Good Vs Poor Mental Health
Good mental health
We are all affected by mental health. To achieve balanced mental wellbeing, or good mental health we need to be able to cope with whatever life throws at us as athletes.
Also to have the coping mechanisms to overcome the challenges that are presented to us in the course of our sporting career.
Poor mental health
When we are experiencing poor mental health we may appear to be finding it difficult to cope with daily life, where everything becomes challenging and perhaps overwhelming and difficult to manage.
Poor mental health can occur if we do not look after ourselves or due to a series of negative external life events, such as injury, stress, significant loss, poor sleep or bereavement.
Negative thought cycles also lead to poor mental health
Signs of poor mental health
Irrational self belief statements e.g. “If I lose, I am a failure”, “If I face setbacks, it shows how stupid I am”.
“In our recent study, self-depreciation beliefs were found to be the main predictor of low self-confidence. In simple terms, when an athlete put themselves down and uses language like “If I lose, it means I am a failure" it is most damaging and most likely to lead to losses of confidence. This is then likely to have a knock-on effect on performance and wellbeing.”
~ Dr Martin Turner, Manchester Metropolitan University
Other signs of poor mental health
Missing training sessions frequently
Arriving late repeatedly to training sessions
Decreased interest in the sport
Drastic weight loss/gain
Self isolation
Extreme fatigue
Suddenly quitting
Frequent mood swings