As a parent, teacher, coach, or mentor, you know that youth sports can provide a tremendous opportunity for student athletes to develop life skills and build a sense of belonging. However, even with all of its benefits, today’s youth athletes face many challenges in and out of their sport such as struggles with perfectionism, isolation, and resiliency.
Today’s students deal with some of the same issues that their parents did, but they also live in a different time with a unique set of challenges. Therefore, it’s important for coaches and parents to be open to understanding the experiences that students face today, while also finding a way to incorporate the values they learned growing up. The goal is to provide a trusting and safe space conducive to mental health.
Mental Health in Youth Sports
Mental health is an important component of overall health and well-being, and it is especially important for student athletes. Youth sports can be an incredible experience for young people, providing a platform for personal growth, physical fitness, and social connection. However, it’s also an environment that can create significant mental health challenges such as anxiety, low-self esteem, bullying, and burnout.
Student athletes can face a lot of pressure to perform, and this pressure can lead to anxiety and depression. Additionally, burnout is a common problem in youth sports with jam-packed schedules from school to homework to practice to social obligations. Many youth athletes also feel like they have to constantly compete and be the best. Competition among their peers is greater than ever before so in order to be seen, valued, praised, and given opportunities, they have to not just succeed but standout.
Parents often find themselves wondering how far to push their child to be resilient, and when to intervene. It’s certainly a delicate balance and unfortunately, there is no single correct answer because each person is different.
A 2021 study found that “…excessive parental involvement can cause pressure on children who would prefer parental participation characterized by praise and understanding. A balance between a supporting involvement without putting too much pressure is needed by the parents. To prevent burnout and dropout and to facilitate future practice, parents should be counseled (possibly by a sport educator) on how to positively support their children concerning their sport experience.”
How to Recognize Signs of Mental Health Distress in Youth Sports
It’s important to be aware of the signs of mental health distress in student athletes, so that you can take steps to support student athletes. Some signs to look for include:
- A sudden change in performance
- Withdrawal from activities
- Trouble sleeping
- Increased irritability or anger
- Lack of enthusiasm or motivation
- Use of self-deprecating language
- Excessive irritability
If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to take action to support the child’s mental health.
4 Tips for Supporting Mental Health in Youth Sports
There are several steps that coaches, parents, and mentors can take to support the mental health of student athletes. Here are four tips for supporting mental health in youth sports.
1. Encourage Open and Honest Communication
It’s essential to create an environment where student athletes feel comfortable talking about their mental health. As we often say, a safe space is a consistent space. Encourage open and honest communication by providing a safe space for student athletes to talk about their feelings. This can help to reduce feelings of isolation and create a sense of community among the team. Additionally, open communication can help coaches and mentors identify any potential mental health issues early on, so that they can get the student athlete the help they need.
2. Promote Team and Individual Activities
Youth sports can be stressful, so it’s important to create a balance between competition and fun. Make sure to promote team and individual activities that can help student athletes to relax and have fun. This can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and it can also create a sense of connection and community within the team. The goal here is to introduce activities that don’t focus on performance related to their sport.
3. Provide Mental Health Resources
Make sure that student athletes have access to mental health resources. This could include links to mental health organizations, counselors or other professionals who can help student athletes to manage their mental health. It’s also a good idea to bring in professionals who can educate students on issues related to mental health including emotional intelligence and helping them understand the signs of problems in themselves and in others.
Personally, I’m a big fan of student-athlete peer groups. Build peer group or other mental wellness activities into the culture of your team by setting specific times for them to occur. For example, cut a practice short once a week to allow space for these activities. The benefit is that you’ll foster a safe and trusting space, but you’re also not relying on the student to come to you when they have problems—which they might not take the initiative to do—because you’re building an active forum into your program.
4. Praise Effort, Not Just the Outcome
One way to help student athletes cope with perfectionism and anxiety is to praise their effort, not just their success. Yes, we want athletes to improve, compete, be motivated, and succeed, but perhaps the best way to help them is to coach their effort. For example, you might say something like, “Hey Sally, although you missed the ball that time, I can tell that you really hustled to get to your spot. Next time, stay closer to your zone so that when you do that awesome hustle to get into position, you’ll get there faster and you’ll be more likely to get the ball.”
Of course, every student athlete is unique and is motivated by different factors, which is one more reason why it’s important to communicate often and create a safe space. You’ll learn a lot more about each individual when you take a little bit of time to take sports out of the conversation and focus on the human being.
Mental health is a vital component of overall health and well-being, and it is especially important for student athletes. As a coach, parent or mentor, it’s important to be aware of the potential mental health issues in youth sports and to take steps to support the mental health of student athletes. By encouraging open and honest communication, promoting team and individual activities, providing mental health resources, and praising effort, you can help to create an environment that supports the mental health of student athletes.
We understand the importance of mental health in youth sports and we offer a variety of programs to support the mental health of student athletes. Click here to learn more about our programs including one-on-one coaching, group coaching, workshops, and peer groups.
Youth sports can be an incredible opportunity for personal growth and development, and it’s important to take steps to support the mental health of student athletes. By following these tips, you can create an environment that supports the mental health of young athletes.