Sport saved my life - and it can rescue your child's mental health
Thursday 14 February 2019 11:59, UK
Rachael MacKenzie struggled with anorexia in her teens, eventually attempting to take her own life.聽
She discovered sport - and as she built her physical strength up, she found her mental health also grew stronger.
Today, Rachael is a world Thai boxing and British boxing champion, and a mentor with the charity Youth Sport Trust (YST).
Here, she shares her own experiences and offers guidance on how sport can help children.
When I was growing up, finding sports I enjoyed playing helped me overcome an eating disorder.
Feeling myself get physically stronger as I got better at sports enabled me to find the emotional strength that led to my recovery.
Throughout my teenage years, anorexia became my secret. It was driven by poor self-esteem, a sense of never being quite good enough and desire to disappear from the world.
That desire to disappear eventually led me to attempt to take my own life, an event which, for me, became a catalyst for change.
During my recovery, I discovered Thai boxing - the sport that eventually gave me the strength to recover.
It helped me recognise my own capacity to overcome challenges: if you can develop the physical strength to pick up a weight or to keep running when your legs feel tired, then you are emotionally stronger than you believe.
I began to want to improve my physical health and to eat so I could take part in the activities that made me feel better.
Now as a parent, I feel it’s important to talk about how sport can be an essential part of overall well-being and what it can teach us about how to be resilient every day.
My children observe me winning and losing, training hard, struggling but overcoming and they too experience this in their own sports.
This week is Children's Mental Health Week, driven by mental health charity Place2Be, and the theme is "healthy inside and out".
In the next few months, the government is expected to publish a school sport action plan.
It will set out their ambitions to ensure all children have access to quality PE and sport sessions during the school week.
A recent survey found that one third of children and young people do less than 30 minutes of activity per day.
Having a bad experience can put young people off forever, and this is a real risk for disabled children and for girls whose involvement in sport drops off much more than boys as they grow up.
Here are four ways sport can improve children’s well-being:
:: Sport benefits our mental health
Research shows physical activity can improve our mood and concentration, reduce stress levels and help aid better sleep. All of this decreases the chances of mental health problems like depression and anxiety from developing in young people.
Exercise can also have a big impact on our self-esteem, how we feel about ourselves and our lives in general.
:: Being active equals less screen time
Sport can give children precious time to unplug from the internet.
You can’t scroll through a phone if you’re swimming lengths. You become mindful of the moment, developing the skill of mindfulness through active participation, a tool helpful in reducing feelings of overwhelm and anxiety.
As part of our YST programmes, we speak to children about their phone time. They know using their phones too much can impact their well-being, sleep and academic performance, but their drive for social acceptance is a greater need.
My house is technology free upstairs - no TV, no iPads, no phones - and this rule is followed by everyone in the family. This means that bedrooms are dark, quiet, non-stimulating places promoting a positive sleep routine.
:: Sport helps children learn vital life lessons, building character and resilience
One of the things that drove me to become a Thai boxer was my determination to prove to others that, as a female, I could still succeed in my chosen sport.
I’ve had to overcome prejudice from people who do not believe women should compete in contact sports. But my success and perseverance has raised the profile for other female Thai-boxers.
:: Making new friends
Finding other people that share the same passion as you and working as part of a team is a brilliant feeling, and that team spirit is shared in every sports club I visit.
Getting involved in sport can help children gain confidence, build new social skills and learn the value of teamwork.
Some of the people I have met through sport have become lifelong friends.
:: If you feel emotionally distressed or suicidal call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.