Mental health awareness month started in May. It is so crucial to be in a safe mental state especially in high stakes and high pressure environments. Negative mental health can lead into depression which is one of the biggest reasons why it has seen so much attention recently.
Multiple athletes have given their advance about the rising issue of mental health, going out of their way to share their thoughts and experiences hoping to shape young minds to be mindful about their own struggles. One of the players who is so outspoken is Utah Royals FC defender, Madison Pogarch.
Some of the best advice in dealing with negative mental health is developing a self-care routine as there are multiple ways of well-being. Whether it is taking a break, separating from work and high stress activities. Focusing on something completely different as well as allowing time and space to refocus back to what needs to be done.
“When I talk about mental health, something I always try to emphasize is just separating from soccer. Because this game, for so long, was an outlet and now it has become a job, it can be all consuming at times. Now as a professional, I almost have to find ways to try and find ways to be Po away from soccer” Pogarch states her point on what her self-care routine consists of.
For many kids growing up, sports is a great outlet as a fun activity that is not connected to school in any way. Branching out into different activities is a great way to develop a strong support system and is just as important to mental health. Having a close family member, friend, or colleague to listen to release all the stress can be one of the best ways to deal with negative mental health.
“I think sport in general has just always been a good outlet for my mental health and, sometimes, I like to break up soccer with other sports” Pogarch said about how she got into sports as well as participating in sports outside of soccer.
The most critical point of mental health is knowing that there are multiple people in all walks of life that are dealing with mental health issues. So many are worried that if they speak up to their friend, family, or colleague then they will be thought of as weak and be viewed in a different light. Stopping multiple who have mental health problems from seeking the right help they need to push forwards.
“A lot of people don’t want the pity, a lot of people don’t want the attention from it, but how do we support that person, allow them to feel the way they’re feeling. But then not look down on them in a way.” Speaking about why people don’t want to express themselves freely about their struggles, Pogarch gives her input and thoughts on the matter.
“There has to be a balance of, 'I'm tough at training I'm a full go' but then when I go home, I have the necessary conversations. I talk to a therapist regularly and I also talk to our sports psych and I have those avenues for me if I'm struggling with somehting emotionally. Or even if I'm not struggling, I always have a place to process it." Pogarch talked about being tough but also reaching out to have what can be a tough conversation to get the help to move forwards.
Athletes face some of the most high pressure situations every game with fans thinking they can go again the same or better the next game. They are just like an average person who sometimes just needs that other person as support to get through the roughest parts of their career. The great thing about athletes speaking out about their experience with mental health is the platform they have in modern society which allows them to share and reach more people.
“The less it becomes taboo, the better. I think when people talk about it more and normalize that everyone has bad days, it doesn't have to feel so big. It's just the reality of someone's going through it, someone's struggling and that's ok." Sharing Pogarch’s thoughts on speaking out about mental health.
For mental health to get the recognition in modern society through not just athletes but schools focusing on learning and teaching the multitude of ways to figure out when someone is struggling with their own mental issues is crucial to helping moving forwards.
“The support and the education behind mental health, when people are struggling. Coaches to do an educational course on how to identify when someone is struggling. How you can support that player or that person, teammate. I think we have the resources there and just continuing to encourage players to seek those outlets and utilize those without judgement.” Pogarch on the steps of educating everyone on mental health.
Mental health is so critical to modern society where people can now get time off to seek the proper support they need as well as having so many people speaking out about the importance of mental health well-being. The earlier people realize they need that help to better themselves, hopefully they will be able to find that well-being easier as well. It is not an easy thing to be in a strong place mentally as everyone is different with their own struggles which takes time to solve.
“I think I didn’t anticipate how much the mental aspect was going to need work.” Pogarch shares her thoughts on how complex it can be to be in a strong mental place.
The most important part to take away from mental health awareness month is just to take that time to be conscientious of the time and space needed to improve upon it. Having the ability to separate from the stress and pressure to work and better mental health. The importance of creating a self-care routine to better mental health cannot be understated with everyone having ways of going about their mental health journey.
