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Mia and Zaria discuss various topics including athlete's effect on mental health, mental health in general, and Greek mythology. They talk about the lasting impact of ancient Greece on the modern world, including the origins of democracy and advancements in mathematics and philosophy. They also discuss the similarities between ancient Greece and Greece today, as well as the continued relevance of Greek ideology. In the second segment, Mia discusses how mental health affects athletes, including the high levels of anxiety and pressure they experience. She emphasizes the importance of having outlets and support systems for athletes to talk about their mental health. They also touch on the impact of social media on athlete's mental health and the potential for athletes to inspire and help others by sharing their own struggles. Hi guys! Welcome to Not Tastic with your host Mia and Zaria. On today's episode we're going to be talking about various topics including athlete's effect on mental health, mental health in general, and Greek mythology. In this segment we'll be talking about ancient Greece and its effect on the modern world. Even though ancient Greek times were so long ago, they still continue to have a lasting impact on the modern world. Things like democracy originated in ancient Greece and many mathematical and philosophical advances were also made at that time. So many of those advances continue to be relevant and very helpful in the modern world. Okay, so Evie, I have a question for you. What is the, what was like the main focus of your research for the past few weeks? I've done a lot of research in like how ancient the Greek world used to be and in order to like connect that to what's happening in today's world. I also had a question for you. I was wondering, why are you interested in this? Why did you research it? Well, I think it's a very important thing because it's just so connected to our daily lives. I think it's really interesting that things that we can't even like imagine happening in fact that like are still affecting our lives today. I'm so glad that you're interested in that type of stuff. I was also wondering what is like, since you said that it connects so well to our everyday life, what you think is the most interesting thing you've learned while researching this topic? Well, one of the things that originated in ancient Greece was democracy and a lot of things that we built on when like making our constitution and our country, America, were connected to what like happened in ancient Greece. So one thing was the constitution of the Athenians, which I learned about in an article by National Geographic. And I just thought that was really cool that they had a constitution back then and like we kind of mirrored that when creating our constitution. That's really cool. I like how you talked a lot about the democracy and how the Greeks kind of provided the basis for it. What do you think is the most impactful technology that the Greeks have provided? Well, a lot of the technology that Greeks invented were pretty basis level to us now, but even just simple things like gears and screws like are like common in like everything we make now. So I think they provided a really good like basis for like being able to make better advances now. So going along with impactful technology, who do you think is the most impactful person or like idea that was in Greek history? Well, a lot of like really popular philosophers at that time and like people, I mean, I think it was like Aristotle, like made a lot of like ideas and advances, those kind of people. I know you already touched on this a little bit, but I was wondering, what's an everyday thing that we see from ancient Greece in today's society? Well, I mean, I feel like it's obvious, a lot of architecture styles that were originally seen in ancient Greece, like columns are seen in like, I think it's like the Senate, a lot of like those government buildings. And those kind of styles are like mandatory. I was also wondering, I'm aware that a lot of, yeah, well, I'm not exactly sure on the connection between Rome and Greece architecturally, but I think a lot of ideas were shared between them. So probably some of the ways that they build buildings were kind of similar and definitely some of the structure I think was kind of mirrored. And for my last question, I was wondering how similar is ancient Greece and Greece today? Well, like geographically, the world is much smaller than ancient Greece originally was. But they feel like their language, their movement, and a lot of their culture were all naturalized in India. That's awesome. I love how you went into depth about how ancient Greece and Greek ideology today are very similar and how it's kind of impacted us with all the different uses of technology and everything like that. So do you think that we will continue to use Greek ideology to guide us to the future, not just like the U.S., but other countries as well? Yeah, for sure. I think it will continue to be really important. And I think because ancient Greece established so many like grounds and like foundational kind of things, they will just carry on throughout like the rest of the future, I imagine. Thank you, Indi. That was very interesting. Now we're going to get into our second segment of how mental health affects athletes. Hey guys, I'm Mia, the host for this section of How Mental Health Affects Athletes. So basically the basis of the introduction to this topic is sports psychology. And so sports involve emotion, competition, cooperation, achievement, and lots of psychological study. So a lot of athletes undergo high levels of anxiety, whether like competing through different sports or dealing with other people in their sports fields. And that causes a lot of strain and mental health illnesses, which heavily affects athletes. Yeah, well, that sounds really interesting. I've just been kind of curious, what's been like the main focus of your research in the past few weeks? So like the main focus of my research for the past couple of weeks has been mostly just to get as much information as possible, because there's so many different stories with mental health. And there's been so much going on in like the outside world with like athletes, especially collegiate athletes, committing suicide because of the stress and the pressure that has been put on them to complete certain tasks and being held up to a certain standard. So