Strong minds programme helps athletes to beat anxiety
The Strong Minds programme helps parents and care givers identify anxiety in those with intellectual disabilities, writes Ramola Talwar Badam
Athletes at the Special Olympics Mena Games left thousands of spectators awestruck with their strength, determination and abilities.
But what happens when young people with intellectual disabilities do not feel quite so strong and proud?
For their parents and care givers, anxiety, depression and emotional pain can be difficult to identify, and many of the young people are incapable of expressing it.
With that in mind, the Strong Minds project was rolled out during the Games. Through yoga and breathing techniques, the athletes are given ways to manage stress and anxiety, while parents and guardians are taught ways to identify when things may not be going so well.
“We shouldn’t be surprised that they develop anxiety, stress or depression – they may even be more vulnerable,” said Dr Khaled Kadry, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist. “You and I can communicate when upset or stressed, but if a person has a developmental delay, speech may not be the easiest form of communication.”
Deep breathing and yoga techniques are being taught at the Special Olympics to help people with intellectual disabilities manage stress and pressure – on and off the playing field.
The Strong Minds project has been rolled out during the Mena Games as part of Healthy Athletes, the largest health programme in the world for people with developmental disabilities.
A pilot Strong Minds project was introduced during the Winter World Games in Austria last year.
Wide-ranging techniques to cope with tension and anxiety will be explained to visitors at the Adnec arena in Abu Dhabi throughout the week.
Free screening, such as dentistry, sight and hearing checks, are provided for 1,500 people with intellectual disabilities as part of the programme.
The aim is to continue the integrated stress and health check-ups through to the World Games in the UAE in March next year.
“All of us get stressed at different points of our life,” said Nadia Sehweil, a co-founder of Bodytree Studio. “Competing, as great as it is, can be stressful.
“We teach deep yoga breathing and stretching techniques that help with stress relief. This can be done whether a person is in a wheelchair, lying down or sitting on a chair – any position that is comfortable for them.”
The Abu Dhabi yoga and Pilates studio is working with the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes programme on the mental and emotional well-being of people with intellectual disabilities to help them use yoga to relax and release physical and mental tension.
“Things like yoga, meditation and mindfulness can become a lifestyle, it can be integrated into their lives,” Ms Sehweil said. “We can adapt techniques so if a person has a sinus problem, we adapt breathing techniques or if a person is uncomfortable lying down, we do exercises sitting up.
“The purpose is to find a modification. These athletes are just so happy. It is really a humbling experience for us to work with them.”
Similar modifications are used by yoga instructors when people have knee or back problems.
Trainers are on hand to help athletes through the Strong Minds stations at the Healthy Athletes arena. Different zones have been set up to help athletes, their care givers and parents understand how to manage stress.
Identifying how various muscles tense up, and release, is taught alongside relaxation and stretching exercises so the athletes can handle
It’s important for people caring for them to read and watch out for signs of stress and get to know these better DR KHALED KADRY Consultant psychiatrist
situations such as anxiety on the field, at home, school or even at the airport.
“These principles apply for everyone,” said Dr Khaled Kadry, a senior consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist from Maudsley Health Abu Dhabi, which has teamed up with Bodytree for the Strong Minds programme.
“There are muscles that feel achy when you are stressed and it helps to recognise what happens when you let go. There is music they can listen to or a strong message from parents or friends that they can remember to help them.
“And they leave with a summary of what they can do the next time they feel stressed, like remembering to breathe, doing a bit of stretching or remembering their mother is here for them.”
Cognitive disabilities can range from mild or moderate to profound. Doctors said the project was key to identifying signs of anxiety, because many people with intellectual disabilities may not be able to communicate what they are experiencing.
“We shouldn’t be surprised that they develop anxiety, stress or depression,” Dr Khadry said. “In fact, they may be more vulnerable.
“You and I can communicate if we are sad, upset or stressed but if a person has a developmental delay, speech may not be their easiest form of communication.
“Then it’s important for those individuals who are caring for them to read and watch out for the signs and get to know these better. This is sometimes overlooked because they don’t describe it, but it can be present in certain behaviour.
“With these tools, carers, family members and the public can be more aware that people with intellectual disabilities may also suffer from stress but may not easily convey it.”
Strong Minds will continue as part of the legacy programme after the Mena Games, with training on coping mechanisms for parents, doctors, nurses, yoga instructors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, counsellors, psychology trainees and university students.
“Yoga releases tension and also strengthens. It is about teaching them to understand and be conscious of their body and how to move in a safe, stable manner,” Ms Sehweil said.
“This is something they can take with them and use in everyday life. It helps make a mind and body connection.
“Parents can work on this at home with children. It is beneficial when parents take it on because children model their behaviour on their parents, so if we meditate, our children are more likely to follow. We strongly encourage parents to be the drivers for change.”