GAME FACE IS NOT THE ONLY FACEHow Courage and Vulnerability Develop Mental Resiliency

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

LEARN SUBSTANCE ABUSE & PREVENTION

STRATEGIES

IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH HYGIENE &

PERFORMANCE

LEARN HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY

NAVIGATE TRANSITION

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND PREVENTION

“Athletes often identify their self-worth with their ability to

perform, so to become injured (or demoted or to retire) is

much more impactful than something detectable by an

MRI.”

“I battled depression with the same regularity as blitzing

defenses, but the external opponents were much easier to

deal with than the internal ones.”

GAME FACE IS NOT THE ONLY FACE…

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be part of the practice outside. The nature of team sports, much like the military, re-

quires closing ranks and marching on; no one has time to stop and worry about the fallen warrior because there’s still a job to do, a game to win, a hurdle to surpass. While injured players are often missed, human nature and the culture of sport dictate that the team moves on without them. The corresponding feeling of being “left behind” often manifests itself in unhealthy behavior.

THE EMOTION OF DEMOTION. Although I can never say a player beat me out, I sure know what it’s like to be replaced. The day after my injury, the Packers acquired a longtime veteran, a guy I watched play as a kid for my

beloved 49ers, former All-Pro Guy McIntyre. To say that experience was surreal (and devastating) is like saying a screen door on a submarine could be a bit of an issue.

To players, a demotion is a personal blow to their psy-che and sense of self-worth. Imagine if you arrived at work and were unexpectedly told that someone else would be taking over, someone who was believed to be better equipped to handle the job.

It’s no different for athletes who lose their starting job or are forced to contribute to their teams in a diminished role. “Helping the team any way I can” is good coach-speak, but it can have much greater effects on athletes than they often acknowledge.

RIDING OFF INTO THE SUNSET. Most athletes don’t think about the fact that they’ll be ex-athletes much longer than they’ll be current athletes. Few among us ever take the time and effort to explore this reality and devise a “Plan B.”

Regardless of how an athlete’s career ends – retire-ment, graduation, injury, etc. – the transition into “pri-vate life” can be rough. Many athletes find themselves unprepared for what comes next, both fiscally and emo-tionally, because they don’t have a post-career plan in place. Most of us just don’t want to think about a reality that doesn’t include the games that we’ve dedicated our entire lives to playing.

Aaron Taylor was an offensive lineman at the University of Notre Dame from 1990 through 1993. The San Francisco native was a unanimous first-team All-America selection in 1992 and 1993 and won the 1993 Lombardi Award as college football’s most outstanding lineman. He was drafted by Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 1994 NFL draft, playing on the team that won the Super Bowl in 1997. Taylor played for the San Diego Chargers in 1998 and 1999 before retiring from professional football. He has since been a television analyst for CBS College Sports and ABC Sports. He currently provides player transition services for the NFL Players Association.

Athletes often identify their self-worth with their ability to perform, so to become injured is much more impactful than

something detectable by an MRI.

Strong Need to Succeed/Fit In/Be “Enough”

• Internal Pressure • Unattainable Level of Greatness• Internal Opponents > External

Opponents

Compromised Values!!!!

CAUSES AND CONDITIONS

AARON’S VARIABLES RESULTS

Divorce / No Dad

New Kid In School “Syndrome”

Conditional Love

WHAT PRICE DO WE PAY WHEN WE PARTY?

➥ Weekly drinking DOUBLES THE RATE OF INJURY among student-athletes.

➥ Hangovers can REDUCE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE BY UP TO 11.4% even in

elite athletes.

➥ Getting drunk can NEGATE UP TO 14 DAYS OF TRAINING by reducing gains

made in Heart Rate, Ventilation, and Production of Enzymes.

➥ Alcohol IMPAIRS MOTOR SKILLS and DECREASES STRENGTH, POWER, and

SPRINT PERFORMANCE for up to 3 days. *APPLE Training Institute, University of Virginia

ATHLETES o f t e n

UNDERESTIMATEt h e EFFECTS t h a t PRESSURE a n d

INTENSITY h a v e o n t h e m .

