LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 21: Michael Beasley #8 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks … [+]
Michael Beasley spent eleven years of his professional NBA career wowing fans through his acrobatic moves on the court, his high level of athleticism, and his ability to get to the rim essentially at will. In his second act, he is emerging as a champion to promote mental health awareness for the general public to benefit from. He is teaming up with Aura Health, an all-in-one mental wellness platform that helps anyone find peace.
The mental wellness app was created by entrepreneur brother-duo Daniel and Steve Lee, Korean immigrants that had to deal with their parent’s divorce, which ultimately led to their father’s abandonment and mother’s depression. Devoted to improving public mental well-being, they launched Aura Health to bring mental wellness to people’s fingertips. This AI-powered program represents an all-in-one app, featuring a large library of expert-created audio wellness tracks, ranging from sleep tracks, life coaching, mindfulness meditations, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy and breathwork. The app also allows users to receive one-on-one coaching directly from a diverse array of expert coaches and therapists.
For Michael Beasley, speaking out on mental health is personal. Having struggled himself with issues surrounding stress and anxiety both as a player and person, his impetus for speaking out on mental health is to help the next generation of athletes deal and cope with these issues that are so prevalent in both sports and society. As he stated during a one-on-one interview, “I think people are scared. I don’t want mental health to always be thought of so negatively. Early on I didn’t even know I needed help, I bottled everything up. I really had to learn myself and what I was dealing with to start to help others.”
According to CDC data, more than 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness. This means that more than 43 million Americans are experiencing a mental illness at any given time. These illnesses are not exclusively present in just adults. Over 1 in 5 youth aged 13-18 either currently or at some point in their life, have had a serious debilitating mental illness.
Mental health remains a widely used term in national discourse, but what exactly is it? According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of mental well-being that allows individuals to deal with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, and contribute to their community. Mental health remains important throughout our entire lives, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to each other, and ultimately make choices related to our health. Although there is no single cause for mental health illness, traumatic childhood experiences, drug and alcohol use, chronic medical conditions and pervasive feelings of isolation and loneliness can all contribute.
Beasley also understands the importance of speaking on mental health and that all too often many are afraid to speak of their problems. He states, “Mental health is hard to deal with. Off the court I didn’t have anybody to relate to. Growing up, mental health wasn’t a ‘thing’, it was either you’re crazy or you’re not. Just knowing how I feel now, I want to show the world that the high flying NBA players can be vulnerable and go through the same things as everyone else.”
By bringing mental health issues to the forefront, people can become aware of the heralding signs of depression, anxiety, and even suicide. Awareness and education remain crucial in order to treat these illnesses effectively, since mental illness needs to be treated just as medical conditions like heart disease need to be treated. According to an article in European Psychiatry, more than 90% of people who committed suicide as studied from psychological autopsies had symptoms of a mental health disorder. This data underscores bringing general education on the signs of suicide so it can be prevented effectively.
Research also shows that mindfulness based interventions like meditation and cognitive therapy are effective in reducing the risk of suicide. For Beasley, such interventions through the Aura health app are bringing him and his 13-month old daughter joy. He said, “Aura health is a new app that is introducing mental health in a fun, vibrant way that people of all ages can relate to. There are all kinds of coaches and therapists. My 13-month old daughter and I go to sleep to the sleep sounds every night and it works! Our favorite sessions are the affirmations. Sometimes when I am feeling down, I just listen to Aura to give me some extra confidence and mental clarity. It’s like the Instagram of mental health.”
Michael Beasley had 788 total career assists during his impressive NBA career. Perhaps his best assist will be the future generation of athletes he will continue to inspire through his work in promoting mental health.