Bhubaneswar: The Juggernauts, official fanclub of the Odisha FC, organised a webinar – ‘Its okay to be not okay’- addressing the mental health challenges posed to people from all walks of life, especially sportspersons and athletes, amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
The chief speaker of the webinar was Usha M. Nathan, a mental health activist from Columbia University, New York. The session was attended by people across the country in a live interaction format.
Nathan stressed on communication as the key to alleviate effects of depression and anxiety and connect feelings to emotions. She said it is crucial to distinguish between physiological and biological changes to identify emotions and pay attention to thoughts.
“Observing yout thoughts neutrally without getting affected leads us to develop conscious thinking. Closing your eyes and paying attention to your thoughts help us develop higher levels of awareness” she added.
Usha pointed out how the delay or cancellation of sporting events was adversely affecting the mental psyche of top athletes around the world.
Citing the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps’s quote on how he was worried that the delay of the Olympic Games could have an adverse effect on athletes’ mental health, Nathan encouraged athletes to keep the sportsman’s spirit intact and brave the hurdles like a boss.
Speaking to OrissaPOST, Projjal Prajna Das, core member of Juggernauts said,” Sports being a tough field is taken for granted and the mental health health of sportspersons who are considered outgoing and macho is neglected. Its important to pay attention to the mental healthof such athletes who are locked down else it wont be long before their acme turns into nadir”.
The webinar was widely appreciated by denizens across the state.
PNN
