that, we have general life to contend with as well, and life often likes to throw us some unexpected curveballs. So, whilst our Upside-Down-Time blog articles aren’t necessarily about cheerleading and how to be the best cheerleader, our articles focus on current events that may impact our mental wellbeing. Previous articles include International Women’s Day and feminism, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Safeguarding, Emotional Resilience and many more.

Secondly, why are we called Upside-Down-Time?

Quite often when our emotional wellbeing or mental health takes a hit, we can feel out of sorts and a little upside-down. Whilst you’re not alone in those thoughts and we want to raise awareness that having mental health concerns from time to time is normal; we also want to let you know that your mental health diagnosis or symptoms are absolutely not a life sentence. Yes, these may well be factors that you take on throughout your life; but there are so many ways to manage those feelings and responses. We want to normalise the difficult or “taboo” topics, so you feel able to own your emotions. We want to show you just how fabulous you are, and how supportive the cheerleading community is.

One of the ways we talk about managing our mental health is through physical activity. And we do this throughout the month. But Rachel, I hear you say, the Upside-Down-Time articles only come out once a month, what about the remaining weeks? Let’s explore…

Friday Numero Uno

As mentioned, each Friday we share a different piece of content relating to our mental wellbeing. On the first Friday we share a brief quote with information on how exactly physical activity benefits our mental wellbeing. We know that exercise is good for our mental health, but do we know why? There are so many reasons from regulating sleep, giving us a routine, learning skills such as how to overcome losses and how to set goals.

My main reason for wanting to share this information with you is what I have seen every season throughout any team I’ve been on – whether that’s high school, university or all-star. There comes a time where several team members decide they can’t train for the next 4 weeks because of exams or assignments. Have you noticed it’s always around competition season too? EPs should definitely talk with the curriculum writers prior to any arrangements being made. I digress. Yes, we need to take our education seriously – especially if you’re paying out your backside for uni fees and that’s the sole reason you’re even on the team. Absolutely our education should be the priority in those moments. HOWEVER, if we think long-term here:

You may not get a certificate at the end of the season for your commitment, or your ability to manage training, comps, education and work. What you absolutely will gain are the skills to prioritise deadlines, the accountability in commitment and dedication, you’ll learn and use skills in time management and organisation. You’ll be experienced in the emotions that come with wins, losses and lessons. They are just but a few skills that we throw around. But when we really sit down and think about it, if we have those skills moving forwards in life, our life becomes so much easier and fruitful. We can’t pick and choose when we go to work (although I wish I could). We can’t pick and choose to pick our kids up from school or take them to the dentist. Life is hard. We juggle so much day-to-day. Imagine how much easier it would be if we had the tools to take on life’s challenges with a smile and wink.

And in the grand scheme of things, what’s a few hours of cheer a week when you weigh up the pros and cons? Because I know you be scrolling through TikTok for hours on end!

Second Friday

Now onto week 2! Throughout this week we will often share an Instagram Story with a question box to ask you who you want to nominate for our Feel-Good Friday Nomination. This person can be a teammate, a coach, member of staff, choreographer, supplier, cheer-parent, team captain, committee member, but also IT CAN BE YOURSELF. What we ask for is their name, who they cheer for (if applicable), a picture of them and why you’re nominating them. We want to show our gratitude to those in our community who go above and beyond. Have they never missed a session and always bring a smile? Have you organised a charity fundraising activity? Tell us how this person has positively impacted you and/or your teammates. We won’t share who nominated these people, we’ll only share the reason they have been nominated. Please don’t feel awkward about nominating yourself, it shows a huge amount of self-awareness and confidence which we welcome!

Each year we see university and all-star teams fundraising and volunteering for some fantastic causes. Alongside participating in physical activity, volunteering and “doing good” is another protective factor for our mental health. Think about when you give someone a gift you know they’ll love. It feels good, right? Even though you’re the person giving the gift and not receiving it. It’s the same with volunteering, fundraising, donating goods or your time for others. When we do good, we feel good. And we want to showcase those acts in our Feel-Good Friday Nominations.

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Third Friday

For the third Friday we’ll be sharing a video with a sneak peak into our monthly article. Depending on the article, I alongside any collaborators will feature in it, if they have consented to do so. We know people have different learning styles and ways they best take in information. For some people that’s visually and that’s why we share the week one quote. For others it may be audibly, and that’s why we have these videos. The article we share the following week goes into much more depth than the video, but I really wanted the Upside-Down-Time feature to be as accessible as possible and that’s why I’ve shared those three different types of content.

Fourth and Final Friday

And finally, as mentioned, the fourth Friday we will be sharing our monthly Upside-Down-Time article. As stated earlier on, these articles will feature different topics surrounding our wellbeing. They’re not necessarily cheerleading related, but they relate to us as cheerleaders.  Sometimes these topics can put a dampener on our wellbeing. That’s why we want to normalise these topics and show that you’re not alone. We want to share how we can take control and tackle these issues together.

How can you get involved?

Of course, you can send in your Feel-Good Friday Nomination. You don’t have to wait for the Instagram story to go up, you can message us anytime. Just make sure in the message you mention the Feel-Good Friday Nomination – so we’re all on the same page.

Alternatively, you can send us in images of you being “upside-down”. Take that as you will, we love to see your creative side come out. This could be tumbling, stunting, inversions, handstands, etc. We’re always looking for content to share and I would love to feature them in our monthly articles (with your permission of course).

And I think that has covered the lot! It’s a long one this month, so if you’ve got this far, high-five!

If you have any questions about the Upside-Down-Time feature, if there are any particular topics you’d like us to cover, or you have an idea about how we could be more accessible, please get in touch as I’d love to hear from you!

Until next time,

Ta’ra,

Rach x

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