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Hosted at Tufts University and supported by HBC Foundation’s HEADFIRST program, which focuses on providing mental health support. This episode of New York Times Get With The Times event shined a light on mental health–a topic that is very important to college students. Research shows that 1 in 5 college students are affected by some type of mental illness such as anxiety and depression. These can be due to various factors such as workload, relationships, and others. That is why Kevin Love was featured to speak about his experiences with dealing with anxiety and depression in hopes of spreading mental awareness and helping others. This interview was filmed live and broadcasted to watch parties at college campuses across the country. Flyers with resources, gear, buttons with quotes, and stickers, were provided at these viewing parties.
(Photos by Author)
Kevin Love was interviewed by Juliet Macur, a leading sports reporter for The New York Times, who has covered topics such as the Olympics, NFL cheerleading, and USA Gymnastics scandals. Love was able to open up about how he has coped with mental illnesses, talk about how others responded to his situation and answered a few questions from the public, as well as provide some advice. Love also shared a side of himself few fans ever see, going into detail on the panic attack he suffered during a game.
(Photo by Author)
When asked, “How were your expectations of how people would react to your mental illness different than what really happened?” (asked by a Tufts University student), Love said, “I felt uneasy by how people would respond, but you manufacture ideas in your brain and think worse than it is, it was universally well received.” Love also admits that he believes that “Everybody’s going through something” and states that the way he deals with stress is with exercise, whether it be basketball or out in nature, dogs, and TM (transcendental meditation), to detach himself from anxiety and promoting harmony and self-realization. Kevin Love hopes to positively impact others who feel alone by speaking out and spreading mental awareness by opening up about his experience.