It is almost impossible to go on Facebook or Instagram without seeing quotes or comments accompanied with motivational words such as, Look on the bright side, Focus on the good things, or Be positive.

If anything, the pandemic has exacerbated the phenomenon of toxic positivity. In Qubec, the famous catchphrase, Its going to be OK, is undoubtedly one of the best known examples of this.

Though well-intentioned, these phrases can end up creating more distress instead of helping. Why? Because they are examples of toxic positivity, a school of thought that operates on the principle that one should always have a positive attitude, even when things get difficult.

As a doctoral student in psychology, I am interested in internalized symptoms (depression, anxiety and social withdrawal) and externalized symptoms (delinquency, violent, oppositional/defensive, disruptive and impulsive behaviours). I believe it is important to focus on the negative consequences of emotional invalidation and to understand why we need to live with our negative emotions.

When a person talks about what they are feeling, their main goal is usually to validate their emotions, to understand and accept the emotional experience. In contrast, emotional invalidation involves ignoring, denying, criticizing or rejecting another persons feelings.

Several studies have looked at the effects of emotional invalidation. The conclusions are clear: it is very harmful to mental health. People who experience emotional invalidation are more likely to have depressive symptoms.

Emotional invalidation has many negative effects. A person who is regularly invalidated may have difficulty accepting, controlling and understanding their emotions.

Whats more, people who expect their emotions to be invalidated are less likely to exhibit psychological flexibility, which is the ability to tolerate difficult thoughts and emotions and to resist unnecessarily defending oneself.

The more psychological flexibility a person has, the more they are able to live with their emotions and to get through difficult situations. For example, in the aftermath of a breakup, a young man feels anger, sadness and confusion. His friend listens to him and validates him. The man then normalizes his conflicting feelings and understands that the feelings will not last forever.

In contrast, another man going through the same type of breakup doesnt understand his feelings, feels ashamed and fears losing control of his emotions. His friend invalidates him and wont listen to him. The man then tries to suppress his emotions, which creates anxiety and can even lead to depression.

These two examples, drawn from the study Processes underlying depression: Risk aversion, emotional schemas, and psychological flexibility by American psychologists and researchers Robert L. Leahy, Dennis Tirch and Poonam S. Melwani, are neither rare nor harmless. The avoidance reaction, which involved doing everything possible to avoid experiencing negative emotions, is often amplified by the people around us.

Some people are so affected by other peoples unhappiness that just seeing this sadness makes them unhappy. This is why they react by making positive comments. However, the ability to live with our emotions is essential. Suppressing or avoiding them does not solve anything. In fact, trying to avoid negative emotions at all costs does not bring about the desired effect on the contrary, the emotions tend to return more often, and more intensely.

Unfortunately, humans are not designed to be positive all the time. On the contrary, we are more likely to recall bad memories. This probably goes back to a time, ages ago, when our survival depended on our reflex to avoid danger. A person who ignored signs of danger, even once, could end up in a catastrophic or even deadly situation.

Read more: Mindfulness meditation in brief daily doses can reduce negative mental health impact of COVID-19

In this article, Bad is stronger than good, the authors, both psychologists, explain how in evolutionary history the organisms that were better at identifying danger were more likely to survive threats. So the most alert among human beings had a higher probability of passing on their genes. The result is that we are in some ways programmed to pay attention to potential sources of danger.

This phenomenon is known as the negativity bias. Research has identified four manifestations of this bias that allow us to better understand it. One of these manifestations is linked to the vocabulary we use to describe negative events.

In a phenomenon called negative differentiation, it turns out that the vocabulary we have to describe negative events is much richer and more varied than the vocabulary used to describe positive events. In addition, negative stimuli are generally interpreted as more elaborate and differentiated than are positive ones.

The vocabulary used to describe physical pain is also much more complex than that used to describe physical pleasure. Another example: parents find it easier to judge their babies negative emotions than their positive emotions.

Negative emotions are a product of human complexity and are as important as positive ones.

The next time someone confides in you about their emotions, if you dont know what to say, opt for listening and emotional validation. Use expressions like, It looks like you had a hard day, or, It was hard, wasnt it?

Its worth noting that being positive is not always synonymous with toxic positivity the goal of which is to reject and avoid everything negative and only see the positive side of things. An example of positive and validating language is, It is normal to feel the way you do after such a serious event, lets try to make sense of it. Toxic positivity, on the other hand, sounds more like, Stop seeing the negative side, think about the positive things instead.

Finally, if you are unable to validate and listen, refer the person to a mental health professional who will know how to help them.

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'Toxic positivity': Why it is important to live with negative emotions - The Conversation CA

By Oil City Staff on July 26, 2021

CASPER, Wyo. 138 participants finished either the 8- or 16-mile course at the 9th annual Skunk Hollow Sneaker ChaseSaturday. Participants completed either one or two course laps on the Casper Mountain Trails System.

Molly Olsen won the 16-miler for the second year in a row with a time of 2:11:23, followed by Steven Armstrong and Justin Kinner. 32 runners did the 16-mile course.

Ethan Bauer was first of 106 finishers on the 8-miler, finishing with a time of 1:03. He was followed by Amber Thielbar and Jarod McDaniel.

Article continues below...

Top finishing times were a bit slower this year. Mike Diesburg, the race director, said that may be due to the course direction. Every year, the direction alternates. He said the clockwise direction means punchier, steeper climbs.

