How Does Mental Health Affect

AThletes?

Common reasons why youth are involved in athletics:

• Passionate about the sport 

• Release stress

• Achieve goals

• Transform towards future 

• Improve the Self

• Connect with others 

• Excitement  

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Athletics provides youth with much more than physical activity. Young athletes rely on their sport as an outlet from stress and often their teammates become one of their biggest support systems. Well, what happens when that sport is no longer there due to a global crisis? What happens when an injury prevents an individual from playing? Or when anxiety creates a major barrier for improving? What if managing time gets difficult and grades begin to slip or burn out takes control? 

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Sports are what athletes can rely on for a number of factors shown to foster a healthy development. When that's gone, it can have a negative impact on ones:

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• Identity and sense of self

• Mood and motivation

• Social or peer relations

• Academic performance

• Management of physical/somatic stress symptoms 

• Ability to cope with hardship

• Sleep or day-to-day structure

• Behavioral control 

• Emotional well-being 

 

When balancing life with athletics get's difficult or when the pressure of the sport becomes intense, athletes commonly experience:

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• Performance Anxiety

• Mental blocks

• Panic 

• Burn out or chronic fatigue

• Low self-esteem/body image difficulties

• Depressed mood or negative self talk

• Self destructive behavior/self harm

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