I was wondering, what made you interested in this? Like what made you want to research this topic? So I'm an athlete myself, and I've struggled with anxiety, trying to please people in my athletic department. And so I've also heard lots of stories about other people and what they've gone through. And I think that it's really important just to acknowledge the fact that it is a problem in society and research more to build your own argument on the topic. What do you think is like the most like standout piece of information that you've learned? So I think one of the most standout pieces of information that I learned was from listening to a TED Talk by Maya Schneider. And she's also a collegiate athlete. She's gone through her own mental health illnesses and just dealing with that with family pressure and all that type of stuff. And so I think the most important thing I learned from her TED Talk was that she thinks that it's important for collegiate athletes and high school athletes to have an outlet so that they can talk to other people. Thank you. That was enlightening. Okay. So now we have a couple more questions. And my first one is, if you had to take a guess, is there a certain sport where bad mental health is probably more intense? So I think that all sports have bad mental health surrounding it because there are just so many different people in each sport that have gone through different things in their life where it's kind of hard to pick a certain sport that has had the most like influential, like bad mental health. If I were to pick one, I would probably say dance or gymnastics just because of the bad stipulation around body image, which can cause a lot of mental health disorders and like eating disorders and stuff that surrounds it. Also, you mentioned you're an athlete yourself. So what implementations or strategies do you think will help an athlete's mental health? Like I said with the Maya Schneider, I think that it's important for athletes to have an outlet, so like people that they can talk to and feel comfortable with. So I think having not like a manager on the sports team, but like someone on the sports team that is like dedicated to like helping people, having that as like implementing a way that the athletes can talk to other people. Yeah. We also know that you've been around a lot of other athletes too. So what's a misconception that people who don't play sports have about athletes themselves? So I think, especially with like student athletes, the perception is that most of us have like our life together and like we're not perfect, but like we're better than everyone else because we do walk around school with like our jerseys and with our sports bags and all that type of stuff. And so I think just that alone, that the perception that athletes think that they're better than other people is like really major. And it's not the case at all because most athletes struggle like a lot. Yeah, I think that's a really good idea, or not a good idea, but like a good thought. Along kind of with that like train of thinking, do you think social media has really, like what effect do you think social media has had on athletes? Yeah. So I think that social media is helpful, but it's also not because a lot of word can be spread and a lot of recognition for mental health can be put on social media. But I also think that social media causes a lot of body image issues, and like perfectionism, because of all the things that are posted. And I feel like that has like a lot of effect on how people and athletes perceive themselves. Yeah. And do you think along with that, that the mental health of the athletes that like, it's projected out to the world, do you think that can affect other people throughout the world? Yeah, I think so. Just because everyone, not everyone, but a vast majority of people struggle with mental health, and it's not talked about. And so having like collegiate athletes, or like professional athletes who speak about their mental health and what they've gone through, I think it's important, because it can help other people who aren't athletes, but use social media, see that there are other people like them who are struggling. And get help for the things that they're going through. And my last question, which, if this is like too personal, okay, but as like an athlete yourself, is there anything that has had like a really, like a, something that stands out to you as something that really affected your mental health? Yeah, I talked about it before with like, I'm like really involved in like FDA. So, like, I've spoken about, like, quote unquote, my story before, but one of the things that's like, really affected me is like, body image and having that perceived, like, perfect body type for women on the Internet. Or like on social media, and just one of the things that I've struggled with was like, keeping my body healthy for sports, but also trying to keep up with the standards of society, because I felt like I wasn't good enough for basically like anyone. So, having that blend of trying to stay healthy and eating the right things while also trying to lose weight and just fit this mold, it's just one of the things that's definitely like, taken a toll on me and my athletics and just the way I lived. Okay, so wrapping up on how mental health affects athletes, we're moving into a similar topic in our third and last segment and how the increase of bad mental health has affected teenagers and the increase in bad mental health on teenagers. Okay. Hello, I'm Zaria and I research the increase of bad mental health in teenagers, and I basically research a lot about what bad mental health looks like, what are the causes, the age groups, the percentages, and just seeing why this is happening. So I know you talked a little bit about how you've been researching percentages and just statistics, so what has been the main focus of your research for the past couple of weeks? I've mostly been focusing on the whys, like, because I think it's, like, society has very, like, put a label, like, if you have bad mental health, it's because of, like, this, this, and that, like, you have to have some bad life, but, like, it's really not like that. It could be for nothing. Some people just have, they have issues, and it's not for reasons that people are telling them. So the why. Yeah. So is there a reason why you're specifically interested in this topic? Kind of like Nia said, I've struggled with the things I've researched, and I've also been