Mike Diesburg is founder of the 307 Running LLC, and is also active on the Casper Ultra and Trail Running Society. He said hes particuarly happy with the roughly equal mix of men and women who compete in his event.

In some high-profile ultra-distance events there are as few as 15 women out of 150 competitors. The Skunk Hollow turnout this year was 56% women and 44% women: Thats something were kind of proud of.

He noted that, as race distances become longer, gender and age tend to factor less in who finishes well.

They know their bodies better, Diesburg said of older runners. They know when to push it and not push it. They know how to train better.

Women, he noted are less prone to blast off at the start line: they ease back and theyre so consistent.

MikeDiesburg was encouraged to hear that people who attended just to support family and friends were inspired to take up running again: It kind of motivates them, so thats a positive.

Diesburg said the key to success in distance running, beyond training and nutrition, is attitude.

If you have a positive attitude and good mental strength, youll do well.

Read more about the event and Caspers running scene here. More photos are available on the events Facebook page.

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Olsen and Bauer win 16-mile, 8-mile Sneaker Chase on Casper Mountain Saturday - Oil City News

In every area of life we are on a journey. Health, relationships, career, and financial are just a few of the obvious ones. The question to answer is, are you aware of the game within the journey and are you bringing your A game on a consistent basis?

I invite you to imagine what would be possible if you found a way to bring the best, wisest, most resourceful version of yourself to every situation in life. How would your life be improved if you consistently made better decisions and choices? What would life look like if you acted on those choices?

In the context of success and fulfillment the presupposition on any journey is to improve, grow, or develop as a person. The goal is to get to a place that is better than where you are currently. The Heros journey, as described by Joseph Campbell is that and bringing back your mental, emotional, and physical expansion to help grow your community in whatever form that may be.

There is a a six step process Ive uncovered that unfolds in the lives of people that have developed the ability to bring their A game along their journey on a more consistent bases. Its not to say that playing your A game will make you immune from defeat. It is to say that you can learn, grow, adapt, and better navigate the landscape of set backs, failure and letdowns.

No one is exempt from failure. In fact, the road to any success is paved with plenty of failure. Perhaps more than most people are willing to tolerate. Nobody wants to experience loss. Nobody wants to feel embarrassed, humiliated, or ridiculed as a result.

The premise remains successful people make it a habit of doing the things the failures are not willing to do. The question now is, are you willing to fail? If not, you dont need to read any further. However, if you are willing to succeed and eat failure like energy bars on your way to success, then keep reading and I will share with you what I have found works to keep on keepin on to achieve your dreams.

In order to affect the change you want, you must align six As of your A Game.

Awareness You either want more of something or less of something. Awareness is the current realization something is not as you would like it to be. You imagine if you had whatever that is, then life would be better.

Its different for everybody. Be clear on what It is for you.

Make a list of the tings that need to change or improve in your business and life. Next, identify one item from your list and move on to A2.

Attitude This is about getting clear and staying within your power. You are in your power when you operate from your collective knowledge and wisdom.

Regardless of your age, you have lived a life time. Your life time. Therefore, you are the authority of you. Being in your power is being authentic. Pure authenticity has no room for fear, angst, and doubt (fad) since they are by products of the success assassins efforts. Experiencing fad is part of the human condition. We all have to learn to dance with it. We must come to know it is there to serve us and not for us to wallow in and keep from living our lives and achieving our successes.

We always have the power to choose the healthiest perspective from which to operate. It is not about acquiescing to the fearful voice of not enoughness that can often times lead the charge. It is continually choosing the healthiest attitude.

Anticipation We must learn to anticipate when and how the success assassin will show up. It hides in the dark recesses. Its the critical voice that came into being to protect us from harm when we were young and is now the same voice that holds us back from growth and progress. Its extremely clever and often disguised as us. And its not us.

Effectively anticipate and avoid being taken out by the assassin First, from your A2 power centered attitude, imagine going out into your future and look back on today. Notice what you had to think, feel, and do in order to bring about the desired outcome you achieved.

Second, notice and allow in any thoughts and feelings of fad the success assassin generated. Remember, its going to show up and try to protect you from perceived harm. It can serve you however. It serves you in the same way feeling the heat of a hot stove gets you to pull your hand back.

During A3 is the time to anticipate when and how the assassin shows up so we can effectively spar with it and be prepared for when we meet it on the journey.

The amalgamated voices of the assassin come together to convince us we are not enough and to play it safe and avoid perceived risks.

In business, we know we need to make the cold calls, ask for referrals, join the networking group, and conduct the seminars to grow our business yet we have 46 really good reasons why we dont have time to do what we know we must do to succeed at a higher level.

This is where you must learn to befriend the various success assassins. The voice that tells you your webinar presentation is NOT perfect yet, when in fact its plenty good enough, is simply trying to keep you safe from possible embarrassment. You cant pay the mortgage by playing it safe. You have to play the A Game.

Next time that assassin shows up in some form of fear, angst, or doubt (fad) treat it like a cloud in the sky. The cloud may be in the shape of a threatening dragon. Just notice it and say, Oh its you again rolling in. Reassure yourself you have everything under control with your A2 Attitude. Notice the cloud changing its shape until it finally evaporates out of view because you have used the power of your wisdom like the sun to burn it away.

Action Not much gets done without taking action. Based on the possible pernicious pitfalls you anticipate may surface, what is the wisdom you want to remember to call upon at the time the assassin starts lurking in the shadows? Remember, the assassin is not real and yet, can feel very real. Part of its mastery is convincing you its real and it knows better than you do. We must learn to shine the light of our collected wisdom to cancel out assassin.

