Better Together’s Post

⚽️ Masculinity and Mental Health: A Balanced Perspective I'm excited to lead up to Mental Health Awareness Week 2024, focusing on "Movement: Moving for our mental health." Masculinity has often been associated with rigid ideals, creating societal pressures that can impact our mental health. I remember being told "Man Up" constantly during my football career, internalising it as I’m not supposed to show any sign of weakness. This led me to navigate my journey balancing both physical and mental well-being, emphasising the need for a comprehensive view of masculinity. The attached picture is a question posted on Instagram by the Mantorship group, of which I am one of the core “Mantors”. Do leave your comment so we can get your valuable perspective. Reflections from My Playbook: In "Dreams to Goals: A Playbook for Dreaming Champions," I guide aspiring athletes in navigating balanced growth, emphasising masculinity and mental health: - Mindset Matters: This chapter highlights techniques for developing mental resilience and strength, essential in managing pressures on and off the field. - Holistic Development: This chapter explores strategies for balancing sports, education, and personal life, integrating both physical and mental well-being for comprehensive growth. Guest Speaking: I'm available for guest speaking opportunities, sharing my story authentically, guiding balanced growth, and helping audiences not only to avoid pitfalls but to feel inspired to elevate their game. Join the Journey: Download my playbook for comprehensive guidance: - "Dreams to Goals: A Playbook for Dreaming Champions": https://lnkd.in/eZQh3piD - Geared towards aspiring athletes, offering strategies for both physical and mental growth. This playbook shares common principles, with mental health at its core, and can be used as an easy to digest resource to support your people. #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #MovementForMentalHealth #MasculinityAndWellBeing #BalancedGrowth #DreamsToGoals #SportsMentorship #Resilience #SportsDevelopment

📈 Level Up Your Game – On & Off the Field 🏆 Athletes and students, remember this: peak performance isn’t just about physical training or academic knowledge – it’s about mastering your mindset. 🎯 In both sports and school, life throws challenges that test us. It’s easy to get stuck in negative thoughts or self-doubt. That’s where Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) steps in. By accepting where you are, committing to your values, and taking purposeful action, you can unlock your true potential! 🙌 🔑 Mental Health Therapy helps you: 1️⃣ Build resilience to stay focused under pressure. 2️⃣ Reframe negative thoughts to overcome obstacles. 3️⃣ Develop coping strategies to stay motivated. 4️⃣ Align with your goals and values, making your path clear. Whether you’re pushing through a tough season or balancing studies, mental fitness is as important as physical. Seek therapy to help you navigate setbacks and rise above, allowing you to perform at your highest level! Be the best version of yourself – both in the classroom and on the field! 💪🎓 #MentalHealthMatters #SportsPerformance #StudentAthlete #AcceptanceAndCommitment #ACT #PeakPerformance #TherapyWorks #MindsetMatters

💪 Building Mental Strength in Young Athletes! Did you know that success in sports isn't just about physical skills? Mental strength is what helps young athletes stay focused, confident, and resilient, even when challenges arise. In our latest blog, we explore: Key mental training techniques like visualization and positive self-talk. The role of coaches and parents in fostering a supportive environment. How building mental toughness can benefit athletes not just in sports, but in life! Equip your young athlete with the tools they need to thrive on and off the field. #MentalStrength #YouthSports #AthleteMindset #ResilienceTraining #SportsTips #FocusAndGrowth

A Tale of Two Brains (students, teachers, parents) You have one brain control center that guides you in two directions, either through a negative path or a positive path. The paths are there, you have to choose. Your default path, being a human, is the path that you automatically or subconsciously travel. It is your survival path filled with habits and automatic negative thinking (ANTS) that swarm and keep you stressed, anxious, and stuck. In order to follow your positive path filled with calm, productive clear-headed action, you need to build your mental fitness: become self-aware of what holds you back while creating a resiliency toolkit to move you forward. This path will lead you to create and navigate the life you want. You will be happier, healthier, and more productive. Let me be your guide and help find your positive path. I lead my client travelers: students (kids-college aged), parents, teachers, and anyone who needs to join their empowerment journey to take control of life rather than life controlling them. Program your GPS to me. Empower Me Kid Life Coach LLC      Understand your “Inner Kid” Empower your “Now” self!! kidscoachlindaczuper@gmail.com    #positiveintelligence #adventuresinwisdom #resiliency #empowerment #coaching #backtoschool #teachers #students #parents

