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10 Talks CONVERSAT10N-

How 2 Get Help

 

Hear words of wisdom when someone is asking for help, how parents can best support their children, and why we need the power of relationship.

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing: 

  • A shift in mindset is required for the athlete to reach out for help. However, if the athlete cannot recognize that they need help, then the Power of Team is required to check-in with the athlete. 

INFORMAT10N:

  • A parent’s role on their child’s support team is as a cheerleader, where they can foster independence but be available for more support if extra help is needed. 

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Therapy is dose-dependent and is recommended every week, similar to medication. Individuals getting help through therapy can recognize incremental gains and growth.

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Concussions

 

Join us for a conversation about the signs, symptoms and protocols for concussions, as well as the effect it can have on an athlete’s mental and physical health.

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing: 

  • It is necessary that all athletes and coaches are aware of the signs and symptoms of concussions. It is the coach’s responsibility to lower the risk level of head impact (like in football), but it is the athlete’s responsibility to recognize the serious nature of a concussion.

INFORMAT10N: 

  • A concussion is a head injury that jostles your brain and there are about 3.8 million concussions reported each year.  

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • An athlete recovering from a concussion needs to take the six-step protocol seriously, and if multiple concussions occur, the athlete must weigh the benefit of ongoing participation versus a potential long-term brain injury from the concussions.

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Confidence

 

Listen for a conversation about the topic of confidence, the research behind it, and how to become more confident from a holistic perspective.

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing: 

  • Confidence is an inner belief about your own abilities and ability to achieve something, based on skill and preparation. Confidence is a key trait of all successful people, and coaches who give confidence to their players are more likely to be successful.

INFORMAT10N: 

  • Research on self-efficacy (confidence) identified four main areas where confidence is built: mastery experiences, vicarious learning, model behavior, and social persuasion.

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Work with a coach who inspires confidence and intentional practice. Parents, although change is difficult, must allow the coach to do their job and help build confidence in their children by being their biggest supporter.

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Social Media and Wellbeing

 

Hear about the mental health impact of NIL on college student-athletes, the science of long-term social media use, and how we can re-train our brains.

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing: 

  • Winning strategies to limit the impact that social media can have on our brains includes taking breaks or setting screen time limits, or “stat up” how you feel after using social media. 

INFORMAT10N: 

  • MRI’s have shown that the more time on social media correlates with lower sensitivity to emotional stimuli. Social media is replacing genuine social interaction causing higher rates of isolation and depression.

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Athletes on social media promoting their Name, Image, and Likeness who are  feeling the pressure to perform in competition can focus on three areas: perspective, grounding, and the Power of Team.

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Fear of Failure and Fear of Success

 

Hear about the two types of fear, what is fear, and why do we have it?

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing: 

  • Failure is a natural part of life. Growth only comes when we challenge ourselves to fall forward with the intent of embracing failure rather than fearing it. 

INFORMAT10N: 

  • Fear of failure is being afraid to level up, while fear of success is reaching the top and being worried about maintaining it. 

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Three winning strategies to address fear include: desensitization by gaining experience, decontextualization by getting perspective, and faith through trust.

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Loneliness

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Learn about how to recover from feelings of loneliness by relying on your support team to get actively connected, and the positive power of philanthropy for our mental health.

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WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing: 

  • Unexpected transition, like retirement due to injury, is the most difficult aspect in sport or a professional career. If a feeling of loneliness starts to arise, rely on the Power of Team to get actively connected.

  • For coaches - valuing connection within your team can increase trust and performance in a measurable way on the court or field. 

INFORMAT10N: 

  • Humans are social creatures who have social needs that need to be met by having strong, connected, and trusting relationships with other people. 

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Sports philanthropy, often giving the gift of hope rather than money, is a winning strategy to help others, connect with your community and boost your mood in the process.

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Perfectionism

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Learn about the symptoms of OCD, how perfectionism affects athletes, and how it can be managed and treated.

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WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing:

  • Perfectionism can be productive at times, but it becomes challenging to manage when rigidity and hyper-awareness leads to functional impairment. In sport, an athlete may struggle to leave their ‘practice mindset’ and enter Flow State during a game. 

INFORMAT10N: 

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) differ in severity and characteristics and are often developed in athletes as a means of control. 

