Mental Health, Toughness, Wellness Initiative

If we are going to work with young people, we need to meet them where they are at. Where are they? For many, they are in a vortex of anxiety, self-sabotage, image-obsession, and social failure to launch. If we wish to help our kids function in the world let alone play basketball at a high level, we need to help them navigate the things that impede their ability to any form of the pursuit of happiness.

Self-Talk: Studies suggest that more than 80% of peoples’ self-talk is negative! This negative thinking boosts cortisol levels which literally shrinks the part of the brain responsible for intelligence, creativity, and decision-making! Chronic stress keeps us from the ability to think clearly. We need our kids to understand this and to start asking themselves “is my mind a safe place to be right now?”

Soundtracks: Our conscious thoughts are the soundtracks to our lives. It is the music constantly playing in our heads. We need to make them good songs! We need to become aware of our negative thinking and understand that thoughts are not who we are. Secondly, we need to interrupt and stop those negative thoughts when they happen. Third, we want to replace those negatives with positives that are more conducive to our body-budgets. Finally, repeat positive thoughts to create patterns of healthy thinking. A healthy and positive emotional state strongly correlates to longer life expectancy and overall health!

Self-Inquiry: Also known as the four questions. We will use these four questions for the thoughts and beliefs tied to our suffering. Is it true? Can you absolutely know that it’s true? How do you react when you believe that thought? Who would you be without that thought? After answering these questions, we come up with a “turnaround,” a sentence expressing the opposite of what one believes. After this deconstruction of our thoughts, we can see the false narratives that run our lives that are not grounded in anything but our own imaginations.

Emotional Granularity: Emotional granularity is about the specificity and nuance in how individuals experience and express their emotions. It’s not just about recognizing basic emotions like happiness or sadness, but also about understanding the subtle differences within those categories. Research suggests that individuals with higher emotional granularity tend to have better coping mechanisms and mental health outcomes. This may be because greater differentiation in emotional experience allows for more precise and effective emotional regulation.

Breath Work: One of the simplest ways to regulate one’s self in an agitated situation, is to focus solely on the breath or more specifically box breathing which is used by even the Navy Seals. As we learn from emotional granularity, an elevated heart rate or other bodily reactions to stimuli are simply sensations without meaning. We need to get control of our bodies in order to get control of our minds.

Guided Meditations: Every time that I have done guided meditations with any teams at any level, players initially are skeptical and then at first have a hard time taking it seriously. Within 2-3 minutes of a guided meditation, this promptly ends. And every time after a guided meditation is done, it is always heavily requested later. Not only do young people very rarely take any time to themselves to get centered, but they also appreciate being shown how to quiet the mind and how to reframe their thoughts that aren’t serving their best interests. After extreme highs or lows of the season, during exams, or during the day to day, it is always helpful to take a moment to recharge; most things will work again if we simply unplug them and turn them back on.

Journaling: There are countless benefits to journaling but most notably cathartic release, emotional regulation, self-awareness, processing, increased cognitive function, goal-setting, and self-improvement just to name a few.

Ultimately our focus on mental health is also a matter of strengthening our mental resolve and fortitude. Just as Yin and Yang are complementary forces, mental wellness and mental toughness go hand in hand.