Mental Health Matters 💚
LISTEN HERE
Season 2: Episode 117 Description
In today's episode: 💚 May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but what is mental health? 🧠 Show host Bethany Van Delft is here to break it down. 💪 Did you know that even some of our favorite professional athletes struggle with mental health? 🧘 Joining us in the studio is Noah Glenn, from the ‘Like You: Mindfulness for Kids” podcast to share techniques he uses to help keep your mental health in top shape. And, test your Pixar film knowledge on today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
Sources
Mental Health Month | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
Athletes Opening Up About Mental Health [PHOTOS] | PEOPLE.com
11 Facts About Mental Health | DoSomething.org
10 Surprising Mental Health Statistics From 2020 - Mental Health First Aid
Anxiety disorders - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide (who.int)
Back-to-School Anxiety During COVID - Child Mind Institute
4 Pixar Movies That Can Start a Conversation About Mental Health | Fandom
How Accepting Emotions Can Improve Emotional Health (verywellmind.com)
Links
📧 Do you have something to tell us? Email us at: hello@thetennews.com
📝 Sign up for The Ten News-letter!
📸 Join us on Instagram
TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:00
Hey, Tessa, how's it going?
Tessa Flannery 0:03
Hey, Bethany. It's going okay. But, I'm good. But also I'm not. I don't know. I'm feeling pretty weird.
Bethany Van Delft 0:12
Oh, how so?
Tessa Flannery 0:13
Do you ever feel like totally overwhelmed? There's so much going on and sometimes it feels like I'm not gonna be able to handle everything?
Bethany Van Delft 0:21
That sounds like you might have some anxiety. Well, it's Mental Health Awareness Month, so we're going to talk about it. I'm Bethany van Delft. It's Tuesday, May 24th. And this is the Ten News.
Various Voices 0:36
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:44
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and this year the theme is Together for Mental Health. You may have heard a lot about mental health recently from some of your favorite athletes. In just the past year, Simone Biles, Kevin Love, and Naomi Osaka have opened up about their struggles with mental health. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, gymnast Simone Biles developed the twisties and made the tough decision to pull out of the finals. Prioritizing her mental and physical health over the competition inspired so many athletes Nice. NBA star Kevin Love suffered a panic attack during a game which inspired him to start the Kevin Love fund to raise awareness and money for Mental Health Care for Kids. Great John and tennis champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 Grand Slam and is taking a break from tennis to take care of her mental health lady go. Other players, including Serena Williams, defended her decision. These athletes made their mental health a priority and we're sending 10 New snaps to them. But what is mental health? Mental health is our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think feel act when a person's mental health is suffering. They may have a mental illness. What does that mean? Mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling mood, and ability to relate to other people and daily life. Many kids face mental health challenges and mental illness. If you're having a hard time you're not alone. One in six kids from age 16 to 17 is dealing with a mental health challenge and the most common mental illness in the US our anxiety disorders, having a feeling of uneasiness and fear about everyday decisions that are above a normal level. Oh, geez. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression went up 25% All around the world. Then when kids went back to school in the fall of 2021. Many were anxious to be apart from their parents or nervous to be back in school, or some are still grieving family members who died from COVID. Man, anxiety, and other mental health challenges can be treated by doctors with therapy and even sometimes medication. That's why the National Alliance on Mental Illness or Naomi is asking people to share their stories this month, just like Simone Biles, Kevin Love and Naomi Osaka did, and show that not only for mental health awareness month but every day we're all in this together. Sometimes the world can feel overwhelming, especially when you're hearing about what's happening in the news. So we invited Noah Glenn from the Like You Mindfulness for Kids podcast into the studio to share techniques he uses to help you keep your mental health in top shape. I'm gonna pull up a chair and get comfy.
Tracy Kaplan 3:49
Hi Ten'ers, it's me, executive producer Tracy Leeds Kaplan. And today's a special episode. Since we're talking about mental health awareness month. I wanted to come in and introduce you Ten'ers to someone very, very special who's making an amazing podcast that helps a lot of kids out there, calm their anxiety, learn about mindfulness, and really focuses on just all the wonders of who we are as people and the joy of having strong mental health. So with me today is Noah Glenn, welcome.
Noah Glenn 4:21
Hi, Tracy. I'm glad to be here. And hi to all the Ten'ers as well!
Tracy Kaplan 4:25
Great. Well, obviously with the Ten News, the news is not always pleasant. And so as we were thinking about mental health awareness month, we were really thinking about why not? What is mental health awareness? Why is it important to talk about it? And then three, what are some techniques and tools that Ten'ers can have when they are listening to the news and it potentially makes them too anxious. So I know these are all things that you think about with the podcasts that you make. So we'd love to hear from you a little bit about your podcast and what inspired you to put it out there?
