Tag: mental health

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One Student is Changing the Mental Health Game for High School Athletes

Mental health is important. But what if we take it one step further and focus on mental health for athletes? Obviously, every specific group of people ever to exist can benefit from mental health awareness, but a high school student in New Mexico felt passionate about honing in on something that is important to her. So she set out to make that change. She writes, 

“Growing up in athletics, I’ve observed a high amount of stigma and harm surrounding the mental health of youth athletes in my hometown. Specifically, I’ve had extensive experiences with abusive coaching, toxic environments, and lack of access to mental health resources. I’ve also had many friends who experienced these same issues as they participated in youth athletics. Many coaches, sports organizations, and professionals are ill-informed when it comes to caring for the mental health of youth athletes.”

“My solution is to create a local nonprofit dedicated to prioritizing the mental health of adolescent athletes. This is a need I see in our community and after extensively looking, I don’t feel there are any other organizations doing the work locally (or even nationally) to fill this need.”

“I deserve this scholarship because not only have I researched this topic extensively, but I’ve already put in actionable steps to attain success in this project. I’ve written a 4,000 word thesis concerning the mental health of female athletes and read countless pieces of literature in the field. Additionally, I have met with professionals and designed a website for my project already.”

“Furthermore, this project is a very niche but very necessary one. While there are many organizations that support youth mental health in the U.S., there are little to none that support the mental health of youth athletes. This is despite the fact that research shows how important it is to provide this support for youth athletes.”

We’re cheering on this student not only in her sports but in her advocacy for mental health for her peers as well. 

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The Many Reasons to Love Reading

My whole life I have been an avid reader. The amount of books I’ve been able to consume has varied my whole life, depending on how much school work or work I’ve had, or the ages and stages of my children. Recently, I’ve been able to read more despite being in the deep trenches of stay-at-home mom life, which has brought me a lot of joy. In 2022 I was able to read 53 books! 

There are so many reasons to love reading and books. One of those reasons is the sheer fact that reading is educational. It doesn’t have to be a textbook or self-help book to deem itself educational. Consuming words on a page is inherently so. Taking the time to read word for word a romance novel or thriller, or anything else, is exposing you to different writing styles, vocabulary, metaphors, similes, and so, so much more. You don’t have to be noting all of the foreshadowing and imagery in the book, because somewhere in your brain you are internalizing it. You can thank your English teachers for that! 

I love researching and learning as much as I possibly can. I would be content to take college classes forever! But reading a book every day is a cheaper alternative, instead. 

Reading takes you places. I know, I know. I sound like a cheesy poster hanging up in your middle school library. It probably has some fantasy-looking tree and weird bubbly letters, too. But if you can cut through all the cheese, it really is true. 

My favorite example of this was back in November when the weather here in Idaho started getting really cold and snowy, the good old seasonal depression started kicking in for me. Typically I combat this with some exercise, but we were on random virus #4 and I couldn’t stay healthy long enough to even think about walking around the house, let alone the block. My next solution involved spending a few days on the couch with a vitamin D supplement, some cold medicine handy, and an Elin Hilderbrand book in my hands. Elin Hilderbrand writes books set on the island of Nantucket. Reading about twin sisters on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard spending their days on the beaches and enjoying the sunny weather made me feel like I was there for a time. Elin brought me to the summer days on the islands when I couldn’t go myself. 

I’ve also enjoyed some time in Australia, Oxford, New York City, India, Europe during WWII, and many, many other places and time periods. If you give them the chance, reading really can take you wherever you want to go. 

For me, reading is also an escape. When life is overwhelming, noises are too loud, and I just can’t handle it all anymore, I always know that there is a book I can escape to for a time. I can leave my worries behind and completely envelope myself into a storyline until I’m ready to head back and face everything that lies before me. Reading really has become a great addition to my mental health. 

Books of all sorts have always been such a staple in my life. I could not imagine a world where I wouldn’t be able to pick up a good book and start reading! Instilling a deep love and appreciation for books in young readers is an important job as well, and a blog post will be coming in a few weeks talking more about that. Don’t miss it. 

