Diljeet Taylor - Mental Health App

Does it work for all folks, or just heteronormatives?

i am very familiar with the utah running scene, and if the rumblings are to be believed, any mental health intervention for the lady cougars is a good idea. I ran at a smaller in-state school where we picked up several BYU transfers, and that was the vibe i got.

To be fair, i think it was also pretty endemic at my school. It was always disconcerting to finish something like 10xK hard then walk over to the dining hall and see female teamates pushing spinach around their plates with a fork.

She's been leading in this arena and others for a long time. Here's her interview of her journey on the Gill Connections podcast...

Link:

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The Gill Athletics Connections Podcast: #138: Diljeet Taylor-BYU

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Coming off of a magical 2021, we sit down with women's cross country head coach Diljeet Taylor to learn her unique journey. Her story is one of encouragement and belief, starting with a 5th grade t...

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Diljeet should go ahead and give herself another big pat on the back.

the vibe you get is due to the fact that every LDS runner in Utah (and there are hundreds) dreams of running at BYU. It's a borderline obsession. Unfortunately there's only room for maybe 20, and less than half are good enough to make the travel teams.

when a kid can't cut it at BYU it's gutwrenching - they feel like they've not only let themselves down but their faith.

and this isn't exclusive to track and field - all sports teams at BYU deal with this.

glad Diljeet has identified this problem and is taking a proactive step

What does the app actually do. It will ask how you're feeling?

encourages young people to spend more time on their Iphones

Thank you for sharing your firsthand account of these issues in daily college life. I think your personal experience adds to the already massive evidence that these issues exist in so many sports - especially for females. What safeguards did your team have in place for the health of their athletes? I would not consider Utah based teams to be any worse in this regard, many articles I found during my reading centered on teams from other states, high schools, and other countries.

Did she name it after herself?

I would like to see genuine evidence that tracking mood, behaviors and all kinds of domains about yourself like this, specifically on a smartphone that you have access to 24/7, actually improves outcomes. Is this kind of introspection definitely helpful for the majority?

It's meant to lead to using strategies to improve your MH, but what's to stop someone from using those strategies (apparently adjusting training, sleep, stress management, breathing exercises and meditation) anyway? Do you need an app to tell you if one of these will be useful by tracking long term 'trends'? Does it even correlate? Where is the evidence? It says the current focus is on awareness of how you feel anyway!

I just wonder if it's possible that an over-awareness in this age group leads to problems, potentially... anyway.

JMO, YMMV, etc.

I couldn't imagine being a female and wanting to run at BYU. It just seems so cringey starting with the coach.

Is this app another Mazzy ripoff? Just go for the Real Thing.

“Glad Diljeet has identified this problem”

Diljeet IS part of the problem. The app screams irony coming from her despite the fear and mental issues she has instilled in her athletes.

Also reassures you that you are stunning and brave.

This may not be the long term answer but at least the trend is towards trying to help female athletes stay healthy. Hormones, sleep, nutrition, stress, level of training all play into staying healthy. Like I said, this app may or may not be the answer but it may be a step in the right direction.

yes, I agree, track chick! there is zero evidence that tracking one's mood on a smartphone will "help people feel better."
There's no science behind this. Why is a college track coach pretending to be a psychologist/psychiatrist? She should stay in her lane instead of giving her student athletes "false hope" that this app will somehow help them or regulate their mood in some way, I'm concerned it could do more harm than good. "let's be hyper aware of our mood at all times and keep a record of how happy I've been"

everyone knows being a college athlete is trying times. I'm just saying, where is the science to back up the efficacy of this app?

Okay, I'm going to add to my own post: this seems super unhealthy. So, not only are these women tied financially to this coach that makes all the decisions regarding travel teams and scholarships, but now you have to report your mood back to your coach? What's next, living with your coach? Like, is there no privacy of your life?

Your coach doesn't need to know every single detail of your life/mood!!!! Keep the relationship professional!!!!! It's like employer/employee. Not buddy! But, I imagine, young women athletes are not going to pick up on how unhealthy this is.

If you need outside psychological help, get it yourself - separate from your track coach. Someone needs to say it: tracking your athletes mood every day is bizarre levels of control. 18-year-olds are adults. Do you log in to your computer every day and report your mood to your employer? I hope not! They shouldn't be required to tell their coaches these details.

How to know you’re just a hater who’s got nothing.
Start with Ad hominem attack then pretend like you’re privy to some inside info.
Please provide examples of the “fear and mental health issues” she has instilled in the team.

If this were true, you’d be seeing a mass exodus of transfers but that’s not happening.

Anyone who follows this team knows she is universally respected and loved. There will always be one or two out 30 who aren’t going to love their experience and there could be multiple reasons for that - but this isn’t any different than anywhere else.

Taylor isn’t shy about a little self-promotion, which is a hang up for some But she’s also secure enough to not care about what a small minority of haters think.

You just don’t like her.