SPORTS MENTAL HEALTH

By: Morgan Diggs

Mental health is very crucial when it comes to sports. This is important because when playing sports you want to be in a good headspace to be good at what you do. Physical activity has been shown to have a strong and positive effect on mental wellbeing. Although that is true it can also have negative effects on your mental health as well as your body.

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Elite athletes are vulnerable to mental health disorders because of stressors that they can come across in their sporting environment. A lot of the stressors are usually injury, overtraining, competitive pressure, and pressure for your body to be a certain way. All of those factors can ruin your mental health, you can acquire depression, anxiety and even eating disorders. 

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It is very important to express what you’re feeling and to listen to your body. You want to enjoy what you do, playing sports should not be something that weighs you down mentally. When it starts to become a stressor in your life you need to ask yourself questions like, “Do I enjoy what I'm doing?” or “Is it really worth it?”. Listening to yourself and your body is vital, your mental health comes first.