Noah Glenn 4:25
Well, my podcast Like You Mindfulness for Kids really came about because well, first of all, I'm a dad. And so I've got two kids at home. And I've got lots of friends with kids. And pretty much every kid I know, every parent I talked to, would tell me about these big feelings, difficult feelings that kids can have. And I think sometimes adults can forget what it feels like to have big feelings as a kid, especially as a young kid, then maybe you've never felt jealous or angry or anxious before, and you're feeling it for the first time. So I was looking for tools to help my kids just understand their feelings and give them tools, to manage and regulate those feelings. And I wasn't finding exactly what I wanted out there. So I decided to make something myself.
Tracy Kaplan 6:02
Now a lot of people use the term mindfulness, what does that mean to you?
Noah Glenn 6:05
That's a great question. Because I feel like it is one of these terms that you hear thrown around. And I think different people mean different things by it. For me, I kind of came up with my own working definition for what it would be on this show. And, you know, it's all about stripping down the meaning behind mindfulness, because I think, I think mindfulness does have for some people kind of a stuffy, very serious kind of feel to it. So I wanted to make a simple definition. It's just paying attention to what's happening around you, and what's happening inside you. That's kind of where I start with mindfulness.
Tracy Kaplan 6:48
I love that. I always think about that. Sometimes, mindfulness can be used in a way that it almost makes it more stressful. And so I love this idea that mindfulness can just be the small moments, right? When you're just right before you get out of bed in the morning or right before you close your eyes at night. It doesn't have to be this big thing. It can just be whatever is right for you.
Noah Glenn 7:13
Yeah, I think that's right. And I think we've all got lots of things happening inside us all the time. And there's lots of things going on around us all the time and in the news all the time. And I think those things can all become overwhelming when we don't stop to focus on them and think about them, and maybe deal with them and learn what we want to hang on to and what we want to let go of, and what feels good for us and what doesn't feel good. And so I think it's just important to stop and take note of those things.
Tracy Kaplan 7:44
Well, today we have a very special day because you do have mindfulness specific to our tenors who listen and consume the news. And now could you take us through the moment of mindfulness for us.
Noah Glenn 7:59
It's common to feel anxious about things that are happening in the world, in the news or in your own life. Here are a few mindful tips for what to do with those feelings. First, tune in to what your body is telling you. If your shoulders feel tense, loosen them. If your teeth are clenched. Relax your jaw. Place your hand over your heart. And just notice how fast it's beating. Once you've spent a moment listening to your body, try taking a few deep breaths. Close your eyes, and imagine your anxiety as a gray cloud in the sky. Take a deep breath in. Then blow that cloud away. You can repeat that blowing away as many clouds as you need to until you feel more calm. Now to give your mind something positive to focus on, let's say a few affirmations together. You could say these words out loud or inside your head. I will say each affirmation twice so you could listen the first time than say it with me the second time. I am calm and relaxed. I am calm and relaxed. Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay. The world needs someone like me. The world needs someone like me. Next time you're feeling anxious about something in the world. Remember to notice what you're feeling. Take a few deep breaths and focus on positive affirmations.
Bethany Van Delft 9:34
Those are really great techniques. I'm going to try them out. Thank you, Noah. Ten'ers, if you liked this, you can listen to more guided meditations for kids on Noah's podcast Like You Mindfulness for Kids. Excellent. Coming up next...
Various Voices 9:49
What, what, what's the big idea?
Bethany Van Delft 9:52
Trivia on the Ten. some of our favorite movies showed it's like for people facing mental health issues. One Pixar movie shows how depression can cause people to shut down. Which emotional Pixar film deals with depression and mental health. Is it a) Up? b) Cocoa or c) Inside Out? Did you guess it? The answer is C.
Sound Bit 10:25
So, Riley How was the first day of school? Good, I guess.
Bethany Van Delft 10:29
Inside Out is a Pixar movie where the characters Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger cause havoc for a kid named Riley by trying to avoid feeling sad. All the things that make Riley who she is starting to fall apart. Can I say that curse word now? And just like in the movie, research tells us being able to accept these difficult emotions is part of good mental health. Okay, bye, love you. That's our show. And Ten'ers before we go. Just an extra note that if you're feeling anxious, or you think you might be facing a mental health challenge, the first step to dealing with it is to talk to a grown-up and express your thoughts and feelings. You can check out our show notes for additional resources for recognizing Mental Health Awareness Month. And now here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to the Ten News. Look up our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is talking about their mental health with friends and family and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Ryan Willard, Adam Barnard, and Tessa Flannery. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft and thanks for listening to the Ten News, Ten'ers. When I was your age, I had a lot of anxiety. And guess what? I still have anxiety today. But now I understand what it is and I know how to get the help I need and make my mental health a priority and take good care of myself. And even with anxiety. I still get to do things I really liked doing like this podcast. You can do it, Ten'ers.
