Sound body and Mind – supporting the mental health of athletes

The balance that we need to be successful in life is not only about the type dealing with having so many work/life obligations that we lose a sense of perspective and focus too much on one area. It also includes something even more personal. That is the balance we have between our physical and mental well-being. They are but one in the same.  While one may take precedence at any one time, they are both ever present.

There was an excellent piece by Lindsay Jones in the Denver Post about the issue of mental and physical well-being with respect to professional athletes, especially football players. A sport in which physical strength is looked at as a predictor of success in the league – the definition of success including a potentially hefty paycheck – there is both tremendous player on the athlete, which alone can take a toll on them mentally and physically. But if you add that to a preexisting condition, or with a concurrent life situation that contributes an even greater elements of anxiety or depression, the result can be tragic.

We applaud the NFL for spending more time, money and energy on this issue. While the physical well-being of the athlete is vitally important, their ability to live life to the fullest, to feel that they have the support at the very least of their teammates, coaches and football brethren is key to their ability to survive and thrive.