On this episode of the Healthy Family Project Podcast, we're joined by Dr. Neff, a licensed clinical sports psychologist, to talk about young athletes and their mental health. While there's a lot of fun and joy in kid and teen sports, it can also create stress and anxiety. Dr. Neff shared lots of amazing insights and tips to help us tackle mental health in a proactive way that helps kids and teens build their mental fitness and creates environments where they can feel safe working through their feelings and managing their anxiety around sports.
Want to skip straight to a hot topic? See timestamps below. But of course, we recommend listening all the way through to get all the great tips and tricks!
As a mom with a preteen and teen who have been active in sports for most of their lives, this topic is near and dear to me. I often think about how we as parents can tow the line between encouraging our kids to work hard and gain all the lessons to be gained from the dedication required in sports while also ensuring we don't apply undue pressure that leads to added stress and anxiety.