To ensure athletes' mental health

You might have found yourself reading the title more than once. That’s normal. We’re used to hearing about mental health as a concept, an idea—we often talk about “mental health” in the singular. Do you remember the last time you said, or heard someone say, “I’m mentally healthy”? And when was the last time you said, or heard someone say, “I’m physically healthy”? We hear the latter much more often, don’t we?

By Joey Toupin

However, when we look at its definition, mental health is described as “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and successfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (WHO, 2024). It is, therefore, a mental state of well-being
in which a person can achieve their goals, connect with others, and function productively within their environment. One need look no further to see thatan athlete with good mental health is an athlete whose performance is far more likely to be optimized.

One challenge that sometimes arises isfinding a way to support athletes’ mental health while also helping to normalize the mental health issues they face, so that they feel more comfortable seeking help. How can we balance these two aspects?

In particular, by fostering a climate of psychological safety for athletes. Behaviors that ensure psychological safety aim to create a positive environment that promotes the psychological well-being of everyone by fostering trusting relationships and respecting their psychological integrity (Fransen et al., 2020). Such an environment prevents burnout and improves overall health (Fransen et al., 2020).

Psychological safety takes shape when athletes are made aware that: (a) they can try new things, (b) failures and mistakes are part of the process, (c) poor performances are learning opportunities, (d) that the people around them are there to help them when needed, (e) that coaches, too, face challenges and also seek help, (f) that athletes will be accepted just as they are, and (g) that being authentic and vulnerable is encouraged. Athletes will understand that if something is wrong (e.g., loss of motivation, symptoms of anxiety, concussions, or eating disorders; witnessing or experiencing psychological, sexual, or physical abuse, or neglect, etc.), they will feel confident that they will be heard and welcomed, and that their place on the team will not be jeopardized if they need to step back to take care of themselves.

Let’s take responsibility for creating an environment where athletes can maintain their mental health and where it’s easy for those who need it to seek help. Everyone benefits, both in terms of health and performance.

For further reading, see: Fransen et al. (2020); Gosai et al. (2023); Hägglund et al. (2023); Jowett et al.
(2023); Wagstaff et al. (2023); Walton et al. (2023)