Next, once we have washed out the assassin using our lifes wisdom, we must decide what is the next best action to take to keep us moving forward on our journey of success and commit to ourselves we will stay focused and be intentional taking that action. Action makes up 75% of Traction.

Acknowledgment This is about validating and integrating the renewed knowing that we are powerful beyond measure just as we are.

Catch yourself becoming aware (A1 & A3) of the assassin sooner and sooner. Catch yourself choosing the best attitude (A2) from which to operate. Catch yourself coming up with inspiring choices, decisions sans fad. Catch yourself taking better and better action (A4). Notice what you learn about yourself . Notice what you learn about the situation. Notice the progress you make as a result of it all. Progress equals happiness.

Add these accumulated catches of wisdom to your collective power and keep carrying it forward.

Accountability The more and more we come to trust our ability to make good decisions and take right actions, the more we progress along our path. We come to know we can count on ourselves to navigate our journey in a good and compelling way. This is about being accountable to ourselves and others for the greater good that our journey serves.

There will be plenty of opportunities to bring your A Game. Keep practicing and the success assassin will continually lose its power over you and you will step more fully into your personal power and true potential thereby accelerating your success and fulfillment.

Make it up, make it fun, and get it done!

Machen P. MacDonald, CPCC, CCSC is a certified life and business coach with ProBrilliance Leadership Institute in Grass Valley. He helps business people gain more confidence and clarity to live their ideal life. He can be reached at coach@probrilliance.com and 530-273-8000

Originally posted here:
Machen MacDonald: How to bring your 'A' game all the time - The Union of Grass Valley

The dreams of over 10,000 Olympic hopefuls were put on pause.

July 27, 2021, 2:32 AM

15 min read

Since the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the world, Lilly King's path to winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics started in a pond.

Up until last year, the Olympic Games had never been postponed for any other reason than a world war. Then the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world, putting the dreams of over 10,000 Olympic hopefuls on pause.

The Summer Olympics in Tokyo began nearly 500 days after the International Olympics Committee announced the postponement of the Games on March 24, 2020.

The logo of Tokyo 2020 is displayed near Odaiba Seaside Park in Tokyo, July 7, 2021.

After a year of extraordinary planning, the Tokyo Olympics will be different than any other Olympics Games before it: As the worldwide vaccination effort against COVID-19 continues, all spectators will be banned from attending the Games, the athletes will be isolated from one another, and all coaches, trainers and participants will be tested rigorously for COVID-19.

After going through what they called unprecedented training, three athletes spoke to ABC News about what it took for them to get to the Olympic stage while a global pandemic ravaged the world.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Lilly King was a breakout star at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in 2016 when she won first place in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke. When she heard the postponement news, King said she was at home training in Evansville, Indiana -- it was just one of many training sessions she'd had over the previous months. Yet still, she said the reality of the situation didn't sink in until some time later.

Gold medalist Lillia King of the USA at an award ceremony for the women's 100m breaststroke event at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

"I heard the Olympics were postponed and I didn't really know what to think. I'm kind of a serial under-reactor," King told ABC News earlier this summer. "[Five months later], my mom actually got my Olympic flag framed from 2016 I saw the flag and that was kind of the moment, I was like, 'Oh, my God, we're not going right now. This is not fun.'"

"[I had] my little meltdown that I had been waiting to have for five months I got it out eventually and I think that was good," she added.

In April 2020, King was forced to adapt her training routine to a world in which pools were closed due to COVID-19.

"I was sitting at home one day and my coach called me and said, 'Do you have a wetsuit?'" King said. She told him she didn't. "He said, 'Well, you better get one because we're gonna swim in a pond.' It was probably mid-April, but we started swimming in the pond in Indiana. It was freezing."

King said she and her teammates bonded over the brutally cold days in the pond and the long drives across the state to access the few pools that had begun to reopen.

"If one of us came to practice with a bad attitude one day, it would ruin the rest of it for the other nine of us. You had to be really conscious about what you were saying out loud, or what you were thinking, because it was very noticeable to the people we were training with since we are a small group," said King.

King said that with her previous Olympics experience, she has looked forward to the Tokyo Games as a chance to step into a role as a leader and mentor to her teammates, many of whom are young.

Lilly King of the United States competes in the Women's 200m breaststroke final during Day Six of the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at CHI Health Center, June 18, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska.

"Having a long career in this sport is just having a good outlook and a good attitude about things and that's what I tried to do," said King. "It is the Olympics, but in the end it's just another swim meet. Hopefully that'll be helpful to those younger athletes and I know that would have been very helpful advice to me whenI was in their shoes."

Hungry to compete, King said that the yearlong wait will only make competing at the Olympic Games that much sweeter.

"We still have an incredible team here and they're ready to compete and ready to go," said King. "Hopefully I can be that mentor that I had to those younger kids on the team and just come out and swim fast and have fun."

On July 27 in Tokyo, King won bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke -- and her 17-year-old teammate Lydia Jacoby came in first.

In March 2019, professional skateboarder Mariah Duran was named one of 16 inaugural members comprising the USA Skateboarding National Team in the first Olympics Games to ever feature the sport.

Two years later, she is the leading female skateboarder in the U.S. and will compete against 26 nations in her Olympic debut.

US skateboarder Mariah Duran competes in the Street League Skateboarding championship semifinal in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sept. 21, 2019.

