As you listen to the coach talk at practice, you can’t stop thinking about the one shot you missed yesterday, the defender that dodged you in the last game, or the runner that passed you in the last 100 meters at the track meet a week ago. While these thoughts aren’t always bad, they can play a huge role in your athletic performance.

With new scientific research, more light is being shed on mental health in schools, careers, and family life. But how often do you consider mental health out on the playing field, in the pool, or on the track? 

When an athlete’s mental health is in a poor state, their reaction times and concentration may be off. This anxiety can transfer over to academic and social aspects of life, and can also lead to injuries.

“I think that it has a big role in your performance,” track runner and freshman Zaya Peki said. “And even if you have all of the physical capabilities, your state of mind when you’re doing the sport, or if you’re distracted, can really have an impact on your gameplay.” 

Being anxious before a big athletic competition is normal, but can cause your cortisol (the stress hormone) to increase, making muscles tense up. This, along with focus loss, can pose a risk for injury. When an athlete becomes injured, this further can decrease their mental health and it could be difficult to regain confidence after the situation.

“When an athlete has a significant injury and they’re out of the sport for a considerable amount of time, it’s a breeding ground for depression and anxiety,” Dr. Cirán Dalton said. Dalton has a doctorate in clinical psychology and runs his own clinical and sports psychology business in Media. “They go from doing this thing that they really like, being on public display, performing in front of other people, now they’re not doing that at all. It hurts their self esteem.” 

For high school athletes, college recruiting can add to the stress they are already handling from school sports, high school, and even club team athletic competitions.

“I think a lot of them tie their identity to the sport, so if they don’t make it to the team they want or the school they want, then it can affect their self worth,” behavioral health counselor Ms. Kate Sargent said. “So I think just remembering why you love the sport and the basics of it can be really helpful during the recruiting process.”

To manage this stress, athletes can use mindfulness and meditation. This is any activity, such as listening to music, that can direct your brain away from negative thoughts and offer a time for self-affirmations. 

Cognitive behavior therapy is another method to assist mental health during a stressful time. This strategy involves understanding how to prevent continuous negative thoughts from affecting your upcoming performance. 

Journaling, visualizing, deep breathing, positive self-talk, and working with a trusted adult or friend are also all beneficial ways to calm yourself before a competition and to improve your mental health in general.

“They can learn to guard themselves against those negative thoughts and catch them sooner, not let them spiral out of control.Then they’re not going to be as anxious, and they’re going to maintain their confidence,” Dalton said.

It is extremely important for athletes to protect their mental health. While at times an athlete’s state of mind can decline as a result of an athletic performance, exercise can also boost dopamine and serotonin at certain points.

“I really encourage everyone to play sports because it can build up their own confidence, and you can see tangible progress…the more you play,” school psychologist Mr. Christopher Bennett said. “Sometimes with other areas it’s harder to see those results, but with sports, I think you can definitely see those and it can be very rewarding and help encourage other areas of your life.”