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Mental Health & Wellbeing

Our family, friends, and the basketball community's mental health and well-being have never been more vital than they are right now. We looked into several useful tools to help us watch out for one another and create an environment that supports meaningful talks, both on and off the court.

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Mental Health and Well-Being

Taking care of your mental health is critical due to the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Basketball Illawarra urges everyone to check in on their fellow members of the basketball community to see how they are.

We need to be active and engaged to our community now more than ever. Here are some tools and recommendations to help you maintain your mental health and well-being.

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Get Outdoors

Evidence suggests that spending only 10 minutes outside each day, particularly in the morning, can be quite helpful. It will replenish your vitamin D levels, jumpstart your natural energy system, and improve your mood.

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Move Your Body

Maintain movement throughout your body! Getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day will not only keep you healthy, but will also enhance those natural endorphins, enhancing your mood. Remember, it doesn't matter if you hoop, run, stroll, swim, or dance, as long as you move.

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Maintain Contact

Maintain communication with family, friends, and the community. Stay connected with daily SMS, FaceTime, Zoom sessions. Tell them how you're feeling and what you're doing with your time. Online team challenges are excellent for holding your team accountable - your team still requires you!

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Maintain A Routine

Many athletes may have a sense of loss of identity as a flow on effect of Covid-19 due to not being able to see their teammates on a daily basis, attend training or school, and so on. Maintaining a typical daily routine, especially while alone, is critical for mental health support. Continue to get up early, have breakfast, go outside, move your body, and then go to work on some activities.

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Learn a New Skill

Finding time away from basketball to continue developing new skills is important. The focus on learning away from the court and on different topics can help destress: an online training course whether big or little can help give the sense of accomplishment. Even some low-grade training at home with an emphasis on fun is important. Always remember to pause and recognise and celebrate your achievements as you go!

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Practice Self Care

Looking after your body and practising self-care is more than just a warm down and stretching. Move often, eat well, drink plenty of water and make sure that your body has plenty of sleep so as to recover well. Being physically and mentally healthy will help improve our on court performance.

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Resources

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New RUOK? Sport Guide

RUOK have produced the new resource called the RUOK? Guide for Sport Coaches.   

The Guide and RUOK? Coach Toolkit are excellent resources for anyone working in sport. 

The Guide teaches coaches and sport officials how to deal with a person’s emotions such as sadness, anxiety and anger, and how to respond appropriately to support the athlete or another person.

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Links to the RUOK? Resources

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Help is here

There are many resources available to support our players and basketball community during difficult times, so don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help or visit some of the websites below.  It’s okay to not be feeling on top of your game at all times and taking a little self-inflicted pressure off yourself is important.

There are many people in the organisations below who understand what it is like to not be feeling like yourself anymore or not coping with things, these people can help you start to understand why you might be feeling the way you are and may help you find ways that work for you to start feeling better.  If you would prefer to speak to someone who already knows you, consider going to see (or ask your parents to take you to see) your family Doctor as they can listen to your concerns and offer advice or even give you a referral to see a counsellor or another professional who can assist you.  Ask your family Doctor about seeing a counsellor under a Medicare treatment plan.

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Below is a list of resources you can use to assist you, a fellow teammate, a club, an association and anyone else in this tough period:

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Youth Support

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General Mental Health & Wellbeing Contacts & Websites

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BNSW Child Safety and Basketball

For information on creating a child safe sport, visit BNSW Child Safety and Basketball page: https://www.bnsw.com.au/about/child-safety-and-basketball/ and to lodge concerns, please email Basketball Illawarra’s Board of Directors at board@snakepit.com.au

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