around a lot of people who have struggled with bad mental health, so just seeing it and not it being, like, talked about, it makes me want to, like, research it and, like, bring a light on the situation. Right, because it's just so, like, impactful for, like, everyday society. So going along with that, what do you think is, like, the most interesting thing you've learned while researching the topic? I've noticed with my research is that a lot of these teenagers, like, looking at all, like, the surveys that have been done, a lot of them don't even know that they're struggling because it's not talked about, so they think it's, like, this is just, like, a regular day in my life, but it's, like, actually something, and it's, like, what, like, what's happening isn't okay, but they think it is because nobody, nobody's brought a light on it, so. Right, yeah. Yeah. So what do you think, like, has really affected this increase? Okay, I, we, like, I personally think, as for all teenagers in high school, a lot of it, I think, comes from just school itself. I feel like it's very stressful, and also we're all at the point in our lives where, like, we're being told, like, you have to figure out what to do with your life, so that's also very stressful, and you just have, and we're surrounded by people who, like, aren't always the best, or even if people, even some people have, like, home issues or stuff like that, so it's just a lot of factors of, like, a negative environment or negative people or just, like, what they see on their phone. Right. Yeah. And along with that, like, what do you think teens can do to help themselves? I personally think it's very important to find that outlet or that thing that just, like, brings you back down to earth or makes you feel, like, happy or just okay, so, like, people, music, a hobby, just finding that thing or that person to talk to. Yeah. And my last question was, do you think that mental health will, like, continue to worsen in the future, or, like, do you think it's gonna kind of, like, get better or stay the same? It's very hard to say. I feel like right now, if, like, if right now just, like, continues and nothing changes, there's a chance that it will get worse. Like, I think there's a very high chance, but I also feel like, like, just people like us, like, talking about this, like, if that starts to happen, like, there's a chance for change. I think it could get better, but it could also get worse. Well, plus with, like, all the organizations that are being created for mental health. I know, like, when I was researching Mental Health America, it's, like, a super big organization. Yeah. So, like, it's creating, like you said. Those spaces. Exactly. Yeah. I do think the resources for help are, if I laugh at it, way better. A way better. Yeah. People who are, like. In the beginning. Yeah, exactly. Right. For, like, for my research in the beginning, it was, like, people who lived in, like, 7,000 or 700 BC would literally just be, like, be in the death because they went through struggles or, like, even early in, like, the 1900s, people were just put in mental health institutions just to be put there because they had no other space to go and people thought they were going to, like, kill somebody because they had these bad, like, mental health issues. Yeah. So, going with that, what have you found to be, like, the worst mental health condition with the research that you've done? So, how do I answer this? It's not so much. Like, my answer is not so much it's the worst, but it's, like, the most common. Right. Depression is, depression and anxiety is up there. Like, I wrote about it a little bit, but it's in, like, the major zone, depression and anxiety. It's not the worst because there's also, unfortunately, percentages of, like, substance abuse and stuff like that. Right. As far as right now, like, depression and anxiety are the worst of it. Yeah, that makes sense. Are there any ways that you think schools could help more with students who struggle? Because I know a lot of kids want to go to their guidance counselor but feel like they won't do anything about it. Yeah. I truly think that, I feel like a lot of students that I've seen, like, they're stressed out or, like, in a bad place mentally because of, like, they just have so much to do and they feel like they don't have enough time. And I feel like offering, like, that, I guess, downtime, I guess, like, this is a horrible example, but, like, in middle school where, like, you had, like, advisory, just, like, stuff like that. And also, guidance counselors, there should be a space for, like, I feel like teenagers are more comfortable talking with teenagers. Right. So creating a space where, like, teenagers can talk instead of, like, last year when Mr. Henrickson, like, passed away, they had, like, a group for, like, his classes that I went and it was, like, really, really helpful. So, like, creating that space with kids your age definitely helps you. Yeah, I agree. And so I know we had similar topics. So the last question that I have for you is if you think that collaboration between social media is a highly contributing factor to the increase in bad mental health. 100%. Because you talked about it a little bit, too. Because one, like, the internet, like, it's endless. You can do anything. You can see anything. And like you talked about earlier, body image is, like, a huge thing of, like, comparing yourself to, like, somebody physically or financially. It's just a lot of comparing that I think happens online. And it makes you – it makes, like, teenagers think about the stuff they don't have and wish they had rather than the things that they do. And it can just kind of get in their head and make them, like, feel bad about themselves. Yeah. I was going to touch on that, too, because that makes a lot of sense. I was trying to figure out another example besides body image on social media that, like, students compare themselves to. But I feel like a lot of social media is, like, comparing not even just, like, body image and monetary value but, like, the lifestyle. Yeah. Like, like, I wish I was looking like them or, like, stuff like that. Or, like, on a beach. Exactly. Or, like, in a treehouse or something cool. Yeah. Yeah. I know what you mean. Yeah. Well, thank you for sharing. I think all the topics we've covered today have been really interesting and relevant in different ways. And for next time to listen to more interesting topics, tune in to Not Past It.