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Gaining great support: Texas Tech's Gordon prioritizes mental health

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal - 11/23/2020

Lexi Gordon’s introduction to mental health rocked her world.

No sooner than the Texas Tech senior guard became a teenager, she lost her aunt, Lindsay Altman to suicide.

“I wasn’t old enough to understand why, but I was old enough to understand that it happened,” Gordon said. “She was always the happy, crazy, full-of-life type of person and me, just trying to kind of navigate the reason why somebody that looks like they’re fine and happy and everything’s ok but that happens.

"It made me hypersensitive to people who have mental disorders or they need mental health. So now when I see that, I want to help them, and I think that’s the biggest impact it’s had on me is that I don’t want to see anybody else struggle or feel like they don’t have anybody.”

Altman’s passing also changed the way Gordon approached her own mental health.

Growing up in Fort Worth, Gordon was always close to her family but entered a dark place when she went to UConn for school. She’d never been that far away from her family, nor had she been limited to that few amount of minutes on the court, 3.9 per game.

In short, it was time for her to come home.

Gordon transferred to Texas Tech in 2018, to be closer to her family, which created an instant mood shift.

But no sooner than one dark cloud was lifted, another came in its place this year.

Lady Raiders coach Marlene Stollings was fired in August and Gordon entered her name into the transfer portal. On top of that, Gordon struggled to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and process the racial and social injustices that came to a head when a video of George Floyd’s death went viral.

On May 25, Floyd was filmed while being handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer for nearly nine minutes, which resulted in his passing.

This time, handling the emotional burden was made a little easier because Gordon was surrounded by family. The pandemic shut down Texas Tech’s campus, so she went back home.

Having a solid support system is essential to Gordon’s mental health. That’s why it was important for her to establish a good relationship with the new Lady Raiders coaching staff right away.

“When our coaching staff left, I was kind of nervous, but when (Krista Gerlich) and them came in, I knew her from before for a long time, so I already have that relationship established,” Gordon said. “But now being able to establish the coach-to-player relationship on top of the personal relationship that we have, it’s been super helpful and I feel like we definitely connect on a different level.”

Gordon also struggles with anxiety, which runs in her family, and becomes heightened before games.

While there isn’t a cure for the condition, Gordon has a series of actions she takes to cope. She meditates before games, attends therapy on a regular basis, and isn’t afraid to reach out for help when needed.

“I feel like it’s always ok to ask for help,” Gordon said. “I think mental health is being more talked about in a positive light, so I think that’s super important just know that it’s ok to ask for help and it’s not something to be ashamed of.”

This year has been emotionally draining, but Gordon has a close group of family, friends and a new coaching staff on whom she can rely.

The Fort Worth native said she’s in a good mental space heading into the season, even despite the uncertainty it brings because of the pandemic. Not just for her, but she does her best to make sure everyone around her is ok, too. As she learned with Altman, everyone has a struggle, whether it’s public or private. Speaking out about it is half the battle.

“I’m in a place where I’m like everything is going to be ok even though all these times are unprecedented and we don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Gordon said. “But, I’m surrounded by a lot of people that I know love me and care about me and want me to succeed. That’s how I feel about them as well, so vice versa.”

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Gaining great support: Texas Tech's Gordon prioritizes mental health

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