This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato’s Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

WASHINGTON -- Nasim Nuñez said he was scared when presented with the idea of working with a mental health coach during his time in the Marlins' Minor League system. After receiving encouragement from his parents, he decided to try it out.

“It started off as visualization and stuff, and understanding that things are going to be OK,” Nuñez said. “It flowed, and then [I] started journaling with that.”

After the Nationals selected him in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, Nuñez brought his journal and what he learned about mental health to Washington, D.C. He decided he was not going to work with a mental health coach the same way he had with Single-A Jupiter, the Marlins' affiliate. Instead, he would take the tools he learned to take care of his own mental health.

“I always believe that at the end of the day, you’re your best coach,” Nuñez said. “As long as you continue to work on yourself and get help when you need it, you’ll be good. … You should know you better than anyone else.”

Nuñez has felt the effects of prioritizing his mental health, even if he doesn’t see it himself. He said that he is able to see his progress by comparing how he and his teammates handle certain situations.

He doesn’t journal as much as he used to, although his journal sits in his locker ready to be used at any moment. Nuñez has opted to try two new exercises this season:

1. Reading: Lately, the 23-year-old has gotten into reading -- or listening to -- books in order to help him. His go-to book is “Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great,” by Joshua Medcalf. Nuñez will sometimes listen to a chapter before a game to get in the right headspace.

“Everyone should listen to ‘Chop Wood Carry Water,'” Nuñez said. “Each chapter is valuable.”

2. Meditation: Nuñez has started meditating to clear his mind. He said he sits outside, closes his eyes and simply relaxes. He struggles with determining when he needs to meditate, but he gets some help from his girlfriend. When she says they need to take a moment to clear their heads, he listens.

“[I] think about what I want to do the next day or how the day went,” Nuñez said. “Just breaking it down so it’s not all a rush. … When you do it, you realize how much stuff goes on through your mind that you don’t notice it’s affecting you.”

His biggest takeaway from going through this journey of taking care of his mental health is controlling the controllables. Whether it’s critics on social media or getting caught stealing, Nuñez said it’s important to not let fear take over.

“You have no control over anything, [but] you can control your mind,” Nuñez said. “You can be relaxed and know that it’s going to come to you.”