It's important to look out for them, but it's not all your responsibility either.
This episode is a little heavier, but I’m learning to lean into the hard, so I hope you’ll join me. I’m grateful that there is a growing conversation around mental health, increasing awareness and hopefully supporting your dancers. However, I also think that can leave dance educators feeling like they should be doing more or that they don’t know enough to be responsible. Consider this episode an introduction to help you feel more comfortable with this challenging topic and know where to go next. I’m going to clarify the difference between mental health, mental illness, and mental toughness. I cover some current statistics on mental illness in athletes, and finally, what YOU can do to support your athlete’s mental health.
Here are some highlights:
- [2m 55s] Mental Health vs. Mental Illness
- [5m 41s] Current research on athletes and mental illness
- [7m 05s] How mental toughness is different
- [10m 06s] What you can do to support your athletes
Resources mentioned in the show:
ACSM: Supporting Athlete Mental Health
Association for Applied Sport Psychology

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