How does mental health affect pro athletes?

Mental health affects pro athletes the same as any other human being. The main point of difference is in their line of work—the sports industry—there are often stigmas about emotions and mental wellness that they have to overcome as individuals.

For most pro athletes, the majority of their world revolves around being a professional player. That’s their job, and it’s extremely demanding. To compete at a high level, the athlete has to have a level of inner tenacity. Without this intense drive, they likely wouldn’t have made it to the pro level in the first place. They have to work regardless of how they feel, while maintaining or exceeding the level of excellence that is expected of them. This is preached as mental toughness.

One reason why mental health affects many pro athletes is that they often spend so much time learning how to be tough at-all-costs—which again allows them to be competitive—that they likely haven’t taken the time to learn about how to deal with all of the other buttons that can be pushed. Many of them feel that there’s no time for this inner work because they can’t lose focus by going in on their emotions.

Some pro athletes are open about mental health, but it’s not the majority.

It’s true that many pro athletes are opening up more and more about their struggles with mental health. We’ve heard numerous stories about these players stepping forward about their struggle with having diagnoses such as anxiety disorder, OCD, Bipolar Disorder, Depression. And while some of these athletes may not have an ongoing mental health issue, they have gone through tough periods of lows where they found themselves feeling depressed. There are big names who are okay with being open about that. We’re even seeing teams step forward to hire full-time mental health professionals like psychologists.

So, what’s the problem? The individual athlete still has to uncover who they are and learn to normalize emotions. Just because one guy on a team voices his battle with depression, it doesn’t mean that his teammates are necessarily prepared to talk about their problems, much less address them on their own.

What are some common issues that can cause mental health problems?

Stressful situations can derail a person’s mental wellness, especially over long periods. Additionally, inner negative habits can create struggles. Examples of sources of issues might include:

• Family pressure
• Family matters
• Health
• Finances
• Demanding schedules
• Lack of sleep
• Negative self-talk
• Imposter phenomenon
• Managing expectations
• Time management
• Performance fears (e.g., fear of making mistakes)

The bottom line is that every person experiences challenges and if even they never experience a mental illness, learning how to manage emotions—which again an inescapable part of being human—can benefit mental wellness in the short-term and in the long-run.

Mental Health for Pro Athletes

Mental health is a highly personal matter that requires an individualized approach. Because of that, the individual has to be a participant. For many pro athletes, mental health can affect them, but they may not have the tools or inner perspective to move forward.

I’ll share an example. A retired football player once told me that he had to reprogram or recondition to reenter into society when he was done playing his sport. This phase sent him into a depression for several reasons. Among them, he didn’t know who he was outside of football and he highly valued dealing with problems on his own, which mean he didn’t know how to open up or who to open up to for help. He was confused, lost, and ultimately struggled through a period of depression.

When we think about how mental health affects pro athletes, it’s really no different than how it affects you or me. Everyone has challenges that are unique to them and everyone has emotions. The environment that the individual works and lives in can make a huge impact on whether or not the person feels comfortable with addressing his or her inner work. In many sports, that environment is key to looking at addressing mental health for the pro athlete.

Check out more athlete mental health resources here.