Social-emotional learning
Did you know?
NBPA Logo
In 2018, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) launched a mental health and wellness program to provide players with greater access to mental health counselors. Additionally, the NBA has transformed its Rookie Transition Program to place a greater emphasis on mental health education.
Social-emotional learning is just as important for NBA players as it is for students.
Are you ready to explore different aspects of social-emotional learning? Let’s begin!
Try it!
When you think of social and emotional skills, what comes to mind?
Record your ideas in the following mind map provided or in another method of your choice.
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Social and emotional skills
Kevin Love
I was somebody who learned about sexual education, physical education, but we never really talked about what goes on between the ears and why we may feel these sort of feelings arise even at the kindergarten age or beyond that.
Kevin Love, #42 of the Miami Heat (2023), with Grant Williams, #12 of the Boston Celtics (2023), and Derrick White, #9 of the Boston Celtics (2023).
Source:
Kliegman, J. (2022, September 21). Kevin Love Launches Mental Health Program for High School Students. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 4, 2023, fromhttps://www.si.com/nba/2022/09/21/kevin-love-fund-free-mental-health-curriculum
Social-emotional learning skills are important for everyone’s health and development.
Fostering your own well-being and resilience will help you learn and thrive. As Kevin Love stated, it’s important to talk about what’s happening internally, and the factors that can impact our emotional well-being.
What is stress?
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), stress can be defined as:
...a normal response to situational pressures or demands, especially if they are perceived as threatening or dangerous. Stress is the result of brain chemicals, called hormones, surging through the body. These hormones make people sweat, breathe quicker, tense their muscles and prepare to take action. When this happens, a person's built-in alarm system—their “fight-or-flight” response—becomes activated to protect them.
Source: Stress. CAMH. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/stress#:~:text=Overview,and%20prepare%20to%20take%20action.
There are many sources of stress. The primary reason we feel stressed out is because we are overwhelmed with responsibilities. A stressful situation can cause a stress response which is called the “fight or flight” response. This stress response is called a “fight or flight” response because changes in the body (heart pounding, breath quickening, etc) allowed people to react quickly to life-threatening situations. But over time, this has evolved to impact non-life-threatening situations as well.
Stress isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, it is a normal part of everyday life. It can propel us forward and motivate us to get things done.
Explore this!
As mentioned previously, a little stress can be useful to motivate people.
Check out the following Know Brainers episode. Can stress help us learn more effectively?
NBA Moment
NBA Cares is the league’s global social responsibility program that builds on the NBA’s mission of addressing important social issues around the world. One of the programs is NBA Math Hoops which has provided over 800,000 youth globally with fundamental math skills.
Types of stress
Stress becomes problematic when we feel we cannot manage the demands put on us and we feel overwhelmed.
When you want to do well on a test, for example, a little stress may make you study harder. This is called constructive stress. However, a lot of stress can become destructive stress. It can stop you from functioning effectively. The stress of the test may create anxiety, which could cause you to lose sleep. Sleep loss creates more anxiety, and more anxiety creates fear of failure and an inability to concentrate at the same time, which, of course, makes it impossible to do well on the test. It is helpful to find ways to cope with stress.
Another cause for concern is prolonged stress. Your body cannot stay in a state of stress for a long period of time; it isn't healthy if you have a sustained release of stress-causing hormones.
Take a moment and reflect on your learning!
Overcoming obstacles
People face a range of challenges that are relative to their personal, social, and cultural lived experience. They also have existing ways of coping.
Recognizing sources of stress can help you cope and develop resilience.
Definition
Resilience
Resilience is the ability to recover quickly or “bounce back” from disruptive change, illness, or misfortune without being overwhelmed.
Additionally, becoming aware of how you typically handle stress can help you make healthy choices. For instance, if you normally seclude yourself when stressed, you might instead call a friend.
Try it!
Place the following cards into categories that best match. Identify which activities are the best ways to manage stress. Sort the activities as “Effective methods” or “Ineffective methods” for managing stress.
Nice work! The methods you organized are great at managing stress.
Press the Strategies button to learn more about the many ways we can relieve stress.
- Any kind of physical activity can be a stress reliever.
- Deep breathing reduces the amount of stress hormones in the bloodstream, meaning you can calm down more quickly.
- Guided imagery is a stress-relieving technique where a sensory experience is created through the description of a scene or event.
- Pausing and reflecting can allow you to reflect on your physical and mental state, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Explore this!
Richard Peter is a multi-medal winning wheelchair basketball player and member of the Cowichan Tribes.
Check out the following video where Peter reflects on his career in wheelchair basketball.
According to Richard Peter, what are some barriers that new athletes may encounter?
You may record your ideas in a method of your choice.
Determining skills
Try it!
Determine which stress management skills are demonstrated for the following scenarios.
For each of the following scenarios, select the correct answer from the options provided. Then, press Check Answer to check your understanding.
Excellent work! You’ve learned a lot about social-emotional learning and why it’s important in life as well as in sports. You deserve a break!