COMMON SIGNS OF ADDICTION…

WITHDRAWAL: physical withdrawal

symptoms

LOSING CONTROL:Doing things

ISOLATION: Drinking/using alone or

in secret

NO LIMITATION:Can’t stop after starting

…COMMON SIGNS OF ADDICTION

➥ DISINTEREST – in pleasurable activities & hobbies

➥ IRRITABILITY - when usual using time nears / unavailability

➥ SECRECY - Keeping alcohol/drugs in unlikely places (e.g. work, car, etc.)

➥ PROBLEMS - Legal / Employment / Relationship / Financial

➥ CRAVINGS & COMPULSION – “Just need a bump / drink”

G O O D C H E C K - I N Q U E S T I O N ?

I f I r e p l a c e d m y u s e o f

a l c o h o l a n d d r u g s w i t h

c a r r o t s … w o u l d t h e b e h a v i o r

b e n o r m a l ?

WHAT IS ALCOHOLISM?OBSESSION OF THE MIND

+ALLERGY OF THE BODY

HOW IS ALCOHOL

METABOLIZED?

Samir Zakhari, Ph.D. - Alcohol Research and Health, 2009https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh294/245-255.pdf

SPOTTER MINDSET

WHY SPOTTERS

MATTER

“SPOTTER” TOOLKIT

THINGS TO KNOW

Successful Action/Recovery Plans Require Willing Participants

You Are Not a Therapist:

(Listen, Support, Validate, Comfort & Inspire them to Seek Help and Take Action)

Tap Into Their Values & Competitive Nature

Be More Interest-ed, than Interest-ing

Ultimately, You Are Powerless Over Another Person’s Recovery / Actions

HOW TO SUPPORT SOMEONE YOU SUSPECT HAS A PROBLEM

Give the person your full attention

Listen with an attitude of kindness, respect, & empathy

Ask clarifying questions

Listen for feelings

Help clarify self-pity vs sorrow

Embrace the silence

Keep mutual expectations clear

*** Margaret Bullitt-Jonas

SUCCESSFUL “RECOVERY” REQUIRES:

Awareness

Honesty

Courage

Willingness

Humility

Action

Accountability

Hope

Faith

Service

MENTAL HEALTH HYGIENE

MENTAL HEALTH: JUST THE FACTS

*Courtesy ActiveMinds.org

MENTAL HEALTH: JUST THE FACTS

➥ 1 in 5 ADULTS HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS and 50 percent of us will experience a mental health condition in our lifetime.

➥ #2 LEADING CAUSE of death among students is SUICIDE.

➥ 67% of college students FIRST TELL A FRIEND they are feeling suicidal before telling anyone else.

➥ 85% of those with mental illness DO NOT DIE BY COMPLETED SUICIDE — because mental illnesses are treatable!!

*Courtesy of ActiveMinds.org

MENTAL HEALTH AFFECTS THE ENTIRE BODY

“I invite you behind the facade of my apparently "perfect" life as a sportscaster, with a wonderful wife and two healthy,

happy adult daughters."

“I have a lot to be thankful for, and I am truly grateful. But none of these things can protect me or anyone else from

the disease of depression and its potentially lethal effects.”

DEPRESSION DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE

“So why write a book? Because I want to end the pain and heartache that comes from leading a double life. I also want to reach out to the millions of people, especially men, who think they're alone and can't ask for help.”

ON COMPULSION TO EDIT OUR LIVES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA:“This was something that Madison dealt with constantly, was that she knew that she was projecting an image of herself that was not real, and she articulated that to people. And yet, when she looked at her very close high school friends and what they were projecting on social media, she took it at face value. And I think we all do that to some degree.”