"It was big to just be a part of [the Olympics] and work towards something and to have that extra goal set in front of me as a skater," said Duran.

"It's going to make the conversation for younger girls who want to pick up a board, their parents might be more down to let them do it," she added.

After a whirlwind 2019 during which she competed in qualification rounds and traveled, Duran said she used the extra time from postponement to reconnect with her love for skating.

"[This year], I would have to say I really fell in love with skateboarding even more, and that aspect of when all this other noise is canceled, I still love skating and I would do it regardless of whether the Olympics happened or not," Duran told ABC News. "I've been skating for about 14 years. So all those other years, I was just doing it because I love doing it."

Duran, who is from Albuquerque, New Mexico, said she used the city as a training ground by finding outdoor parks, stairs, ledges and other obstacles in town.

"I just want longevity in the sport. So what can I do to create that? I was able to get two trainers [to focus my training] and we would do Zoom calls. I would have [the weekend] just to myself and skate all day if I wanted to," she said.

Mariah Duran speaks during United States Olympic Skateboarding Team Announcement at L.A. LIVE, June 21, 2021, in Los Angeles.

Along with practicing yoga regularly to help with her flexibility, Duran said she also used the postponement to slow down and focus on mental training, including being present in the moment.

"When you're competing at such a high level, or you're pushing yourself to do such an extreme [trick]... getting in tune with your mental space is so important because once you can control that. You can control the outcome if you know the position you put yourself in."

Duran said she hopes that the game's global spotlight on skateboarding will inspire other people, especially women, to get involved in the sport and continue to push their limits.

"Skating is so empowering and amazing that, when you step on a board, you don't feel like a girl or a boy. At that point, you're just a skater," said Duran. "I really hope that people just look into the sport a little bit more and it sheds a light and it helps grow the sport."

Two-time Paralympian David Brown runs in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprint alongside a sighted guide in the T11 sports class, which includes all athletes who have a visual field of less than 10 degrees diameter. Brown said the past year has helped him to grow more in tune with his own body as an individual runner one who doesn't necessarily need help.

Gold medalist David Brown celebrates on the podium at the medal ceremony at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Sept. 11, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro.

"What inspired me to actually start running was me starting to go blind when I was 6-years-old. I started being able to just run fast," Brown told ABC News. "Even though I am blind, I'm not going to let you take advantage of me. If you're going to beat me, you're going to have to work for it and it doesn't matter if I can see or not."

Since 2014, Brown has held the world record as the fastest totally blind athlete in the world.

Brown, who began competing in the Paralympics in 2012 and secured a gold medal in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, said that the extra time that he spent training last year gave him the chance to better understand his muscles, timing and pace.

Brown said that training by himself allowed him to focus inward and find his own step rather than sync his stride to another person's.

"I've been running for some years now, but I never knew the technicality of sprinting. Especially when it comes to running with someone else," said Brown. "Sometimes, not knowing what to do or how to do certain things, you end up molding yourself to the runner that you're running with."

David Brown of the United States and guide Moray Stewart compete in the Men's 100 Meter Dash T11 Ambulatory final during the 2021 U.S. Paralympic Trials at Breck High School, June 19, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"I don't know how to walk in a straight line or let alone run in a straight line, but I was able to learn," he added.

The extra time also allowed Brown to realize his athletic potential.

"It's odd for me to say this but for the postponement It was a blessing overall for me because I was able to find myself as an athlete [after] being tethered to somebody all the time," said Brown. "I was able to train as an individual, I was able to pretty much untether myself from my guide and find myself as an individual runner."

The Paralympic Games begin on Aug. 24, 2021 in Tokyo. In a year filled with novel protocols and critical improvisations, Brown said he's ready for whatever happens.

"At the end of the day, we're not going to leave anything on the table," he said. "The fact of the matter is, I made it here, I made it this far, which is a huge blessing and a huge accomplishment in itself."

Brown said his goal is to inspire future athletes to test the limits of their own abilities.

"That's what it's all about, giving inspiration to the future athletes," he said. "And then showing the ones that come after us what is possible."

For more Olympics coverage, see: https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/Olympics

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How 3 Olympic, Paralympic athletes adapted their training to the COVID-19 pandemic - ABC News

Mental Health America conducted a survey of health care workers during COVID-19 from June 2020 through September. Responses showed 93% of health care workers were stressed, 86% anxious, 77% frustrated, 75% overwhelmed and 75% exhausted and feeling burnout.

Caring for people with Alzheimer's is highly stressful at times, and with the challenges and workload from the pandemic, it is no surprise that many caregivers are experiencing burnout. It could be a condition known as "compassion fatigue."

The Rev. Samuel Wood, an author and compassion fatigue educator, defines it as the natural consequence of stress resulting from caring for and helping traumatized or suffering people or animals.

In addition to sleep difficulties, mood swings and appetite changes, health care workers often experience anger and irritability, withdrawal, loss of enjoyment in the vocation, depression, low self-esteem and difficulty concentrating. They may also develop a disparaging attitude toward the people they serve and neglect family members and friends. They may also get more vocal about complaints, become consistently irritable, lose patience more often and find enthusiasm for the work has diminished.

At the height of compassion fatigue, a health care professional may suffer from physical and/or emotional issues and be at risk for leaving his or her profession.

Health care professionals who experience these symptoms should get support from co-workers, a licensed counselor or a social worker.

Those in health care and others should also practice self-care strategies, including keeping connected to other professionals and understanding that such fatigue is not a character flaw.

