Mental Health Well-Being is NOT a Wild Card

Mental health well-being was highlighted on the national level during yesterday's NFL Wild Card Games.

Kicker Zane Gonzalez had an extensive routine of removing his shoe and adjusting his sock on his kicking foot, followed by an extensive bout of smoothing his hair prior to kicking the game winning field goal.

Zane has long been public about his struggles with OCD, which began his freshman year at Arizona State.

AJ Brown was caught on the sidelines in the third quarter reading "Inner Excellence." When questioned about it post-game, he didn't mince his words saying the book provided him inspirational insight during games, helping him stay "focused, balanced, and humble."

In both instances, the athletes were subject of much derision- lack of focus, nerves, basket cases etc., and as is typically the case, social media continues to be the cesspool of negativity it is prone to being.

However, there are incredible take aways which ALL athletes- especially up and coming high school and collegiate athletes- need to understand.

1. Mental health well-being is a priority and a core component of any successful training regimen.

2. Being open and honest about your struggles and what you do to overcome them and stay focused SHOULD be a badge of honor.

3. The noise of social media is exactly that- noise. Use it to your advantage or simply walk away as needed.

At NILENT (NIL Enterprise Solutions) we strive to teach these lessons to young athletes. When adding #NIL, to the mix, the level of stressors is magnified. Your mental health well-being is uniquely yours and a priority to maintain it in peak condition.

When the game clock expired, both athletes found themselves one step closer to the Super Bowl.

Chalk that up as a win for mental health well-being!

#mentalhealthwellbeing #athleteeducation #NIL #Linkedinsport