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Perfectionists should remain process-oriented rather than results-oriented and slowly incorporate flexibility into their lives and connect with a professional for OCD or OCPD treatment.

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Substance Abuse in Athletes

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Hear about recognizing substance abuse in yourself or others, what causes addiction in athletes and how to treat it. 

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing:

  • Substance abuse and addictive personality become a daily ritual and routine. Athletes can benefit from redirecting their energy after sport towards their ‘what’s next’. 

INFORMAT10N: 

  • Athletes often develop an addiction as a coping mechanism during times of transition or retirement.

  • Substance abuse will most likely have a detrimental effect on an athlete’s career and overall well being. 

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Addressing substance abuse always starts with education and clear messaging to athletes that helps struggling athletes get to the root of their problem rather than starting by using drastically punitive action.

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Athletic Identity, Injury, Retirement and Transit10n out of Sport

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Hear about athletes leaving the limelight, identity management during retirement, owning transferable skills, and the grief process after sport.

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing:

  • Athletes must prepare for life outside of sport. Intentionally develop and own your transferable skills, use the Power of Team for support, and engage philanthropically with your community.  

INFORMAT10N: 

  • The Transition 2 Next for an athlete is a vulnerable process that challenges identity and purpose. Around 20% of athletes experience psychological distress when their career ends. 

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Confront the natural grieving process when your athletic career comes to an end by talking through the change with a professional or with someone you trust.

  • Maintain a healthy lifestyle by staying on a daily schedule, prioritizing sleep and nutrition, and finding a physical activity that you love. 

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10 Talks CONVERSAT10N-

Depression in Athletes

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Learn about depression red flags and recovery Winning Strategies, burnout versus depression, depression and identity management, and the Power of Team.

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing:

  • Rewiring the brain and habits involves small steps and slow progress through a healthy focus on sleep and nutrition, socialization, therapy and creating new coping strategies, and professional psychiatric evaluation to determine if medication is appropriate.

INFORMAT10N: 

  • Depression (major depressive disorder) is a two-week sustained feeling of sadness or loss of interest in activities you normally enjoy. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems such as disrupted sleeping and eating patterns and functional impairment.

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Three winning strategies to address depression include:

  • Screening

  • Recognition, inquiry, and understanding the contributing factors to an athlete’s depression

  • Treatment 

  • Athletes are more likely to “suffer in silence” and power through personal struggles alone. Members of an athlete’s Team such as the coach, athletic trainer, nutritionist, psychologist and psychiatrist play an integral role in recognizing and treating depression.

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Performance Anxiety, The Yips

and Superstitions

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Hear about the power of anxiety, resulting coping mechanisms, and how our mind and body are connected.

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing:

  • Anxiety has a sweet spot where too little or too much of it can negatively impact performance. 

  • In pressure moments, find a way to self-soothe anxiety such as an attention shift or using box breathing methods to calm the nervous system and regain control. 

INFORMAT10N: 

  • Superstitions arise when an athlete needs a sense of control.

  • The Yips refers to the performance barrier when anxiety affects motor function.

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • It is essential to trust the process and preparation, without thinking about the result, to achieve peak performance. 

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Eating Disorders in Sport

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Listen to a discussion about what eating disorders in sport look like and a few winning strategies for how to treat them.

 

WINNING STRATEGIES:

Wellbeing:

  • A wellbeing approach includes education and recognition followed by treatment. The onus should be placed on the athlete’s overall health rather than performance.

  • Healthy messaging about diet and nutrition should be provided by the coach and nutritionist. 

INFORMAT10N:

  • Eating disorders are a means for an individual to exercise control over their life. It is a maladaptive coping strategy, a source of identity, and a difficult habit to break.

  • An eating disorder is an invisible injury and can affect anyone.

  • There are three primary categories of disordered eating:

    • Anorexia Nervosa or Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

    • Binge eaters

    • Cyclical disordered eating patterns

NAVIGAT10N Through Change:

  • Treatment includes a team approach where the coach, athletic trainer, psychologist, and nutritionist are informed about the athlete’s struggle and educated about the treatment plan.

  • It is essential that athletes find healthy coping mechanisms outside of their sport to deal with stress.

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