#194 How to Support Your Athlete's Mental Health: A Fireside Chat with John and Jerry

This week John and Jerry host a fireside chat to discuss the mental health and well being of our athletes. For many kids, this month brings a close to their Fall sports season, and with many winter sports shut down (wrestling, basketball) many of our athletes may be experiencing more social isolation than ever before. We have been told by many parents that if it were not for sports this summer and fall, their son or daughter would have really been struggling. A University of Wisconsin study in May found that 65% of young athletes were experiencing anxiety symptoms, and 68% were experiencing depression. Physical activity levels have dropped 50% at the same time. The mental health and well being of our athletes has never been more at risk, and coaches and parents can make a difference. We give you specific things to look for, and specific tools to have the conversations with our kids and their parents that can make a difference.

If you are a coach or parent, keep checking in with your athletes and make sure they are doing OK. Coaches, take some time to have a Zoom call or a one on one meeting with them. Keep connecting, and be aware of any alarming signs. Our children really need us now, and I am concerned about what the next few months have in store in terms of a return to lockdowns due to the spread of COVID (already happening in some countries and states). You are doing your most important work EVER right now, and likely it has very little to do with sports!

The Way of Champions Podcast is brought to you by Sports Refund. When kids sign up to play youth sports there are always fees involved. And parents pay those fees so their child can be on the team, not the injury report. That’s why I love Sports Refund, and parents will too. Sports Refund is low-cost sports fee insurance – NOT health insurance, sports fee insurance. So if your child becomes injured or sick and can’t play, you get your fees reimbursed for that lost time, from one game to an entire season. It’s that simple. This product not only saves families wasted fees, it saves injured athletes the stress of feeling like they’re wasting their parents’ money. The fees come back until the player comes back. So they can focus on fully recovering and making a healthy return to the game. Sports Refund has options for individuals and organizations. Ask your club if they offer it, or visit SportsRefund.com/Game to learn more and sign up today. That’s SportsRefund.com/Game. Can’t Play? Don’t Pay. With Sports Refund.

Highlights from the Podcast:

• Jerry shares about his time serving in the military

•  "The Power of Love" vs the "Love of Power"

• How to help kids during the pandemic

• Preparing for the “Invisible Competitor"

• "Earn the respect of those you resect and forget about everyone else."

• Clearing up the point of sport psychology professionals

• The value of listening to our athletes 

• “Feeling is function.” - Jerry Lynch

• Looking for changes in your athletes to help save them from quitting

• How sports helped Jerry as a child

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