Quick thought today to share with you: everyone is going through something. Mental health has a range of depths, and affects everyone differently, but everyone has struggled with it at some point. From a bad attitude for a few days, to a real and difficult struggle with depression. We can do a better job at being available for each other if we just realize we don’t really know how those around us are really dealing with life.

Make it your job this week to approach others with empathy and bring a bright moment to their day. Depression and anxiety are real, and many times there is a stigma to talk about it and be open. Treat those that you come in contact with as humans needing a little extra love, support, and hope. If we all do this, we can end up helping someone who needs it, without them having to ask for the help. Recognize the reality of mental health struggles, and decide what you can do it about it for others.

Slow down a little to listen. Smile hard through your mask. Assume the best when you are treated poorly. Make it your job to care.

Incase you didn’t realize:
19% of adults suffer from anxiety disorders
32% of young people suffer from anxiety disorders
Depression is the leading cause of disability in the US
Less than 40% of people with anxiety seek help
https://adaa.org/tips

#getbetter

Danny Green entered the NBA and created a role for himself. This week he also won his third championship with a third team (only the fourth player to ever do so). His role creation to be a knock down 3 point threat has kept him in the league as a sought after guard (his  3 point % in the NBA is 40.0% over a ten year career), but he is also known as a gamer. He’s a big playoff shot maker. He has the versatility to beat you off the bounce and to defend. Although he did not play great in the LA/Miami series, DG is a player to learn from and emulate!

Train yourself to hit big shots and have counters to your shot:
Pressure Shooting:
Celtics Drill - Set the timer for 2 minutes. Starting in the corner, catch and shoot until you make two in a row. Move to the wing and make two in a row. Continue to the top of key, opposite wing, and opposite corner. You are now done with 5 spots and will repeat the same thing back around the key. Finish all ten spots with two in a row at each spot in under 2 minutes. Shoot from 3 if high school player; Shoot from midrange if younger. You will need a passer and a rebounder, 2 balls. 


Consistency/Versatility Repetition:
Triangle Shooting - Shoot 5 shots at each spot: Catch and shoot jumper, pullup jumper right, pullup jumper left, shot fake drive right and finish, shot fake drive left and finish. Goal is 4/5 or repeat the spot. Try to complete 7 spots making 4/5 shots.

In the moment, everything is loud. It’s hard to separate what you are going through from the bigger picture, hard to zoom out, because it is right in front of you and currently happening to you. We are heading into the seventh month in a pandemic, where new information seems to the be norm and activities that we always thought were a given have been taken away or limited for our safety.

We have begun our reopening, but so much is still cautious. We are working together, but so many people are still isolated and disconnected. We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. How will school return to normal? Will your job go back to full-time or into the office? What does our season look like?

We can dwell on the questions, or we can continue to pull forward and look out for our neighbor. This moment provides us with a great opportunity to practice resilience, wrestle with our limits of patience, and give love and hope to others even when we don’t have answers.

Remember: This too shall pass. This won’t be the hardest thing you deal with. So keep your head up. Continue to find ways to add value in your life and around you. And find ways to serve others, big or small. Don’t let the fear of the unknown stop the greatness within you.

​#getbetter