You Don't Have to Hide
Jun 17, 2019
Well-Being
I was asked to be part of a Mental Health Focus Group for student-athletes. The goal of the group was to increase the awareness of mental health issues and mental well-being in the student-athlete population. The group's task was to help reduce mental illness stigma in the student-athlete population, facilitate access to the resources needed to maintain and improve mental health, and advocate on behalf of student-athletes experiencing mental illness.
Unfortunately, mental health/mental illness is still stigmatized in the athlete population. Athletes are afraid to open up, to talk about what's going on for fear of being perceived as weak. Similarly, teammates and coaches often don't know what to say or do, and are afraid of "making things worse" if they talk about it. The truth of the matter is, mental health is important to athletic performance, and talking about it is vital.
Let's Talk About It
There are many good websites dedicated to mental health, and one of those is the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative.
Check it out: