Last Monday, the coldest tennis player in the game, Noami Osaka, withdrew from the French Open. Yes, you heard it right — the French Open. But, citing concerns of her own mental health, Osaka later revealed that she made the best choice for her, sidestepping the opportunity to add another Grand Slam title to her growing collection to be one of the all-time GOATs.

Osaka is no stranger to grabbing the big bags in sports and easily one of the most famous tennis players, male or female. Before withdrawing from the French Open entirely, Osaka had let it be known that she would not participate in the regularly scheduled press conferences during the tournament. The decision to withdraw came after a butting of heads between the star and tennis officials, as the trauma at the moment became too stressful for the young star to handle.

“I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players, and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka said in an Instagram post.

Her initial decision not to speak with reporters amplified the issue. However, it is not at the fault of the star. Instead, the viewing public and traditional sports media often feel entitled to having access to every moment of an athlete’s life — this is a huge business and cultural event, after all. Such access includes before and after games and believing the athlete’s responsibility to constantly engage on social media during these events for more promotion and content to fuel the insatiable appetite of sports fans globally.

“I never wanted to be a distraction, and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer,” she added. “The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018, and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”

Osaka has received support from brands and endorsers, and other public figures in popular and Hip Hop culture. “Hey, Naomi. You are Right. They are Wrong! I am with You,” Will Smith, the iconic actor, and rapper shared in an Instagram post.

“Our thoughts are with Naomi. We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience,” Nike said in a statement. Similar statements were echoed by Levi’s, GoDaddy, Beats Electronics, and more.

Osaka is not the only athlete to reveal a battle with their mental health while performing on the world stage. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has become a go-to advocate for mental health, especially in sports. A couple of years ago, Love courageously brought to the public attention his mental health challenges and he was also supported for it. 

Love was a guest on Bron Bron’s The Shop in 2019, and he said he “got to the lowest point of my life” during the 2017-18 season. Around that time, ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan asked him about some rumblings he was having issues with, which he said he initially fluffed off and tried to keep to himself. However, he later decided that he didn’t want anyone else telling his story for him.

Love’s statements would open the door for then Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan to also express his battles with depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

“It’s one of them things that no matter how indestructible we look like we are, we’re all human at the end of the day,” DeRozan said. “We all got feelings . . . all of that. Sometimes . . . it gets the best of you, where times everything in the whole world’s on top of you.”

In a report in the Toronto Star, DeRozan would reveal how depression got the best of him and spilled over to social media.

Mental health trauma has also impacted those in the Hip-Hop community – for example, 20-year-old Dallas rapper Lil Loaded, whose real name, Dashawn Maurice Robertson, hit the music scene in 2019 and passed away just this past week. The rising talent penned a letter to the “most high” before his death, and his mother revealed that he had recently suffered from a bad break-up. The reported loss of a bae was too much of a trauma to bear on top of the additional components of mental health struggle?

Lil Loaded is just one case of mental health struggles in Hip-Hop that are often eased by self-medication.

What can those of us do to promote positive mental health? 

The road starts within. Maintaining one’s mental health and seeking education on ways to influence others positively is helpful. Connect with a therapist here.

But how about for our public celebrity and sports figures? The immediate fix is not to press them to be an open book at all times. Respecting occasional downtime is a reasonable and cool thing to do. But also support their initiatives to promote mental wellness, like Big Sean’s new series that he launched with his mom during Mental Health Awareness Month.

“I feel that Mental Health Awareness Month is the perfect time to talk with my mom about some of the things I have learned from her that have helped me along the way, and I hope will help others,” Sean said of the series. 

So just as much as we tune in to a game or listen to our favorite music release, we should be prepared to support these folks’ mental health. Indeed, most super-heroes also need to check-in and take time to preserve their sanity and peace of mind.   

For more information, visit the Black History Always collection powered by The Undefeated on ESPN+.  Now featuring a 30-minute portrait of Darnella Frazier, the courageous teenager who changed the course of history by filming George Floyd’s murder—a story told through the eyes of Darnella’s community and people around the country, including the sports world, that has been impacted by her video. The show includes the everyday acts of bravery that have always been the engine of Black progress, the unsung role of Black women in the struggle for full equality, and the trauma that results from witnessing acts of police violence.    

