How to help your athlete's mental health
Mar 17, 2023 11:31 am
Hi,
Please take 3 minutes to watch this incredibly efficient video to better understand the unique struggle athletes have with mental health and what can be done about it.
Highlights include:
- how this isn't something else to just push through
- the benefits of seeing a sport psychologist
- how treating your mental health issues like a physical injury can help
- suggestions to remove the stigma
Seriously ... all this in under 3 minutes.
A recent survey of over 9,800 NCAA student-athletes illustrated how mental health remains on their minds.
Rates of mental exhaustion, anxiety and depression have seen little change since fall 2020 and remain 1.5 to two times higher than identified before the COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep difficulties remain a significant problem.
What can be done?
In a recent (Feb 2023) statement by the the NCAA Division I, II and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees and NCAA Board of Governors Student-Athlete Engagement Committee, mental health and access to services has been made the priority:
In short, it is time to address the issues head-on and have resources available for those who need and want them.
Resources available right now:
Sleep is the #1 performance enhancer and sleep deprivation is one of the major contributors to anxiety, stress and depression. For immediate help, check out the Sleep Your Way to the Top mini-workshop to sleep better tonight so you can feel and play better tomorrow.
For personalized attention, I am available for individual tele-health consultations. For athletes in Michigan and Florida, if a mental health diagnosis can be given, you may be able to use out-of-network insurance benefits to cover some of the investment.
And to make these mental skills more easily accessible, I created Success Stories Membership. For only $29/month you have access to the same solutions I provide my athletes one on one, but inside a community that allows you to progress at your own pace and in video format so you can engage at your own convenience. Join us for our next Zoom Team Meeting on March 22 at 6pm EDT and get support and encouragement from the community.
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Grand Rapids Gold
So I just finished my first season with the Grand Rapids Gold (the Denver Nuggets NBA G-League affiliate) as their sport psychologist. It was soooo much fun :-)
I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the team and pour into the lives of these amazing men. Truly an outstanding organization with amazing people throughout.
It was fun to win the last home game of the season too! :-)
Here are a couple action pics from the season:
Me watching the dunk!
Inside the huddle
Best wishes,
Dr Eddie
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Dr. Eddie O’Connor