Why do we still overlook mental training despite its clear impact on success? 🤔     Have you ever seen athletes with exceptional physical abilities fall short because their mindset wasn’t up to par? Or, conversely, observed individuals with less natural talent excel because they had a rock-solid mental game? 🌟     Many legendary athletes like Michael Phelps and Michael Jordan often highlight that their peak performance wasn’t solely due to physical skill. Instead their mental resilience and mindset gave them the crucial edge needed to dominate their fields.      ….but If so many athletes attribute their achievements to mental strength, why do we still hesitate to prioritise it in our training routines? Are we shying away from the mental game because it's harder to measure, or is there a deeper reason we need to explore? 🤷♂️🔍     Fortunately our inspiring brand ambassador Signe Bruun, understands that mental strength can be the “game changer” and the critical factor that unlocks significant performance gains. Watch the video below to hear her insights on the importance of mental strength 👇     At MASS, we’re on a mission to integrate mental training as a fundamental part of athletic development. It’s not just an enhancement but it’s essential for unlocking your full potential.      Ready to challenge the norm and elevate your game? Join us and be part of this transformative journey.      #MentalTraining #AthleteDevelopment #UnlockPotential #ChallengeTheNorm     

📢 Mental Health in Youth Sports: Helping Athletes Manage Stress & Pressure 🏆🧠 Youth sports should be a place for growth, confidence, and fun, but with intense competition, travel schedules, and performance expectations, many young athletes struggle with stress and burnout. 😰 🔹 Signs Your Athlete May Be Overwhelmed: ✅ Constant fatigue or loss of interest in their sport ✅ Increased anxiety before games or practices ✅ Difficulty balancing school, sports, and social life ✅ Self-doubt, frustration, or negative self-talk 💡 Tips to Support Mental Well-Being in Young Athletes: ✔ Encourage rest & recovery – Overtraining leads to burnout, not success. Rest is part of progress! ✔ Keep perspective – Remind kids that sports should be fun, not pressure-packed. ✔ Focus on effort, not just results – Growth matters more than stats. ✔ Open communication – Let them know it’s okay to express stress, frustration, or struggles. ✔ Promote balance – Multi-sport play and unstructured fun can prevent mental fatigue. 🚨 Coaches & Parents: You set the tone. A supportive environment leads to mentally strong, resilient, and happy athletes. 🏅 💬 How do you help young athletes manage stress? Drop your best tip in the comments! 👇 #NSID #MentalHealthInSports #YouthAthletes #SportsPsychology #AthleteWellness #MindsetMatters #CoachingTips #ParentalSupport #AthleteDevelopment #YouthSportsCulture #SportsMentalHealth #TrainSmart #SportsBurnout #AthleteMindset #PeakPerformance #SportsBalance #CoachingMatters #MindOverMatter #PlayForTheLoveOfTheGame #SportsParents #AthleteSuccess

📢 Mental Health in Youth Sports: Helping Athletes Manage Stress & Pressure 🏆🧠 Youth sports should be a place for growth, confidence, and fun, but with intense competition, travel schedules, and performance expectations, many young athletes struggle with stress and burnout. 😰 🔹 Signs Your Athlete May Be Overwhelmed: ✅ Constant fatigue or loss of interest in their sport ✅ Increased anxiety before games or practices ✅ Difficulty balancing school, sports, and social life ✅ Self-doubt, frustration, or negative self-talk 💡 Tips to Support Mental Well-Being in Young Athletes: ✔ Encourage rest & recovery – Overtraining leads to burnout, not success. Rest is part of progress! ✔ Keep perspective – Remind kids that sports should be fun, not pressure-packed. ✔ Focus on effort, not just results – Growth matters more than stats. ✔ Open communication – Let them know it’s okay to express stress, frustration, or struggles. ✔ Promote balance – Multi-sport play and unstructured fun can prevent mental fatigue. 🚨 Coaches & Parents: You set the tone. A supportive environment leads to mentally strong, resilient, and happy athletes. 🏅 💬 How do you help young athletes manage stress? Drop your best tip in the comments! 👇 #NSID #MentalHealthInSports #YouthAthletes #SportsPsychology #AthleteWellness #MindsetMatters #CoachingTips #ParentalSupport #AthleteDevelopment #YouthSportsCulture #SportsMentalHealth #TrainSmart #SportsBurnout #AthleteMindset #PeakPerformance #SportsBalance #CoachingMatters #MindOverMatter #PlayForTheLoveOfTheGame #SportsParents #AthleteSuccess

