Feel Good

QDNC is delighted to welcome Vanesse Cronje to our committee team. Mental Health/ Wellness is one of our 3 strategic focus areas for 2021 and we were keen to update our website with useful information for our members and then appoint an expert to help us drive forward further actions prior to winter season. Vanesse is looking into having our coaching team put through mental health first aid training and we will have further announcements through Feb - March to inform you of the proactive support we have for our QDNC family. Please find below an introduction from Vanesse. We are very grateful for your support Vanesse - thank you so much!

#QDNClove #feelgood #belonging #goodsports❤️🖤❤️

"Hi! My name is Vanesse (pronounced Vanessa 😊) and I am excited to take on this new role of the Quinns Netball Club Wellbeing Officer. My two daughters and I have proudly been a part of this netball club for the past 8 years. The provision of this role is a fabulous initiative by the club for its members.

I have a Master’s degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy and I currently work as a Wellbeing Counsellor with students at a University. Working with young adults for the past five years has taught me a lot about the challenges you have to face every day. One way of dealing with these challenges is through talking to someone about them. You can reach out and talk to a number of people at any time, such as your friends, netball coach, committee members, parents, and myself.

Talking is a healthy way to express feelings. I create a safe space for us to discuss life issues, and what we talk about is confidential. Common issues to discuss with a Counsellor are issues like stress, anxiety, low mood, study stress, bullying and relationships.

Remember to reach out if you need to – I’m here to help!"

When surveying our QDNC members, we were not surprised that the number one reason people register to play netball is for health benefits, both physical and mental.

The club has observed more teenagers than ever claiming that netball helps them to "stay sane", it "gets them through their WACE", it helps them "forget about their anxieties".
For parents enrolling their child in team sport, they know netball helps kids build different social networks than those at school and it keeps them away from devices and social media. Playing in a team helps younger kids to develop self confidence, to work as a team and have a sense of belonging.

Our aim is for all our players to "Feel Good". We strive to lead by example, to educate on diet and mental health, to provide a nurturing environment and a place for our players to develop greater self worth as their skills grow. Netball can help build strong and healthy bodies which in turn builds better netball players, which in turn makes happier netball players. You really can't lose!

Please find some research on the benefits of team sport below

Benefits of Team Sport on Mental Health


Exercise promotes chemicals in the brain that improve your mood and make you more relaxed.

Specifically, the brain releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins throughout the body.

Physical activity reduces anxiety and depressed mood, and enhances self-esteem.
Playing in a team helps children to develop many of the social skills they will need for life. It teaches them to cooperate, to be less selfish, and to listen to other children. It also gives children a sense of belonging. It helps them make new friends and builds their social circle outside school


Recently, Anxiety.org had the opportunity to work with ten year's worth of data on the types of sports and physical activities in which youths participated over a span of five years. This NDIT study provided data that helped observe the effects of physical activity on symptoms of depression four years later, when participating adolescents (12-17 year olds) became emerging adults (18-22 year olds).


Move Now to Ward Off Depression Later


They found a surprisingly strong relationship between higher physical activity and lower symptoms of depression. In fact, the study shows that:

1
Physical activity, assessed as both exercise (moderate-to-vigorous intensity leisure activity) and organized sport participation, reduced the risk for depression and reports of depressive symptoms four years later.
2
The sooner a participant chose to become more physically active, regardless of history or physical activity participation, the better it was for his/her mental health.

Furthermore, they looked at the effects of school sport participation on future symptoms of depression and stress, as well as self-rated mental health. In this study, they found that: 

1
Adolescents that showed greater sport participation in school were more protected from depression symptoms over four years later.
2
Symptoms of depression in young adulthood decreased for every year of school sport participation during secondary school.

Based on these findings, participation in sporting opportunities offered at school stands out as a proactive way for adolescents to lessen the likelihood of future depression.


Team Sports Prevent Depression Best


Now, you may ask, does it really matter if an adolescent joins the school basketball team or competes as an individual in judo? The research team found that in combating symptoms of depression, there were clear positive benefits from team sports like netball, basketball, soccer, football, and hockey. Conversely, they found that there were fewer benefits from participating in individual sports like dance, wrestling, and swimming. Note: These findings took into account the context of the sport (i.e., whether participation was during school or outside and unrelated to school)

We think team sports combat future depression better than individual sports for a few reasons. Team sports offer heightened emphasis on group goals, social support, and sense of connection that provide more opportunity for learning adaptive coping strategies that can be essential for long-term mental health.

See more from anxiety.org

Many of our players suffer from mental health challenges and we need to all ensure that kids have access to the right resources and support to help them through. The Good Sports program helps to keep the club educated, and at QDNC we want to ensure that if we are in a position to help, that our team know how to point our members in the right direction. Improving our ability to affect Mental Health and Wellness was signed off as one of the 3 strategic goals we have as a club and we will have new investment in this area. Please keep an eye out on our social channels for how we aim to deliver on our 3 strategic aims.


Emergency Services

Lifeline: is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14.

Headspace 1800 650 890 – This service provides online and telephone support and counselling to young people 12-25 and their family and friends. They can help you deal with a broad range of issues like bullying, drug and alcohol issues, depression and anxiety, relationships, concerns about a friend, fitting in and isolation.

Crisis Care: is a telephone information and counselling service for people in crisis needing urgent help. (+61 8) 9223 1111 or 1800 199 008 (country)

Qlife (LGBTI): 1800 184 527 – Counselling and referral service (3pm – midnight)

1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) – National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service

Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 – This is a nationwide service that provides 24/7 telephone, video and online professional counselling to people who are affected by suicide

headspace

Each year, headspace helps thousands of young people access vital support through our headspace centres in 124 communities across Australia, our online and phone counselling services, our vocational services, and our presence in schools. headspace can help young people with mental health, physical health (including sexual health) alcohol and other drug services, and work and study support.
Find out more here headspace who we are

Livewire

Livewire supports kids/teens who have all types of illness and disabilities.

Livewire is a free online community connecting teens living with illness or disability, & their siblings, in Australia or New Zealand.
Find out more here discover livewire


Beyond Blue

Beyond Blue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live. It provides suicide and crisis support.
Find out more here beyond blue immediate support

Importance of Diet


Diet and health go hand in hand and fueling kids and ourselves properly to perform and feel our best is key. The foods and fluids consumed by netball players of any age can have a big impact on their ability to train, play and recover well. Food provides fuel to exercising muscles and nutrients for growth, recovery, cognition (ability to think well) and the immune system. It makes sense then that choosing foods and fluids that provide the optimal amounts of nutrients, can help ensure a fit, strong and healthy young athlete.

Sports Dietitians Australia have some useful tips and factsheets here.... Sports Dietitian factsheets

Netball Australia and Woolworths have partnered to bring us the "You Grow Girl" initiative which also focuses on good food choices. Click here for some recipes created by our favourite Australian Diamond stars.... You Grow Girl recipes

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