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Mental Health Accessibility in New Mexico is About to Improve, Thanks to This High School Teen

Mental health is such a buzzword right now. It’s finally getting the recognition and attention it deserves! There’s still so much work to be done in the world with the overall aspect of mental health and the accessibility to it, and a high school student in New Mexico not only realizes this but is working towards changing it. She writes, 

My goal is to create a local nonprofit dedicated to prioritizing the mental health of adolescent athletes. This is a need I see in our community as I and many other adolescent athletes in New Mexico suffer from mental health issues related to our sports. After extensively looking, I don’t feel there are any other organizations doing the work locally (or even nationally) to fill this need. 

My goal is to have three branches of this organization-

1. Outreach: This branch would be responsible for creating a new coaches and athletes curriculum dedicated to improving athletes’ well-being in sports. This branch would also be in charge of spreading this curriculum to school teams and other private club sports organizations in the community.

2. Advocacy: This branch would be in charge of creating legislative and policy teams in certain organizations. For example, one idea I have is to reform APS health classes in how it approaches mental health subjects and specifically nutrition.

3. Community: This branch would be responsible for running the organization’s social media pages and creating a website with resources for athletes themselves to access. I’ve already started on the website and hope to finish it soon.

While this is a huge project to take on and one that very well may not be successful, it’s an idea I’ve had for a long time and I finally feel brave enough to approach it. There are some logistical aspects I’m not sure how to go about but I’m willing to put in the work and learn from others in order to attempt to make this a success.

I have the support of a community service coordinator at my school and I have connections with multiple mental health professionals who could help. I have a fair amount of time to commit to this project and I’ve done extensive academic research regarding adolescent athletes’ mental health. I plan to connect with more athletic professionals in my state to promote this curriculum I hope to design for adolescent sports organizations. I also plan to connect with government resources to make this a certified non-profit in my state.

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What We Can And Cannot Control

I know the majority of people are familiar with the graphics or the exercises where you write down two different categories. 

Things I can control. 

Things I cannot control. 

You then list out everything on one side of the things that are in your control. Your thoughts, your attitude, your opinions, your actions. 

On the other side, you write down the things you cannot control. Others opinions, thoughts, comments. The traffic, the weather, politics, etc. 

It can be very therapeutic to take some time writing these down so that we can realize what is in our control and what is out of our control. 

However, I think we oftentimes only associate these things with other adults in our lives. We are thinking about our colleagues and neighbors. However, as teachers and parents, we often do not apply this principle to our students and kids. And I know that it’s true because I also felt like I was above it all and could control my children. In fact, I felt like I had control of my children. But do I really have control over their thoughts and actions? Absolutely not. 

So what do I have then? Boundaries. Influence.

Because I cannot control my children’s actions and thoughts, I have to set clear, firm boundaries for them to act within. I have the responsibility to teach and influence them.

For example. My daughter and I often play in the front yard, but we live on a road just busy enough that she cannot ride her bike or play in the street because there are too many cars. I cannot control how my daughter moves her body, what thoughts she has on the road, or her desire to see what it’s like out there. These are all completely up to her. 

However, I can have a good influence on her by teaching her the safety of the road, letting her know what the dangers are, and setting a physical boundary for her so that she cannot cross into the road. 

I still have no control over her thoughts or actions, but I’ve taken the proper precautionary steps to keep her safe! 

The same goes for when you’re teaching in a kindergarten classroom. If a child throws a huge tantrum and starts throwing objects across the room, can you control her emotions, actions, or decisions? No. You really do not have control over those. 

Can you influence her, show support, set boundaries, and control your own actions and emotions? YES! 

I’ve been using this strategy with friends and family when unwanted and unsolicited comments arise, by reminding myself that these individuals have the right to act, think, and say what they want, but it’s my responsibility to control my own thoughts and actions in response. It was a mind-blowing revelation that it can also be applied to younger children as well! 

Yes, we do need to set boundaries and stay a good influence because that’s what a good teacher, parent, or role model does. However, it’s relieving to know that these children’s actions and thoughts are not a reflection of you. They are not your responsibility to control, they are just your responsibility to react in a professional way to guide them to safety. 

Have you had this revelation of control with your class and kids? Did it help you while teaching to have a sense of self-awareness when it comes to control?