Expanding the Reach for Mental Wellness for Better Performance in Sport & Life
“Mental health is the emotional and spiritual resilience that enables us to enjoy life and survive pain, disappointment and sadness. It is a positive sense of well-being and an underlying belief in our own and other’s self worth”. (Health Education Authority, UK, 1997).
From a child or teen’s point of view, mental health means…
Mental illness is a term that describes a variety of emotional, thinking and behavioral problems that vary in intensity and duration, and may recur from time to time. Major mental illnesses include anxiety, mood, eating and psychotic disorders.
From a child or teen’s point of view, mental health problems (or mental illnesses) can mean some or all of the following:
Many factors can contribute to mental illness; however the 2 major causes are genetics and the environment.
Just like we can prevent physical health problems, we can also reduce our chances of developing mental health problems. We can do things to promote our physical health, by eating healthy food, exercising, not smoking or wearing a seatbelt. But even if we do all these things, we sometimes still get sick or hurt. It’s just the same for mental health.
Everyone has mental health regardless of whether or not they have mental illness.
Occur in about 20% of the population, that’s 1 out of every 5 people in Canada! Many athletes will exhibit their difficulties in sport through problems with mood, behaviour or thinking. Early identification and treatment can lead to improved outcomes for the athletes.
Disturbance of brain functioning that causes problems with mood, behaviour or thinking.
The consequence of poor parenting or bad behaviour.
Expand the Reach is a web based resource for coaches, athletes of all levels, parents and community organizations to support Mental Wellness, and early intervention for better performance in sport & life.