Mental Health Workshops

Our workshops have been put together by our team of mental health professionals here at Balls For Brains and cover how mental health can affect us as well as how to recognise the signs both good and bad. The workshop will also provide people with the tools that will help toward maintaining good mental health as well as clubs to work toward developing their own mental health procedures and professional signposting so there is always someone to talk to. These workshops can be delivered at your club or in conjunction with another club should it suit.

Signposting

See our Help & Support page for a list of mental health services and charities that can help you at any time.

Road To Wellbeing

Our Road to Wellbeing is seven small steps you can take to help toward maintaining both positive mental health and dealing with challenging times.

Social Media Channels & Podcast

@BallsForBrains will provide up to date news and information via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. There will also be the ‘Part Of The Pack’ Podcast which will run every two weeks and will invite guests to come on and talk about all aspects of mental health and rugby.

Fixtures

Balls For Brains RFC have both 15’s and 7’s sides that are more than happy to attend festivals and play fixtures both during and at seasons end. The teams will also hold regular booked fixtures each season and will be advertised through the website and our social media channels.

Sleep

Sleep and mental health are strongly linked. When experiencing poor sleep this can increase poor health which in turn then makes it harder to get the right amount of sleep. Mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression can often be the cause of sleep issues. These issues can often be one of the first signs of distress.

For people experiencing mental health issues phrases such as ‘come on, get yourself together, pull your socks up’ and ‘you just need to get out of bed’ can be all to common but we need to acknowledge that a lack of energy, tiredness and disturbed sleep are some of the common indicators that someone is experiencing issues. Another factor that should be considered is that this could be the side effects of medication. If someone has been able to seek that initial help then medication may have been prescribed. If not taken before the side effects of these vary from person to person and cause the above issues. Addressing sleep issue as part of any mental health issue is key as this can lead to a quicker road to managing any conditions.

Other things to consider for ourself and others is that poor sleep can often cause changes in mood, concentration levels and all-round energy levels. These can have negative effects on our relationships with people whether that be personal or work related. It is important to remember that this is not just someone being grumpy or lazy but they may have an issue that just requires someone asking, ‘Are you ok?’ and then offering to listen or support in any way they can. Everyone can benefit from a good quality of sleep and sometimes it can be as simple as a small change in day to day living that can help improve sleep.

The Mental Health Foundation have a good guide tool called HEAL:

• Health
• Environment
• Attitude
• Lifestyle

Nutrition

One of the most key yet sometimes forgotten factors of maintaining positive mental health is nutrition and hydration. Just like the heart and other organs of the body, the brain is also an organ that requires different amounts of complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and water to remain healthy. These can be achieved through a balanced diet and the right levels of hydration.

Try and choose foods that sustain you through the day rather than elevate blood sugar levels. Try and keep your energy and mind going throughout the day. Avoid “empty” calories from foods that contain refined sugars like high in sugar fizzy drinks or sweets and cakes and choose snacks with lean proteins and healthy fats (like avocado, nuts, or fish).

Stay Active

There are various types of exercise you can take to improve mental health. Cardiovascular and strength training is often recognised as good types you can do but it is important that you must do this at a level that is safe and best fits you. The smallest amount if exercise can be of big benefit so take your time and find the right fit for you. Rember to maintain good hydration throughout.

Stay Connected

Remaining connected with our family, friends, team mates and other members of our support network is very important. In difficult times when things feel like they are to much it is the support from your network that can either be the ear you need need or the support to access other services. Regular contact in person is often what works best but today we have so many ways to keep in contact such as by phone, social media, letter or messenger/WhatsApp.

These avenues let us share thoughts and ideas, talk over issues and when needed ask for support. When we feel like we cannot ask services for help ourselves staying connected gives us that chance to ask someone for help to make that contact. It also keeps us in social circles which when feeling alone can be a comfort. Fun and laughter with the people we care about can make us feel comfortable and in turn gives us confidence to move forward and/ or ask for help.

Develop The Mind

Learning and challenging the brain has been shown to aid in the treatment of mental health and then maintaining positive mental health. Structuring your day and setting yourself achievable goals can have a positive impact on your day and lead to feelings of achievement and fulfilment. Implementing this into your social life and/or hobbies or sport can also have a positive impact on the mind which in turn can improve performance. Mental challenges such as sudoku or crosswords, puzzles and hand-eye coordination games like a rubiks cube can all be effective.

When looking at our sport of rugby for example breaking down your responsibilities into individual tasks can lead to an improvement in performance, for example for a prop, foot placement, binding, shoulders, breathing and engagement. All achievable micro tasks that can improve my performance and can then improve my overall fulfilment of the game as a whole. These can all be achieved singularly but can also involve your support network and increase fun and competition.

Being Present

It is often in times when we face the unknown about what comes next or even the fear of what does this brings out the strongest of feelings of being overwhelmed and cause emotions that can take over us. It is these times when we need to be present in the feelings and thoughts and understanding what they are and why they are happening. Our thoughts and feelings are what guide us, even when they seem to be at their most severe. It is important that we give ourselves the time and space to process these thoughts and recognise what we should do next. Different things such as thought trains and thought corridors (covered in our workshops) can help us make our own plans so that when this happens, we can process and move forward.

It can also be a benefit to share these plans and your process with your support network so that if you do need that extra support, they know how to best assist you. Should the it be needed at that time you need to seek professional help it also will give them a more detailed insight as to why you have sort help and the actions you have already taken to try and navigate the difficult period.

Give A Little

Looking beyond yourself and focusing on others gives the bonus of having a positive impact on the giver as well as the recipient. Help a friend, volunteer for a worthy cause, or donate to community organizations making a difference in your community. It is often the smallest acts of kindness that can have the biggest impacts on people. This could be putting the bin out for an elderly neighbour or simply asking how someone’s day is going. The same as we can feel about people not knowing what’s happening inside, it is the same for others. That elderly neighbour might have missed the last two collections, that person you have asked about there day might not have spoken to anybody in the last week. Giving something to the benefit and care of others can give allot of positive feeling to someone as well as ourselves. It brings a great deal of self-worth seeing others happy and benefitting from our actions.

Acknowledging others and showing appreciation for what they have done for us also helps us to focus on the things we have in life. Acts of kindness especially in times of difficulty shows us that people do care and want to engage. Keep that communication open. These positive experiences can lead to positive relationships and opens the possibility of expanding your support network. This also opens up the possibility of expanding theirs. As we have already mentioned we also do not know what they are going through. Try to keep note or a diary of each day’s acts of kindness or where you have given a little and use these to reflect back on as positive experiences. It is these experiences that can show us a way to process when we are experiencing difficult times, it is these experiences that can help us see that talking to others does lead to positive instances of help and support and it is in these instances we can reflect, grow and deal with the difficult times.