They should remind themselves of why they went into health care in the first place and the difference they make in the lives of others.

Exercise. Go for a walk. Do things you love.

Know that the need will always surpass the resources, and without self care, eventually you will not be able to care for anyone else.

The joy of caregiving can return with life balance. And know that your community owes you a debt of gratitude for remaining on the front line during the pandemic crisis and after it.

Questions about Alzheimer's disease or related disorders can be sent to Dana Territo, the Memory Whisperer, owner of Dana Territo Consulting, LLC, at thememorywhisperer@gmail.com.

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Alzheimers Q&A: How does a health care professional in the Alzheimers field during the pandemic manage feelings of burnout? - The Advocate

Jul 6, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts against the Phoenix Suns during the first half in game one of the 2021 NBA Finals at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Mental, physical, tactical; sport is a battle on all fronts. Its not the one with the better game that always comes out on top. Especially in a team sport, communication, mental toughness, and the we over me attitude is what trumps physical capabilities. And thats what Giannis Antetokounmpo accomplished with the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks recently captured their first NBA Championship in fifty years. As much as the Bucks were phenomenal on the court, their relentless attitude in pursuit of the ultimate gold made the difference. No matter how badly they fell, they ensured that they got up from the slump ten times stronger. Giannis instilled the mentality in them; he instilled the sheer fearlessness in them.

WATCH THIS STORY: How Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Other NBA Superstars Used Hecklers to Motivate Themselves

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In Game-4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a hyperextension of the knee. This is not a small injury in any sense, and has even ended the careers of professional athletes before. As much as it was a battle with his body, Giannis was fighting against his mind. He wanted to get back on court, but the mental fatigue was perhaps just as taxing as the physical.

When the Greek freak returned against the Phoenix Suns, he did not look as devastating as he was before the injury. Things seemed bleak, but Giannis rose from the tricky terrains. After the first couple of games, Giannis proved why he is a generational talent and one of the leagues toughest. He proved his mettle with a title-sealing 50 points in Game-6 of the NBA Finals, just about three weeks post the scare.

Recently, Giannis opened up about the difficulty of dealing with such pain on a physical and mental level.Its not always about the physical. This playoffs, coming back after Game-4, my knee looked like an elbow. And I wasnt even hundred percent. People dont say that. People dont talk about it,an emotional Giannis quoted.

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Im emotional, I should not be, but thats f***in tough. The 26-year-old had a knee that was totally weak, but he managed to recover in lighting quick time. However, the road to recovery was a tedious one.Thats the tough part, not winning a game, its coming back after your knee looked like an elbow. But thats how Im built. Im never gonna change.

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If tales of recovery and mental toughness such as Giannis dont inspire people, very few things will. Milwaukee Bucks leading man is a living example of a trailblazer. He came, he saw, he failed, he got back up, and now he conquered!

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Thats F*ckin Tough: Giannis Antetokounmpo Explains the Mental Aspect of Returning From Gruesome Knee Injury During NBA Finals - EssentiallySports

Published July 26, 2021 by Anna Vaught Author

I say this a lot: we may write alone, but everything else about hauling a book into existence is a collective endeavour. Then, when we...

I say this a lot: we may write alone, but everything else about hauling a book into existence is a collective endeavour. Then, when we learn that one in four people in the UKis experiencing a mental health problem at any one time, I know that this endeavour needs to be mindful of others vulnerabilities, because mental health problems should not be allowed to erode creativity and intellectual resource. That is how it was for me, for a long time; I have had long periods of clinical depression, generalised anxiety and dissociative episodes which relate to complex and sustained trauma over a 20-year period, beginning in early childhood.

It may be you think this is too frank; that I ought not to be writing so boldly in case others see me as unable to be professional, manage deadlines or sustain my imagination. I stand by it all. Because I can be, and I do, though it is not easy. Moreover, if I am open, this makes it easier for the next person: the writer, book publicist, commissioning editor or literary agent who is scared to speak out for fear of being seen as lesser, or as a weakling.

So let me offer some practical suggestions, drawing on my own experience and thosegenerously shared by others.

First, I think we must establish a parity of esteem between mental health and physical health and grasp that the two intersect. I have encountered industry professionals who are sceptical about mental health conditions, just as I have met those who sneer at those who write about trauma - which attitude is predicated partly on good fortune and partly a cold lack of solicitude.

Second, it is crucial we do away with stereotypes of what someone with mental health challenges may be like. I was told firmly that I ought not to speak openly about all the work I was pursuing because it would upset other people with mental health challenges who had not managed to get published. Yet, when I spoke with the communities with which I interact, I was assured the opposite was true and that to be silenced was othering; that they were othered by the assumption that those living with mental health problems could not tolerate the energy of a writer getting published and working towards more.

My third point is that someone who is experiencing long-term mental health challenges may be very nervous about how they are presented. Put it this way: if you have had your story stolen, if you were without witness after years of frightening experience made you ill, then to have no say in your narrative could be eviscerating; thus, it is vital that open conversations are had with publisher, agent, publicist, about public domain information for an author and narratives developed around them in book publicity.

Events: point four. It is important to talk openly - author, agent, publicist, others - if an author is speaking publicly as part of an event and feels particularly nervous. That is professional; not avoidant or weak. Neither is the phrase trigger warning. You are a team. Also, both for us and for those we wish to reach, for accessibility we should keep the momentum going with online events.

