This is the pod where we discover Kirsten doesn’t take notes, and apparently falls to pieces if Megan decides she needs a week off.
No, seriously folks, this is Part 1 in a two-part episode on mental health. Sonja Missio returns after a long hiatus and attempts (with little success) to rein in Jessie Losch and Kirsten Schlewitz. The three spend much of their time reflecting on their own mental health, and often laughing at the absurdity of life (or tiny evil nuns). Because if you have mental health problems, let’s face it—you probably want to laugh about it a bit.
Oh, and we’ve decided that mental health should just be called “health.”
While we wedge in zee football every once in awhile, this is more about personal journeys and our ways of coping with #StayAtHome and COVID-19 in general. Next week will feature stories of footballers who’ve spoken out about their mental health, a look at what clubs are doing to help those struggling mentally, and your stories of how you’re keeping your mental health at manageable levels during the pandemic— or the strategies you use to get through just one day, one hour, one minute. Send them to us on Twitter and be sure to DM us if you don’t want us to use your name while reading your suggestions.
For your reading pleasure, we have a number of articles on struggling with mental health. These are just a few:
Darkness, depression and the Dons by Bridget Gordon
Struggling to wake up on Saturdays and Sundays by Gaby Kirschner
On writing about sport while grappling with anxiety by Ritika Bhasker
Keeping silent about mental health may be what’s killing us by Megan Smith
Listen to the episode below on Megaphone, or find us on your favorite podcasting app (we’re under “All for XI”)!