 

Asbestos is what we call a number of naturally occurring silicate minerals that used to be used in construction due to their thermal stability, insulation properties, and durability. However, when asbestos is disturbed and tiny fibers of it become airborne, it becomes very dangerous. It may cause a range of health issues, from asbestosis to lung cancer. This is why you should be aware of it, especially if you happen to live in an older home. With that in mind, here’s what you should know about asbestos.

Where can it be found?

Many homes that were built before 1980 have asbestos in ceiling tiles, resilient floor tiles as well as adhesives used for installing floor tiles, walls, and roof shingles. Insulation around boilers, pipes, ducts, furnaces, and fireplaces may also include asbestos. Additionally, soundproofing material that is usually sprayed on walls and ceiling could also contain asbestos.

Now, asbestos on its own is not dangerous when it’s in a stable and isolated form. However, if you ever decide to remodel your home, or even if you clean the asbestos-containing area improperly, you could disturb the material and become exposed to the harmful fibers. This means that if you’ve bought an old house for its antique charm, and you want to remodel it to suit your needs, you need to first make sure it’s safe.

How to check for asbestos

Keep in mind that even though it’s mostly found in older homes, some newer houses may contain asbestos as well, as it wasn’t banned everywhere at the same time. This is especially true if you happen to live in Australia, as a large number of older houses there do contain asbestos. For example, asbestos and all products containing it were only completely banned in 2003. That being said, this doesn’t mean that you should go around looking for it – you don’t really want to find it. You can’t detect it visually, and if you go around poking holes in walls and floors, you also risk inhaling the fibers and suffering the consequences. Instead, you should call certified professionals to get samples, and then they can analyze those samples in a laboratory to determine whether there is any asbestos in your home. This way, you and your family are less likely to get exposed to asbestos fibers. Fortunately, you can easily find a laboratory that does asbestos testing in Sidney. So, if you suspect that you might be living with asbestos, getting your home tested should not be a problem.

Health risks

As mentioned, inhaling asbestos can lead to some serious health issues. It mostly happens to people whose profession required them to work near asbestos fibers and thus, breathe them in. This includes construction workers who didn’t use safe practices. Sometimes, they also carried that asbestos home on their clothes, shoes, skin, and hair, which means that they unknowingly infected their families as well.

In some cases, teachers who worked in old school buildings and pupils who went to those schools got exposed as well. Some of them are yet to develop health issues, as most asbestos-related diseases can take up to 20-30 years to manifest themselves.

Speaking of asbestos-related diseases, they include pleural plaques (thick patches of scar tissue on the lining of the lungs), asbestosis (progressive scar tissue inside the lungs, which can make breathing difficult), lung cancer, and mesothelioma, which is also a type of cancer that affects the diaphragm, the lining of the chest wall, and the covering of the lungs. As mentioned, most of them can take years, even decades, to develop, which is why it’s almost impossible to know whether you’ve been exposed to asbestos before the symptoms start showing. Moreover, the risk of the two mentioned types of cancer increases if you are a smoker, and it also increases if you’ve been exposed to asbestos for a long time.

As you can see, asbestos is not something you should take lightly, as the consequences of being exposed to it can be very serious and very long-term. Therefore, be mindful of your own environment. If you suspect that your home might have some asbestos in it, don’t hesitate to call professionals that would test it, and if necessary, remove all the asbestos safely.

Millions of adults around the world are having problems with sleeping at night. The current demands of the modern lifestyle have a way of making it difficult for anyone to sleep well at night and unless you know how to take advantage of the situation and sleep no matter what the circumstances are, a good night’s rest may be a mirage for you. However, all hope is not lost because there are certain things you can do which can ensure you get back to sleeping like a baby. To help you out, here a few tips worth trying if you want to improve the quality of your sleep at night.

Wake up at the same time every day

The first step towards enhancing the quality of your sleep so that you can sleep well every single night if it is to be consistent with the wake-up time. If you normally work during the week and you have a particular time for waking up on the work days, the same should also be maintained during the weekends. It may be tempting to sleep for long hours during the weekend, but what this does is to interfere with your sleeping pattern. For good results, it should be consistent in that you go to bed at the same time and you wake up at the same time every single day, whether it is a Sunday or a Thursday.