Memoir. Point five. Those who are teaching memoir or those who are commissioning memoir, non-fiction or autobiographical fiction need to be sensitive to what might emerge for the writer. Of course, I am not saying that everyone in these roles should have counselling training, but I know that open conversations ought to be had, even if it is simply the commissioning editor noting that the writer may feel emotional and that they must be reassured that their work and, in the context, life experience, will be treated with respect. With memoir workshops, someone may speak for the first time about a scarring experience to you, as teacher. It is vital that you listen: the writer is very vulnerable at that moment. Be dismissive of no-ones story. Ever. It is your job to help them shape it into words.

Five simple points. There is much more to add, but I end here. That title; "Theres a Crack in Everything"(- its Leonard Cohen, if you did not know). It is true; there is. But even so, cracked as you are, do not, writers, doubt your ability to construct something meaningful and beautiful or, all other industry professionals, to bring that beautiful construction to others hands and lives. Because, to continue the Cohen, "There is a crack in everything, thats how the light gets in."What is more, brilliant creative venture, genius even, reside in mess and hurt - but only if accompanied by compassionate and open dialogue and by teamwork at its finest.

Anna Vaught is a novelist, short story writer, editor, mentor, English teacher and mental health campaigner. Her third and fourth books,Saving Lucia(Bluemoose) andFamished(Influx), were published in 2020.

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There is a crack in everything - The Bookseller

Delaying or denying treatment to people who need it most may be the reason for countless deaths across the age and region spectrum.

By Hemant Sethi,

The topics of mental health, social isolation and anxiety over the loss of employment have never been in greater focus than in the age of COVID-19. The fact that mental illnesses can lead to serious adverse outcomes if neglected, makes it even more important to recognize and address this problem during these times of the pandemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated in a report that suicides due to depression are the second-most common cause of death in individuals aged 15 to 29 years of age. This busts the myth that the illness only adversely affects the elderly. Going by the report, anyone, whether young or old, could become a victim of depression or other mental illnesses. However, the subject of mental illness is not one that most people would want to talk about openly, and even less, accept the fact that they may be suffering from this problem. This outlook needs to change.

Mental ailments can stem from several causative factors. The death of a loved one, or the loss of ones employment. Factors such as long-term stress, solitude, the fear of poverty, and losing ones source of income are some of the more common reasons for debilitating mental ailments in individuals. The Covid-19 pandemic has amplified these circumstances, impacting many people.

According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, on the prevalence of psychological morbidities among the general population, healthcare workers, and COVID-19 patients, about half of the population faced psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Poor sleep quality (40%), stress (34%), and psychological distress (34%) were the most reported problems across various studies. The report also mentions another online Indian survey which found that about 40.5% of the participants reported anxiety or depressive symptoms. About three-fourths (74.1%) of the participants reported a moderate level of stress, and 71.7% reported poor well-being.

A report states that as per WHO 7.5 percent of Indians suffer from some mental disorder and predicts that by the end of this year roughly 20 percent of India will suffer from mental illnesses. It estimates that about 56 million Indians suffer from depression and another 38 million Indians suffer from anxiety disorders. However, India seems to be far behind in terms of identifying and addressing mental health and the issues related to it.

Depression and anxiety attacks are frequently tagged as minor inconveniences only faced by the uber-rich. Whats worse, Individuals with mental conditions tend to hide their issues due to fear of being looked down upon and judged by a conservative society. Shedding these negative qualities and bringing about a culture change across the board may take several years in India.

On the bright side, here are some examples of how public bodies and organisations can help those with existing mental health conditions. Using these workarounds, eventually, the taboos associated with mental ailments in India can be eliminated.

There is a serious dearth of mental health professionals in the country. On the surface, it seems that Indias youngsters do not find the field of mental healthcare as exciting or financially rewarding as, say, software engineering or chartered accountancy. As a result, there are simply not enough experts in the country who can provide professional help to the millions, who suffer from such conditions daily. As a solution, students can be encouraged from a young age to pursue a career in psychiatry or other specialised mental health practices. The government can introduce schemes that make it easier for people to get into such courses and graduate with minimal fuss.

On an organisational level, the main management team could increase the number of mental health experts within the company premises. The presence of more professionals can positively influence the way your workers deal with their mental health conditions arising from job stress or other, more personal reasons.

Conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and anxiety need expert attention and treatment that cannot be provided by a general physician or even a common psychiatrist. Often, treatments for such conditions may be a complex and drawn-out process and beyond affordability for common people. As a result, several people with such conditions may continue to live through their illnesses.

Delaying or denying treatment to people who need it most may be the reason for countless deaths across the age and region spectrum. To avoid such a snowballing of bad things, the government could make mental healthcare more affordable and accessible for individuals regardless of their economic status. The Healthcare Act, introduced in 2017, is a positive step in this direction.

Businesses should ensure they have a proper communication channel through which workers with mental health conditions can get through to qualified counselors or designated health experts. The privacy of an individual suffering from a mental health condition is vital and must be respected and preserved. Empathy must be shown towards employees who are stressed with their work or show signs of depression. Occupational safety training should also include proper ways to treat work colleagues in a shared workplace regardless of whether they have mental illnesses or not. Behaviour-based safety programs can be nicely complemented by mental health training and monitoring.

Needless to say, such empathy must also be demonstrated by people across the country towards their fellow citizens. While it may not be fair to expect a massive shift in peoples perceptions regarding mental health and wellness, even small changes in behaviour and attitude will go a long way in alleviating the mental health and well-being of a lot of people.

