October is Mental Health Month

Paddle Australia’s high-performance program in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is promoting good mental health and wellbeing during National Mental Health Month in October – and during Mental Health Week specifically (10 – 17 October 2020).

To celebrate Mental Health Month this October, the AIS will be hosting a range of online sessions.

Register now for the Wellbeing Wednesday Webinar Series here: Register now

  • Webinar 1: Dealing with Adversity & Resilience – 7 October 2020
  • Webinar 2: Maintaining Motivation – 14 October 2020
  • Webinar 3: How to have a conversation about Mental Health & Wellbeing – 21 October 2020
  • Webinar 4: Self-care – 28 October 2020

The AIS welcomes everyone to attend this series and to pass on this invitation to athletes, high performance staff members, friends and family network.  Find out more: https://www.ais.gov.au/events/mental-health-awareness-month

With the COVID-19 pandemic turning athletes’ lives upside down all over the world and putting their goals and dreams on hold, with the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 and many other sports competitions postponed, athlete mental health has never been so important.

As part of Mental Health Month, Paddle Australia’s High Performance Program will also be presenting the ‘Discovering Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness’ webinar with Martin Heppell by the Resilience Project to its current team as well as SIS/SAS athletes, coaches and staff.

The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs to businesses, sports clubs and schools, providing practical, evidence-based mental health strategies to build resilience and happiness.  Through presentations, events, the TRP App, and Wellbeing Journals, we share the benefits of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness, and easy ways to practise these in everyday life.  We also incorporate Emotional Literacy, Connection and Physical Health education and activities as they are foundational contributors to positive mental health.

A number of Paddle Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic disciplines Senior Team athletes are already using The Resilience Project messaging daily.

During Mental Health Week The Resilience Project will also post a new question every day, for everyone to weave into conversation with family and friends to practise positive mental health.

Follow The Resilience Project on Facebook for the daily GEM CHAT sessions this week.

 

Find out more about the The Resilience Project here: https://theresilienceproject.com.au

Australian Paddle Team athletes are also part of the AIS Black Dog Institute Mental Fitness Program with Canoe sprint Olympians Alyce Wood and Jo Brigden-Jones as well as Jaime Roberts and Noemie Fox amongst the athlete presenters delivering the program.

Together with other Australian Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games athletes, they are joining the fight to help reduce rates of mental health issues in young Australians as part of the community partnership between the AIS and Black Dog Institute, which was launched a couple of months ago.

Designed to help young people manage their mental health and improve their general wellbeing, the Mental Fitness Program sees 27 current and former elite athletes assist in delivering mental wellbeing presentations, both in-person and online, at high schools throughout the country.

Find out more: http://paddle.org.au/2020/07/27/ais-and-black-dog-partner-to-improve-mental-fitness-in-young-australians/

In addition, the International Olympic Committee has teamed up with the sleep and well-being app Headspace and offers Olympians and the Athlete365 Community a free, six-month subscription.

See here for more about the app and a free trial opportunity for everyone: https://www.headspace.com

Previous articlePink up this October and Paddle in Pink – Penrith Paddlers kick-off Pink Paddling Month
Next articleSport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarships for Littlehales and Harlen