Avoid alcohol and stimulants

To regain the quality of your sleep, it is highly recommended that you do away with alcoholic drinks and stimulants completely. However, this may be not possible for many people, in which case, a reduction in the amount of consumption of alcoholic drinks and stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine should be considered.  The effects of stimulants such as caffeine may last for more than 24 hours and it means that irrespective of the time you go to bed after taking such drinks, they may still be active in your system, thus depriving you of the chance to sleep well.

Alcohol, on the other hand, is known as a sedative but this is only during the first few hours after its consumption. After a while, you will frequent arousals and your night will likely to be ruined by the frequent visits to the washrooms. Therefore, do away with alcohol and stimulants if you want to sleep like a baby again.

Limit the number of naps you take during the day

Napping during the day is highly recommended as a means of boosting productivity. However, the naps are only effective when they have taken between 45 minutes and 1 hour. Any napping session that goes beyond 1 hour is no longer productive and has the potential of preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep. Therefore, if you’re in the habit of napping too much during the day, don’t be surprised that you’re unable to sleep well at night. And, this is one thing you must stop if you want to improve the quality of your sleep.

Form the habit of exercising regularly

Working out regularly can greatly enhance the quality of your sleep and this is why people are encouraged to form a habit of hitting the gym at least once every day. However, you are discouraged from working out just before going to bed. This will make it difficult for you to fall and stay asleep at night. The best time to workout is at least three hours before bedtime because it is during such when you get the best out of your work sessions as far as getting good sleep is concerned.

Limit the activities you do in bed

The only activities you should be doing in your bed are to sleep and to have sex for those who have intimate partners. Any other activity that extends beyond these two should be done elsewhere and not in the bed. These include reading books, using a mobile phone, chatting with friends, working on a laptop, or just doing anything in bed other than sleeping or having sex. This is because such activities are nothing but distractions that will stop you from having the chance to sleep well at night.

Avoid heavy meals before bed

There’s a reason why it is recommended that people should eat 3 hours prior to going to bed. This simple reason is that when you go to bed with a full stomach, your body systems will still be working instead of resting. Your metabolic rate will be higher at a time when it should be lower so that you can easily fall asleep. As such, it is highly recommended that you avoid eating heavy meals or drinking stimulants just a few hours before going to bed. Make it a habit that you will be taking your last meal three hours before bedtime.

Have a comfortable sleeping environment

You should strive to make your bedroom the most comfortable place not just in your home but in your entire world. This is because it is the place where you spend important time that will determine whether or not you have the energy for the following day. It means that the decor, the ambiance, and even the bedding should be as comfortable as it possibly can so that it can be inviting for a good night rest. Make sure to invest in a good mattress, including accessories such as decent tempurpedic mattress topper, pillows, and blankets so that you have all the comfort you need in your bed. You should also be sure to remove distractions such as television, mobile phones, and even workout equipment from the bedroom.

Reduce stress

You will not have a peaceful night if you go to bed while stressed. They are a number of things you can do to reduce stress before going to bed and you should consider some of these treatments and therapies if you know that stress keeps you awake at night. You can practice relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation to calm your mind and nerves to enable you to be in a position to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night. If you do all these and you still find it difficult to fall asleep at night, consider seeing a doctor for deeper insights into the problem. To Get You Sleeping Like a Baby Again

There are a number of terms that can follow the term intuitive. It includes feeling, thinking, behavior etc.  Intuitive hunch or Spidey sense is another term that can be added to the list.  Now, What is this spidey sense? It refers to you an extraordinary ability that makes you sense imminent danger. This intuitive hunch that warns you of imminent danger has come to be called as spidey sense owing to the most popular comic or animation character, the Spiderman.

