Mental Wellness In The News: TCU Elite Eight Postgame Press Conference

I don't know how many of you follow girls' NCAA Collegiate basketball, but I ran across an interview with the TCU team toward the end of March Madness, and I noted many references to Mental Wellness - I see the beauty in it, and I had to share.

(To see the full interview, click here.)

The Importance of Coaching

When asked about the relationship with her coach, at the 3:13 time stamp Hailey Van Lith responded:

“Yeah, I mean, it is hard for me to put into words, but my relationship with Coach Mark has been just a joy for me. I'm sure I gave him a lot of headaches throughout the year, but, you know, he just accepted me for who I was. He took me at face value, and he thanked me for coming to the program, but, like, he took a risk on me.”

“He met me with full belief, and he had a vision of who he thought I could be and at the beginning he probably was convincing me that I could be that person.”

She continues:

“I wasn't necessarily in a place where I even knew who I was anymore. So he has just breathed life into me, and from a life perspective, he's taught me a lot of great lessons about, you know, how to have healthy relationships, and what it takes to have a healthy relationship, and how much better life can be if you just let people see who you are. And that's hard for me. So for me to feel comfortable and safe doing that with him, that took a lot of work on his part that he did not have to do. He could have told me to [leave the team] when I was giving him problems, so I just -- I'm forever grateful for him, and God put him in my life to transform it, and he certainly has done that. I can't wait to be a TCU alum. I can't wait to come back and give back to this program and continue having my relationship with Coach. I think he will be around for the rest of my life, so that's the best part about this year.”

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I know this coach is a basketball coach at a Christian University, but a Mental Health Coach offers much of the same. A Coach sees your potential and comes alongside you on your journey to reaching just that. If you feel you'd like to connect with someone, click here.

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Healing through Facing your Fears

Another former Texas player was asked about the team they'd just played - and I noticed the liberty and freedom in which she spoke of the healing she'd experienced by facing a team that had taken so much from her in the past -

SEDONA PRINCE: “Yeah, I mean, all credit to the Texas bigs, Taylor Jones is a [great] player, and they scouted me very well, I'm sure and they played me very well. All respect to them.”

“But, you know, to be honest I think today was a very full circle moment for me in a way that I wasn't expecting. Just looking at the people that did so much damage to me at a young age was a lot and it was hard, and I thought that we had to win to prove it to them that they couldn't beat me, but being a part of this program and being here and succeeding and coming back and being able to play and after being told I would never walk again, and being on this team with these people, building this sisterhood, it doesn't matter. I won, we won, and so , yeah, it's just -- I think I was in my head a lot, right?”

“…But it's God's glory no matter what and it taught me a lesson and it definitely healed me in a lot of ways today.”

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By facing fears of her past and people who had damaged her on an emotional, mental, and physical level, she was an overcomer. She had a supportive sisterhood that stood with her and declared that she was enough, win or lose. Community is so very important when navigating through the trauma of yesterday.

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God's Guidance through Dark Times

Hailey was asked a question about her time with TCU, and she opened up about the dark times she faced and what the support of her coach and team meant to her through her hard times, and how overcoming the dark times has made her who she is today.

At time marker 11:56, HAILEY VAN LITH responds with:

"Yeah, my journey. It's hilarious because when I was like a sophomore I was like who would every take their fifth year, why would anyone want to be in college for five years, that's funny, because here I am, in college, fifth year.”

“But it's been, man, it's been certainly a journey. Nothing I expected. It was hard.

It was a lot of nights of being, like, I feel like I'm -- God has put this thing on my heart to be great, but it's not working outright now. And a lot of times I had to look at myself in the mirror and just be like, what do you want, Hailey? Who are you?”

“And I'm grateful for it. I'm grateful for the fact that he gave me a hard journey because I would not be the woman I am sitting up here without it.”

“And so I really praise God for the struggle and the suffering. I praise Him for the nights where I didn't want to be alive anymore, I praise him for the nights that I was on medication because I couldn't sleep or eat. And it's painful to talk about it but it's really how beautiful life is. So I'm sitting up here now with women that I love and a coach that I love and a team that I love and we aren't even sad about losing. We're sad that we aren't going to see each other probably next week. So my journey has been crazy, I'm super grateful for it it, wouldn't have had it any other way.”

She goes on to talk about her family and the acceptance of her family by her team...

“And my family, another reason I'm grateful for this group is because my family is a lot. I love them to death, they are my heartbeat. I live and die for my family but they are definitely a lot. They [the team] have just welcomed my family and loved them and built relationships with them and that's not common. That's definitely not common in every program. So it's a testament to the people that I play with, the people that coach me, but also, you know, my family”

“…my family kept me here when I was going through hard times, and they know that, they know what they mean to me. I know that I've grown in life and they have grown with me…”

“when -- the text that I got from my dad today was before the game it was "the sun is going to rise tomorrow no matter you win or lose so go out there and have fun. " And that's a lot of growth for him, that's a lot of growth for me to accept that text from him. Love my family and I can't wait to go see them after this."

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I see the beauty in her words - her team and coach accepted her family - but her reference of growth really stood out to me. We are all human, living this life for the first time. We are all learning and growing. Her reference to her father's text, encouraging her to have fun, win or lose, was a testament to his growth. The shift had changed from "win-win-win!" to "go out and have fun".

Overall, it's a beautiful thing to see this type of growth - mental wellness and wholeness taking place, and being publicized in such a manner really does my heart good.

Mental Wellness Insight: Through the Dark Times

Dark times come to us all. If you're experiencing difficulty, depressive thoughts, or cannot seem to see the light, consider the following -

♡ Pray and be real with the One who knows you best.

♡ Reach out to a friend or trusted confidante.

♡ Seek guidance from a Christian Counselor or Mental Health Professional

If you would like assistance in connecting with someone, please click here and we will be more than happy to assist!

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, remember that help is available. You can connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 

Do not let the dark times win. God knew you before you were born, and you were made for a purpose that only you can fulfill.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/114/jer.29.11-13.NKJV

♡ prw