Basketball is Psychology XLVIII
Introduction
A recent study done by the UW Health found that 68% of student-athletes are depressed.
The Mental Health of athletes has taken a toll during this Covid-19 pandemic.
While everyone is busy discussing when athletics will return and what protocols will be put in place to minimize the spread, no one is talking about the mental health of athletes.
For most athletes, playing the game is what brings them joy. Their teammates are like their family, and sports are an escape - it’s how they cope when they’re stressed. With little to no warning, all of that was taken, and it’s still very unclear what the future holds.
How do we make sense of this adversity we are facing? We were already living in the most depressed, anxious, and lonely generation yet - before a global pandemic intensified these problems. Nothing about this year seems to be going according to plan. We are all off-roading. Collectively, this is arguably the hardest year in human history. How do you think productively? How do you stay mentally healthy? How do you find joy?
Successful people and unsuccessful people all have one thing in common: they face adversity.
Everyone faces adversity. The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is that successful people embrace adversity.
Walt Disney was told he was not creative enough and had no good ideas.
Oprah Winfrey was told she was not cut out for television and was fired for getting too emotionally invested in her stories.
Einstein did not speak until he was four years old.
Michael Jordan and Bob Cousy were both cut from their high school basketball team.
Bill Walsh didn’t win a single game in his first season as an NFL Head Coach.
Beethoven was told he was hopeless as a composer.
Benjamin Franklin dropped out of school at the age of 10.
Professional surfer, Bethany Hamilton had her arm bitten off by a shark.
Thomas Edison had around 10,000 failed attempts when trying to invent the light bulb.
These people did not simply endure the adversity, they embraced it. These people became successful not in spite of the adversity they faced, but because of the adversity they faced. Adversity brings something out of us that ease never could.
This does not mean what you are going through is not hard. Of course it’s hard. It’s okay to be sad when you hit adversity, but don’t get stuck.
The Art Of Embracing Adversity is the book every athlete needs right now.
This book is meant to serve as a guide to living a meaningful life in the midst of losses, setbacks, and uncertainty. It’s available now on Amazon in e-book and paperback format.