Just Breathe - World Mental Health Day with a bow to Parents and Youth Sports
On this World Mental Health Day, annually October 10, since 1992 (World Federation for Mental Health), I encourage you to do do three things.
Take care of yourself. That goes for all of you, young and old. Move your body, get outside, speak with family and friends, find joy and breathe.
Check in on someone. Not just with the obligatory “How are you?” but with a genuine willingness to hear the answer.
And remind yourself — amidst all the craziness, the stressors, the media and politics, the technologies and everything that instills the Fear — that is always works out. Just Breathe.
The Global and American mental health facts
We live in a world more connected than ever before, yet more than a billion people are living with mental health disorders. We can communicate instantly with someone across the planet, but sometimes struggle to tell the person sitting next to us that we're not okay.
Burned out parents and families
Somewhere between the morning alarm, getting kids to school, eight or ten hours at work, practices, games, laundry, bills, dinner, and preparing to do it all again tomorrow, we have created a generation of parents who barely have time to breathe — let alone take care of their own mental wellness.
Youth sports: Are we burning out our families and athletes?
When did children's sports become another full-time job for parents? When did winning become more important than playing? And when did we start measuring a child's worth by their athletic performance rather than their happiness, character, and personal growth?
We're raising children in a world where achievement is celebrated, screens demand their attention, and expectations seem to grow faster than their ability to manage them. What they need most may not be another tournament, another trophy, or another structured activity. It may simply be time to play, connect, laugh, and be kids.
We're Building Stronger Bodies. But Are We Building Healthier Minds?
I've spent decades encouraging people to get moving, get outside, push themselves, dream bigger, and become stronger. And I still believe in all of it. But the older I get, the more I recognize something else. We cannot keep measuring the strength of a person by how much pressure they can endure. We cannot keep measuring the success of a family by how busy their calendar is. And we cannot keep measuring the success of a child by how many games they win, trophies they collect, or expectations they meet.
Maybe the greatest achievement isn't doing more. Maybe it's learning to live well, to know when enough is enough, and to recognize when someone needs help.
Mental health isn't separate from our health. Mental health is health. We never truly know what someone is carrying, and behind every smile is a story.
Keeping people active matters, but keeping people connected, supported, and mentally well matters just as much. For more to come in building this community of quality parents and players, those who recognize that change is needed, check out the PARC, and AKA SPORT, for more.
Exercise Kindness. Especially toward yourself.
-CS