Start Discussing Mental Health. Now.

02 Nov Start Discussing Mental Health. Now.

There are plenty of things we talk about too much:

1. Kendall Jenner.
2. Fantasy football.
3. Fornite.
4. Hailey Bieber’s wedding dress.
5. The Royal Family.

And there are some things we refuse to discuss:

1. The state of humanity.
2. How to raise consciousness.
3. How epic the super moon looks.
4. Russel Brand’s impressive 14-year sobriety.
5. Mental health.

Look. I get these topics are challenging, insightful and downright uncomfortable, and it’s much easier to participate in small talk about Kendall Jenner or the weather or Alex Morgan’s recent pregnancy.

Why?

Because we are distracted from our own problems.

While it’s gut wrenching to put on our sunglasses to do deep, inner work, it’s critical.

But it’s imperative we start talking about more difficult topics with one another – not to become more intelligent, but to heal ourselves.

Sure, talking about something like mental health plunges us into dark corners of our minds, where we must face traumas, worries, insecurities, and how messed up our childhoods were after all.

But now more than ever before, humans need each other when they feel everything is going wrong.

Anxiety.

Depression.

Overthinking.

Overanalyzing.

More anxiety.

Everyone is suffering, yet no one is talking. And as connected as we are on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, who have you talked to today about your emotions? Your shortcomings? Your fears? Your insecurities?

Who?

We see each other a lot through glowing screens, but humans couldn’t be more comfortable with isolation.

There phone has everything they need to distract them from their emotional growth.

Too, it’s sad, because it is one of the causes of our anxieties.

On your phone, it’s easy to compare.

On your phone, it’s easy to feel you suck.

On your phone, it’s easy to be stressed from email.

On your phone, it’s easy to catch your significant other lying.

On your phone, it’s easy to see your friends committing to D1 schools.

On your phone, it’s easy to see everyone’s glamorous prom photos.

On your phone, it’s easy to see your ex at prom with another girl.

It’s no wonder we are all suffering.

If there’s anything you get from this article, it’s to reconnect with the humans you love and who have supported you from the beginning.

That’s the first step in alleviating your pain when you feel everything is going wrong.

Because you know what?

More people are going through the same anxieties than you think. Never be ashamed for feeling how you feel.

Even if it’s something as simple as getting anxious before a high school game, or worrying about your college career, or if your best friend is mad at your or not, you have every right to feel those feelings.

But. You have every right to reach out to someone you love and trust. And believe me, they will have your back.

This is critical to do because anxiety has its way of blind spotting your brain so much that the world becomes a cloudy illusion. It’s hard for you to understand what is true and what is not.

With that said, mental health needs to be talked about way more with one another. So start there. Right now.

You’re not in this alone.

I’m excited to have more articles coming out on mental health for athletes, coaches and all humans on this planet. Stay tuned.