Are you so fearful about a decision or action that you’re doing nothing? ⤵️ This has a name: fear paralysis, and it’s a very real thing. It happens to all of us in different degrees. Fear can hold us back from taking action and pursuing our dreams. We get stuck because of: - Fear of Failure - Self-Doubt - Fear of the Unknown - Perfectionism - Social Pressure. Often, we remain in unfulfilling situations—whether in work or life—because we think, "What if I can never overcome this fear?" While this thought is common, it doesn’t have to define your reality. The first thing you may want to do is recognize that fear is a natural emotion. Take the time to write down what you’re feeling to gain a better understanding of it. Next, practice visualization. Picture yourself overcoming your fear and achieving your goals. It may sound silly, but this technique works. You cannot achieve what you cannot see. Mental imagery can help build confidence and motivate action. The last thing we'll talk about today is breaking your goals into small, manageable steps. If you’ve never been to the gym, you can’t expect to lift 100 lbs on day one, right? So why expect anything different in other areas? Each small step forward will help diminish your fear over time. Remember, fear is a feeling. It's real, but what you're fearing is not. It hasn't happened, and there’s no reason to believe it will. And in the small chance it does, you will cross that bridge then. 💚 —— #ADHD #executivefunctions #PersonalGrowth #LifeCoaching #InvestInYourself #TransformYourLife #Motivation #CelebrateYourSuccess #SelfImprovement #Empowerment #MindsetMatters #PersonalDevelopment #GoalSetting #SupportAndGrowth #successmindset #careercoaching #adhdlife #adhdsupport #asd #ProfessionalDevelopment #neurodivergent #LifeSkills #CareerGrowth #neurodiversity

📚Unpopular opinion: in order to work with athletes, it is important to understand personally the physical demands of the sports 🧠🤸🏽♂️. This doesn't mean you need to perform the skill at a high level but at least go through their physical and skill development processes 💪🏾🥵. I have been blessed to work with a variety of sports ⚾🏀🏐🏈🥋🏒🎾⚽ and before I make any informational decisions 🤓, I research 🧪the sport and their common injuries 🤕 followed by physically preparing myself for the sport and learning the skills involved. Why is this important? 🤔 1. What are the physiological demands of the sport both general and local? 2. What are the joint stress and how could we minimize long term degeneration and chronic damage through research-based training modalities? 3. Is the sport requires high level of physical preparation or skill preparation? What is the best plan to develop both? 4. What are the common physical/physiological /mental symptoms after performance and how could we develop strategies to maximize recovery post competition? 5. What plans could we develop to avoid burnout and improve mental health? The list could continue forever, I have found invaluable lessons by walking the walk and talking the talk and always encourage future coaches to do so. What lessons have you learned by pushing yourself physically, learning a new skill, or getting out of your comfort zone? #personalgrowth #relatablecoaching #strength #conditioning

🏆 FROM GOOD TO GREAT: HOW MENTAL TRAINING IS A GAME-CHANGER 🧠 Physical training alone isn't enough to unlock an athlete's peak potential. In today's demanding sports environment, mental training has emerged as a key component of comprehensive athletic preparation. Combining both mental and physical elements in training can significantly enhance performance, as they are deeply intertwined aspects of excellence in sports. Mental training helps athletes handle pressure, maintain focus, and manage emotions—skills essential for quick decision-making and effective execution during competition. These cognitive abilities are crucial as the demands on athletes grow increasingly complex, requiring more than just physical endurance. By incorporating methods based on neuroscience and psychology, athletes can improve attention control, resilience, and motivation. Such mental preparation is often the differentiator between success and failure in high-stakes scenarios. Long-term mental training has even been shown to correlate with more consistent top placements in competitions. Ultimately, mental training doesn’t just boost performance; it also fosters a deeper, more sustainable connection to the joy of sports. Athletes who train their minds, alongside their bodies, are better positioned to overcome challenges and achieve extraordinary feats. This holistic approach is essential for any athlete striving to reach the highest levels of success. #MentalPerformance #MentalSnacks #MentalTraining #AthleteMindset  Mental Snacks provide bite-sized pieces of wisdom or tips to improve mental performance. The articles are easy to consume but nourishing for the mind. 👉 Learn more about the most effective mental training methods and how to integrate them into your daily routine: https://lnkd.in/eMRHSSKP