Manville High School’s Counseling Department and Athletic Department have teamed up with four student ambassadors to create and distribute “Mindful Mustang Kits” to each of their sports teams. The four student ambassadors, Sophia Gosk, Brandon Shimp, Joseph Monge, and Kamille Aly, expressed that there is often a lot of stress and pressure on student athletes, especially when they have to toggle between their academic and athletic careers. To help athletes mentally recharge, remain present, manage stress, and spread mental health awareness, they have thoughtfully put together kits that can help student athletes regulate emotions while participating in sports.
A lot of thought has gone into assembling these kits, with everyone involved making sure that these kits are inclusive and will work for everyone. They are doing this by focusing on the five senses: touch, smell, sight, hear, and taste. For the touch category, there will be fidget-like tools, such as NeeDohs, squishy stars, silly putty, and Tangles. To accommodate the smell category, essential oils will be included in the kits, which are scientifically proven to calm people by interacting with the brain’s emotional center. For sight, they have included multi-colored water timers and rain sticks. Both of these tools allow the brain to take a second, process, and think. The rain sticks can also be used for the next sense: hearing. The rain sticks make different types of sounds, like the sound of a drizzle, normal rain, or a thunderstorm. Hearing these sounds can take an athlete’s mind off of the pressure of their sport and help them regulate their nervous system. Another tool for the hearing category are bluetooth headphones and ear plugs. The headphones can be used for music, or to simply block out sound, similar to the ear plugs. Lastly, there are mints in the kits for taste. According to science, tasting and ingesting mints can cause someone to become more alert, along with providing a calming sensation that can reduce nerves or stress. Additionally, mints can improve cognitive function, leading to clear thoughts.
Mr. Zilinski was kind enough to donate bags for these Mindful Mustang Kits, and those working on this project are very grateful for his contributions. Some extras that will be included in these kits are positive affirmations and breathing techniques. These extra tools can help athletes recharge, calm down, and regulate their emotions in a more healthy manner.
The Mindful Mustang Kits will be introduced in the upcoming spring season. The rules regarding the use of the tools will be left to the discretion of each sports’ coaches. After the spring season, these kits will be carried over to the following season and will be used for their sports.
The ambassadors found that, a lot of the time, most athletes aren’t present while playing their sport, but are instead lost in thought or anxious. On top of that, most athletes find it uncomfortable or difficult to speak up for themselves and their mental health while playing a sport. The ambassadors’ main hope is for the Mindful Mustang Kits to provide an outlet so athletes won’t have to suffer in silence, and that, instead of having to worry about anything that happened in the past or anything that can happen in the future, student athletes will be able to live in the moment.
The goal of these kits is not to create a distraction, but to help student athletes be more aware and present while playing their sport. “Practicing this mindfulness and regulation at any point in the season will benefit you,” Mrs. Ruggini, the supervisor in this project for the Counseling Department, explains. These kits will bring awareness to mental health, promote mindful practices, and give student athletes the opportunity to feel better when in a stressful situation. The kits will also allow athletes to feel at ease while they are playing the sport that they feel passionate about, leading to a more healthy environment and more mental health awareness in sports.
