Mental Health Game Notes / Progress · Support · 2 min read
The 19-Play Drive
Sometimes improving our mental health looks less like a highlight play and more like keeping a 19-play drive alive.
Jeremiah Smith made scoring touchdowns look easy Saturday.
But Ohio State's most impressive possession wasn't a spectacular catch or a long touchdown run.
It was a 19-play drive that started at the Buckeyes' own 4-yard line, included a fourth-and-7 conversion, consumed more than eight minutes and ended in the end zone.
Sometimes, that's exactly what improving our mental health looks like.
We want the big play. We want to wake up tomorrow without anxiety, put depression behind us or repair a relationship that's been falling apart for years.
But meaningful change rarely happens overnight.
Sometimes, getting out of bed is a first down. Having that difficult conversation is another. Making it through a bad day without returning to an old behavior might be your fourth-and-7 conversion.
None of those moments will make anybody's highlight reel.
But they move you down the field.
You don't have to score on every play. Sometimes, you just have to keep the drive alive.
And if you're starting at your own 4-yard line, remember that you still have the entire field in front of you. That doesn't mean you can't get there.
It just means you've got some work to do.