(The author is Country Head, British Safety Council, India. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)

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Overcoming the taboo of mental health in India amidst the pandemic - The Financial Express

How can we be happier? (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)

Could approaching your day like your own personal Olympics be the key to happiness?

Thats what Dr Andy Cope and Professor Paul McGee suggest on this weeks episode of Metro.co.uks mental health podcast, Mentally Yours.

Dont panic theyre not expecting physical excellence. You dont need to do a load of training.

Instead, says Andy, its time to view your days as each having ten events and question whether youre going for gold.

None of the events require any skill or talent, Andy explains. These are your 10 events that you take part in every day.

Event number one: working hard. Number two: smiling. Then having good manners, being passionate about life, expressing gratitude, encouraging others, having a positive attitude, being kind, showing up on time, and looking after your physical health.

This might sound too simple, but thats kind of the point.

In their new book, The Happiness Revolution: A Manifesto For Living Your Best Life, Andy and Paul arent saying anything complicated but theyre setting out to provide some answers to one of the big questions of our time: How do we become happier?

We invited the duo on to Mentally Yours to chat through the main takeaways from the book, break down whether these lessons still apply if you have a mental illness, and explain why so many of us struggle to grab happiness.

These are issues weve long faced, but Andy and Paul believe that now is the perfect time for a revolution.

The world has been knocked for six thousand, Andy notes. In the last 15 months, a global pandemic hasnt helped.

But if you go back before then., mental health was already fairly wobby. We werent in a particularly brilliant place, mental health wise.

You could argue that even before the pandemic, there was an epidemic of unhappiness.

The modern world is relentless, its full-on, its unforgiving. But its when the world is doing its worst, which the world is, that it becomes even more important that we understand how we can learn to be at our best.

Life, more so now than ever, is volatile, uncertain, and complex, agrees Paul. We can look at our external world and think well, thats not going so well, so therefore I cant be happy.

But what Andy and I are trying to do is help equip the reader, and say okay, so the external is out of your control, but how about working on the internal stuff, thats more in your control?

Were told you need more, you need to look better, need to be more popular, have more followers, more likes, more experiences, more toys its like the law of more, and were told if you dont get that, you wont be happy.

We consume stuff in order to try and fill this hole within us. But before you know it, the hole expands again. Were looking for an external solution to an internal problem.

The good news is were not all doomed to keep repeating these patterns. Andy and Paul reckon that just following their 10 manifesto pledges could save us all.

To understand each point on the list and answer all your big questions about happiness, give Paul and Andys book, The Happiness Revolution: A Manifesto For Living Your Best Life, a read. Its out now.

You can listen to Mentally Yours on Spotify, Audioboom, and Apple Podcasts.

To chat about mental health in an open, non-judgmental space, join our Mentally Yours Facebook group.

Follow us on Twitter at @MentallyYrs.

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How to be happier: View your life as an 'everyday Olympics' - Metro.co.uk

As she releases her highly anticipated new novel, Holding Her Breath, Eimear Ryan reflects on mental health, sport, and why Irish women are dominating the literary world.

As a captivating voice in Irish literature, a co-founder of Banshee Press, and a dedicated camogie player with St. Finbarrs in Cork, Eimear Ryan is a unique force defying easy categorisation, and challenging preconceived notions and tropes both on and off the page.

The Co. Tipperary native, now based in Cork City, made headlines late last year, as Sandycove, the Dublin-based imprint of Penguin Random House, announced the acquisition of her novel, Holding Her Breath. Its a gripping, yet tender, read telling the coming-of-age story of Beth Crowe, a first year Psychology student in a Dublin university, whose life is shaped by the suicide of her grandfather, a famous poet, decades before.

This book has been with me for so long, Ryan reveals. I started writing it in late 2013, and its gone through so many different iterations. Im just really happy that other people get to read it now.

Despite having died in the 80s, Beths grandfather, Benjamin Crowe, is an omnipresent force in Holding Her Breath with his legacy serving as the catalyst for the novels entire sequence of events. As well as crediting Scottish poet Don Paterson as an influence behind Benjamins poetry, Ryan reveals that plenty of other figures also went into the fictional poet.

Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes is an obvious one, she says. Theres a lot of Heaney in there, and theres a dash of Kurt Cobain, in some ways. And when I was starting to write the book, one of my favourite actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman, died. I started thinking about the death of an artist and how complicated and multi-layered that is. It ripples out to so many different groups of people. Youve got the fans who are mourning the loss of the art. Then youve got the wider art world, who mourn the figure himself. And then youve got the family and their grief is on another level altogether.

I started thinking about how it would impact on future generations. Even his granddaughter, who never knew him, but is still impacted by his life and death.

The novel contains another clear nod to Cobain, with a reference to a 90s rock star who signed off his own suicide note with lines from a Benjamin Crowe poem, before picking up the gun resulting in a bump in royalties for Beths family, as the poem experienced a morbid surge in popularity as a result.

In my head I was like, God, its usually only female artists that we do this to romanticising their deaths, and particularly deaths by suicide, Ryan reflects. I was thinking of the likes of Hemingway. Nobody remembers the manner of his death. When we think of him, its more about his life and his work.

But then I was thinking about Kurt Cobain, and how we have really romanticised his death, in a way thats highly problematic. So there are male figures we do that to as well its not just the Plaths and the Woolfs.