Spiderman and his spider sense

Spidey sense or the extra awareness that helps spiderman to be aware of the danger and give him a chance to respond to the danger. The Spiderman character is portrayed as one who does all that he can to avoid danger. But the response such as fight happens outside his consciousness level, yet. The response is made irrespective the nature of threat which may include an invisible object, flying projectiles etc. This ability of peter parker who is otherwise an ordinary individual to turn into spiderman and respond to the danger is what the scientists seem to call as precognitive awareness. The precognitive awareness that is of short-term duration to avoid danger is called the spidey sense or precognitive ability or even instinctive hunch.

What is the use of precognitive ability?

Through precognition, it is possible for you to see things that might happen in the future quite earlier. The precognitive events or circumstances are usually perceived by the individual in their dreams. This could be explicit or could be subtle in the form of symbols. Though, it is difficult to understand a precognitive dream, with practice or help from a qualified and trained professional you would be able to recognize the markers that are in relation with the future events and then use the information obtained from the dream and do what you can to prevent something wrong from happening.

Types of pre-cognitive dreams

The types of precognitive dreams include early warning dreams and early opportunity dreams.

Early warning dreams

This refers to dreams with content relating to a number of things that could happen like losing a job. Breaking up of a relationship, a car accident etc. your first reaction would be to ignore it as you do not want to face any of this unpleasant situation. But, if only we consider what the early warning dream is conveying it could be very vital in helping you make decisions that can actually prevent such unpleasant things from happening.

Early opportunity dreaming

This refers to happy dreams that would help you figure out the practical action that you have got to take to move decisively towards achieving the positive things that you dreamt of. These dreams are considered to be nourishing to the soul.

The Auto-reflex spider sense

Apart from the precognitive abilities, another thing that is associated with spidey sense is the tingles a person experiences when he is conscious which is termed as Auto-reflex spider-sense.  The auto-reflex spider sense refers to the fight or flight response you might exhibit when you face danger. This refers to the instinctive responses you make when you detect something that is dangerous.

Owing to the various aspects that have been highlighted you can conclude that spidey sense is a useful, effective and a reactive tool that helps in adaptation and reacting to imminent danger instinctively.

It is extremely important to stay active and fit, irrespective of what your age is. One of the best ways of staying fit is by exercising a lot or spending more time in diverse outdoor activities, which help in strengthening the body and the muscles. It is observed that teenagers spend most of their time indoors, which is undoubtedly a huge cause of getting concerned. Other than that, unhealthy habits have also started creeping into their lifestyle. As opposed to any activity, they prefer sitting in front of their laptops or desktops and play video games. This can lead to problems in the future.

To ensure that your kid is fit and active, you should follow certain fitness tips. Given below is a list of all the important tips that you can follow.

Limit the screen time

Kids these days are addicted to a number of gadgets like cell phones, computers, and tablets, and that is how they prefer spending their free time. Ensure that you set certain rules for your kid and allot a time in which they will spend time with the electronic gadgets. You should encourage your teenager to spend all the free time that he gets in constructive activities, which will help to make him mentally fit as well.

Healthy snacks

Ensure that you are only picking up snacks that are absolutely healthy. Try to cook pizza or burger at home instead of getting them from the fast food shops. Instead of soda, make them drink the juice of a fresh lime. Another great thing that you can do is allow your teen to help you while you are cooking.

Weight training

Teenagers who are almost 18 should definitely undergo weight training. You should ensure that they are performing resistance exercises at least 3 to 4 days every week, as these exercises can help in improving the muscle, power, and strength of the body. This is also one of the greatest ways of preventing obesity.

Making a workout session enjoyable

One of the most difficult task as a parent is forcing your teenager to stick to a particular fitness routine. However, if you can manage to make the workout session enjoyable, you will see that they are automatically interested in working out.

Taking your teenager for an annual checkup

Most of the parents don’t find it important to take their teenagers for an annual checkup. However, it is extremely important to get their health checked at least once every year. Doctors may suggest a number of blood tests, which will help them to determine as to how healthy a kid is.

Reputed pathology labs prefer getting the laboratory equipment from places that are trustworthy. One such reputed website is https://www.mybiosource.com/. This website is known to sell the best possible laboratory equipment.

Conclusion

If you ensure that your kids are following all the tips that have been mentioned above, they will surely remain fit and active and will be more mindful when it comes to their studies.