Kate Fagan, Author

“PERFECTIONISM" DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE

“When you look around at Penn, you see ‘Penn Face,’ which is happy, easy, everything is coming naturally — whereas below the surface, everything is like this furious pedaling.”

Madison Holleran

MENTAL HEALTH DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE

Andre Collins, Brandon Marshall, Asher Allen, and Aaron Taylor

Warrick Dunn, 3X Pro Bowl, NFL Rookie Of Year, Atlanta Falcons/Part Owner

THE MENTAL HEALTH CONUNDRUM

DEPRESSION

DENTIST

TOOTHACHE NUTRITIONIST

WEIGHT LOSS/GAINANXIETY

TRAINER

PULLED HAMSTRING

COMMON NEGATIVE COPING STRATEGIES

➥ Suck It Up

➥ Partying

➥ Promiscuity

➥ Opioids

➥ Denial

➥ Overeating / Food

➥ Gambling

➥ Compulsive Behavior

➥ Abuse of Sex, Money, and

Power

M E N TA L H E A LTH

I S O L A T EH I D E

R E P R E S SD E N Y

CHANGING THE NARRATIVE

Mental Toughness

“MENTAL RESILIENCE”

EFFECTIVE COPING STRATEGIES

Meditation

Gratitude Lists

Yoga

Counseling

Prayer

Connection to familiarity

Peer groups

Being of Service

Courtesy => Serenity

EFFECTIVE COPING STRATEGIES, PART 2:

Affirmations/Audio Notes

Headspace / Meditation Apps

Compassion Prayer

Artistic Activities - Sharing

Connectivity

Sleep Hygiene

Breathing

Visualization

12 Step Recovery Meetings

CHAMPIONSHIP MINDSET: TRANSITION

WHAT DO I DO IF I WANT/NEED SOME HELP?

TAKE ACTION/REACH OUT

• ISU STUDENT COUNSELING SERVICE

• PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN

• ATHLETIC TRAINER

• FRIEND

• FAMILY MEMBER

• COACH

• CLERGY/PASTOR

TRANSITION

CHAMPIONSHIP

MINDSET

TRANSITION CAN BE TOUGH…

➥ Move from the Known => U N K N O W N

➥ Feel LOST, INSECURE and UNCERTAIN

➥ We miss the STRUCTURE, CAMARADERIE, & CONSISTENCY that our

previous life provided.

Are my best days behind me?

COMMON

TRANSITIONAL

JOURNEY

W H A T D O S P O R T S R E A L LY P R O V I D E ?

THE FOUR PILLARS OF FULFILLMENT

INCOME

IDENTITY

SIGNIFICANCE

PURPOSE

PURPOSETHAT WHICH

GIVES MY LIFE

MEANING.

THE ELUSIVE

“SWEET SPOT”

BOTTOM LINE….

➥ A job is a vital and necessary means to an end…but its not the

answer to what is missing in our lives when our careers in sports

are over.

➥KEY: We must identify SOMETHING ELSE we

care deeply and passionately about.

SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION RECQUIRES

Taking 100% Responsibility For Life & Results

Hard Work

Initiative and Taking Action

Willingness

Being Driven & Engaged

Persistence & Diligence

Confidence – Know who you are!

Courage – Embrace Fear

Eager and Enthusiasm

Gratitude Faith

ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONAL GAMEPLAN➥ Identify New Purpose (reason to get out of bed, push back, etc)

• Why? - The Purpose (Values/Vision)

• How? - The Process (Goals + Action)

• What? - The Result (Fulfillment)

➥ Autonomy

• Ownership (vs. blame)

• Responsibility (vs. denial)

• Accountability (vs. excuses)

➥ EQ (Emotional Intelligence) Learn to Transfer Existing Skills Into Real World

• Competitiveness, Leadership, Accountability, Work Well in Team Environments, Calm Under Pressure,

Commitment, Hyper Focused, Coachability, etc.

➥ Hope (Know that life will get good again)

FIXED vs

GROWTH

MINDSET