Mental Health and Sports
Here are 8 tips for supporting mental well-being in athletes.
Sports can play an important role in good mental health. Physical activity can give your mood a boost when you are feeling low. It can also help you prevent and recover from mental illness. Sports offer the added benefit of building strong relationships with peers and coaches. Relationships with peers and caring adults also play an important role in mental health.
At the same time, sports can be a source of pressure and stress for athletes. A little stress and pressure can boost your focus and give you energy to play. But, when you feel stress too often during training or the stress doesn’t go away after the game, it’s hard on your mental health. Tryouts, mistakes, tough losses and injuries may become sources of unhealthy stress and anxiety. These challenges can also offer a good opportunity to build skills and mindsets that can help you manage stress and do your best on and off the field.
8 Tips for Good Mental Health in Sports