Tough Times Never Last, but Tough people do…
As I watched the sports channel this morning, looking to see the World Series commercials and upcoming college and NFL football highlights from last weekend.
I could not but notice there is a growing theme about mental health among athletes.
The National Football League (NFL) has put faces to the issue/problem and awareness of Mental Health and Wellness. Over 50 million people in the United States suffer from anxiety or depression.
Just like the military, the NFL is trying to break the stigma around mental health where players are speaking out about their battle with depression, anxiety, stress, bipolar disorder, and (in some cases) suicide.
I totally support this effort to get rid of the stigma around mental health to get individuals the proper help needed to become productive members of society.
Productive members of society, meaning you can bring out the best in yourself to help others as a teammate, father, mother, brother, friend, etc.
However, the quote above says tough times never last, but tough people do….
In other words, resilience is the ability to bounce back or the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
The ability to endure hardships and have that never-quit attitude.
I believe resilience should be taught as early as grade school; specifically, K through 12 grades, so individuals understand that the world is not all black and white.
There should be resilience teachers wherein the harsh reality of the world is taught that we live in a negative, judgmental, and subjective world.
Negative, Subjective and Judgmental world
It doesn’t take any effort to think and act negatively.
Most people wake up in the morning thinking about their problems, which are associated with some individual or situation.
Those problems can spark an emotion that puts people in a particular type of mood. If you asked what’s wrong, it’s something that happened a few days ago or months ago.
Nevertheless, athletes and most other people are great at working on the body; however, few work on the mind. Making the mind stronger is just as important as the biceps or chest.
Research has shown that the best way to overcome adversity, negative, and bad times is to set goals and work toward those goals.
Moreover, embrace healthy thoughts, keep things in perspective, accept change, maintain a hopeful outlook on life, and learn from your past.
You never know how strong you are until strong is all you have.
Push through. Yet, seek help if you need it.
Anthony