If Emotions Were Soccer Positions: What Team Canada Can Teach Us About Mental Health
The FIFA World Cup has brought the world together and our Vancouver community together! The city is filled with excitement, the lights are bright, the cheers are loud, the Canadian Spirit is undeniable. If you’re celebrating from home, the stadium, watch parties, restaurants, pubs or the FanFest of Vancouver, we aren’t just watching a game, we’re also seeing some incredibly valuable lessons about how to treat others, ourselves, and our mental health.
At Calm Waters Counselling Collective, we emphasize that mental health as something you don't have to navigate alone. Just like soccer, life isn't about one person doing everything perfectly—it's about teamwork, adapting to challenges, and knowing when to lean on others.
So big question- What if our emotions had soccer positions?
🥅 Goalkeeper: Your Boundaries
A goalkeeper doesn't chase every ball on the field. They know their role, protect their space, and respond when it matters most. Setting healthy boundaries works the same way! Boundaries aren’t mean, they aren’t set to push people away, they are there to protect us, to protect emotional well-being, and to preserve relationships & self-respect.
Just as a goalkeeper protects the net, your boundaries protect your mental health.
🛡️ Defenders: Your Coping Skills
Defenders aren't trying to eliminate every challenge—they're there to respond when challenges arise.
Coping skills work the same way- it’s not that hard things won’t happen. Life will have foul plays, penalties and red cards, coping tools are about handling them effectively. Coping tools allow you to problem solve, regulate, and think clearly so you can keep playing!
Deep breathing, mindfulness, exercise, journaling, talking with a trusted friend, or attending counselling are all "defensive strategies" that help us navigate stress, anxiety, and life's unexpected moments.
⚽ Midfield: Finding Balance
Midfield players connect every part of the game. They transition between defence and offence, adapting constantly.
Life requires balance, too.
Many people in Vancouver juggle demanding careers, school, parenting, relationships, and personal goals. It's easy to spend so much time looking after everyone else that we forget to check in with ourselves.
Balance does not mean perfection and it doesn’t mean 50-50 either, it means a healthy balance based on what life (or the game) requires!
🎯 Forwards: Your Goals and Values
Forwards keep moving toward the goal. We create goals based on the things that are important to us, our values. Decisions in life can help you move toward or away from your goals. Forwards don’t just play on their own, they need a team. Just like the players of the game, it helps to do things as a team, that’s why counsellors are here to help.
👥 Coach: Your Counsellor
Even the world's best athletes have coaches. Players don’t have coaches because they’re failing, weak, or not good enough. They have coaches to help them keep moving forward, to help them be their best. Counselling works the same way. It takes courage and strength to go to counselling! Plus, a counsellor won’t tell you what to do, no laps around the field! Instead, they help you develop a better understanding of yourself, build your coping tools & skills, and navigate the challenges that come with life.
Key Point: There’s no shame in having a coach. There’s no shame in having a counsellor.
At Calm Waters Counselling Collective, our therapists work alongside you—not ahead of you—to help you build the life you want. Request a counsellor here
🪑 The Bench: Rest Is Part of the Game
No player stays on the field every minute- that would be exhausting! Taking rest, making substitutions, having recovery time- it’s all necessary for plays to do their best! Rest is essential for peak performance, mentally and physically. Rest is not weakness and rest is not laziness. If you wouldn’t shame a playing for taking a break at half time, substituting when hurt, or catching their breath- then shaming yourself isn’t needed either.
❤️ The Team: Your Support System
Perhaps the greatest lesson soccer teaches us is this: No one wins alone.
The game isn’t about a single player winning. The game is about teamwork, encouraging each other on and off the field. It’s about the players AND about those behind them: family, coaches, fans, counsellors, officials, rehab teams.
Nobody wins alone. There is an incredible amount of pride in the teamwork that goes into soccer. The teamwork, the passion, the fans, all the energy- It’s something that we as Canadians, are undeniably proud of. Having a support system and reaching out for support- that’s something to be proud of. If you’re not sure where to start, our door is open.
You don't have to carry everything on your own.
Team Canada, Community, and Mental Health in Vancouver
Watching Team Canada compete and seeing the streets of Vancouver flood with red and white, fans of all ages, coming together to show their support, it reminds us of something bigger than the game itself: people are wired for connection.
If you've been thinking about starting counselling, you don't need to wait for a crisis. Counselling can help with anxiety, stress, relationship challenges, life transitions, emotional overwhelm, self-esteem, or simply creating space to better understand yourself.
Looking for Counselling in Vancouver?
At Calm Waters Counselling Collective, we provide compassionate, evidence-based counselling for individuals, couples, youth, and families across Vancouver and throughout British Columbia through virtual sessions. Check out the Calm Waters Clinical Team to see who would be a good fit!
Whether you're learning to strengthen your boundaries, build healthier coping skills, find greater balance, or reconnect with your goals, we're here to support you—because everyone deserves a great team behind them.
You don't have to navigate life's challenges alone.