Although Benjamin looms over much of the book, its ultimately a story celebrating women as forces of strength, support and resilience. Beths friendship with her roommate Sadie is particularly powerful, as the two girls set off on their journey together as young adults, at a university based largely on Trinity College Dublin.

When I started writing the book, it was the year after Id done a Creative Writing Masters in Trinity so I was kind of high on the setting, Ryan explains. I really loved my year there, and wanted to write about it. But even at that stage, I knew it was already very well-worn territory, going back to The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy. All Names Have Been Changed by Claire Kilroy is a brilliant novel also set in Trinity, and The First Verse by Barry McCrea is another one that was really influential for me.

In recent years then, theres just been more and more brilliant iterations of Trinity in fiction, she continues. Its that classic set-up, and one of the seven basic plots voyage and return. The young person leaves behind their family, strikes out on their own, learns some things, and then comes back. That idea of being young, and able to move away from the influence of your parents and your homeplace to figure out who you are, is always going to be a compelling thing that a lot of people can identify with.

The connection to Trinity also places Ryan among a movement of acclaimed millennial alumnae of the college, who have been dominating Irish literature over the last few years.

Theres a really strong wave of young Irish female writers coming together, she nods. Its really nice to be spoken of in the same breath as authors that I really admire like Niamh Campbell, Megan Nolan, Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan. I love all those authors work. And its nice that there is this moment, for stories about young Irish women. In past generations, people who wrote about young women and coming-of-age stories wouldve been on the back foot a little bit. They wouldve been accused of not being literary, and would have had to defend why these stories matter. Thats not something we have to do now stories about young Irish women are culturally relevant now. Long may it continue!

What does she think sparked that change in attitude?

It was an accumulation of a lot of things, she considers. From #WakingTheFeminists, to the introduction of Tramp Press. And there was Sinad Gleesons brilliant anthologies of Irish women writers, which promoted new writers, but also unearthed writers who had not been anthologised, or written about, in the same way that their male peers were. Myself, Claire Hennessy and Laura Cassidy set up Banshee Press around the same time, and we were able to be part of that wave, which was great. But I definitely think that Sally Rooney coming along, and having the popular appeal but also the critical acclaim, was a big boost to it.

And the fact that the Kardashians were tweeting about Normal People... she laughs. I mean, thats a cultural reach that is almost unheard of!

Like Rooneys Normal People, and more recently, Louise Nealons Snowflake, Holding Her Breath also features young characters accessing counselling services something Ryan hopes to see normalised further.

I wanted to make the point that Beth is taking steps to get better, Ryan points out. Shes taking this seriously, and shes not suffering on her own. Hopefully its increasingly normalised for young people especially. It would be great to think that we could get to a point where its just seen as your dental check-up, or your doctor check-up. Just checking in, and making sure everythings fine.

Theres an interesting parallel in the novel between the attitudes towards mental health during Benjamins lifetime, and present-day attitudes with the implication that things havent changed as much as they should have.

I want to be positive, and think that we have come a long way but we really havent, Ryan admits. Its still so difficult for people to vocalise that they need help, or are struggling and then for that to be received in a way thats useful. If you vocalise that youre struggling, a lot of peoples first instinct is that they want to give you a pep-talk. People just want to rescue you straight away with their words and that doesnt cut it.

Its still really difficult for people to access help as well, she continues. Universities are better equipped than some places, because they probably will have a therapist or a counsellor on staff. I know from working in UCC, we had access to a counsellor as staff. And I definitely used that, which was brilliant I wouldnt have known how to find a therapist otherwise. Having those access points is so helpful.

As an active camogie player herself (Im one of the oldest on the squad now Im 34! she laughs. Theres a lot of really fast young ones who run rings around me in training.), Ryan also offers a unique perspective into the impact high-level sport can have on young peoples mental health. Its explored in the novel through Beths involvement with competitive swimming.

I wanted to write about sporting failure because you never really hear those narratives, she muses. If theres a narrative of sporting failure, its only in the run-up to how the athlete turned it all around, and ultimately triumphed. You never hear the story of the failure and then they just stop!

Over the course of my playing career, Ive definitely had those moments where Im really struggling, and just not performing, she continues. Sport is ultimately supposed to be about fun and enjoyment and play its literally played. But if youre doing it, and its just making you sad and miserable, you feel like youre doing everything all wrong. It can really impact young players who have a lot of pressure and expectations on them, but maybe dont have the mental maturity to handle that. I definitely didnt at that stage. It can become really problematic.

Elsewhere in the novel, she emphasises the point that monogamy isnt the answer for everyone.

Maybe its because were in a Catholic country, but when people talk about a failed marriage, I just think its so wrong, she reflects. A marriage that ends obviously worked for a long time otherwise they wouldnt have stayed in it for that long. And that idea that theres one person out there for you is absolutely untrue. You can have several great loves of your life, and maybe some of those will overlap! Obviously there are choices you can choose not to pursue that person who comes along, or you can choose to pursue them. It was really fun to explore all those thorny issues and overlapping loves.

However, the next book shes working on is, by her own admission, totally different.

Its a book of sporting essays, she reveals. Its a loose memoir, about growing up as a woman in the GAA. In the novel, I got to explore a lot of my sporting feelings, but through a fictional character, and through the medium of this other sport and Im actually a very bad swimmer! So now to be exploring something much more personal to me, and be revisiting old memories, is really interesting.

Holding Her Breath is out now.

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Eimear Ryan: "I started thinking about the death of an artist and how complicated and multi-layered that is..." - hotpress.com