Mental health issues take a toll on the lives of sports players

Dharshana Kathiresan, INN/Chennai, @Infodeaofficial

The emotional turbulence experienced by sports players is highly extreme. Its repercussions have a direct impact on their well being. Also, as an added complication, the importance of the players’ mental health is not discussed at several forums and is mostly regarded as a stigma.

Given the attention received by sports icons from media, fans, and haters in today’s sphere, it’s quite complex for them to not break down under pressure.

Several stars have acknowledged the issue, through their personal experiences:

Indian Olympic gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra had spoken of his struggles to manage his mind, in 2019. The former shooter said at an event, “I abused my passion. I did not maintain a balance. By abuse, I mean the single-minded focus on one thing.

It is not the way to go about. It definitely gives you success, but in the end, a gold medal is not everything in life. If you find the right balance, you will see that you will be able to be at your best.

I was a very good athlete and was always performing my best in training, but I always struggled in competition, I never liked competition. I put all my eggs in one basket, and there was a lot of anxiety. I was never the best version in competitions I could have been.”

“After every Olympics I think I fell into a major state of depression. I didn’t want to be in the sport anymore… I didn’t want to be alive anymore. I am extremely thankful that I did not take my life“ said Michael Phelps in 2018, who was a popular American swimmer and the most successful Olympian.

“I’ve gone through a phase in my career where I’ve felt like it was the end of the world. In England 2014, I just didn’t know what to do, what to say to anyone, how to speak, how to communicate.

To be honest, I couldn’t have said I am not feeling great mentally and I want to get away from the game, because you never know how that’s taken. I think these things should be of great importance because if you think that a player is important enough, for the team and for Indian cricket to go forward, I think they should be looked after.”

These were the words of the Indian Cricket Captain, Virat Kohli, who is a world renowned cricket player. This statement came soon after the decision taken by several Australian cricketers to start taking time off in order to manage their mental health.

All these statements help us to see the intense pressure these players undergo. Especially, nowadays, where each individual decides to criticise athletes from behind a screen using social media, its even more tough for the players.

They are more prone to performance-related anxiety and insecurity, which takes a huge toll on their personal lives as well.

Experts say that the first lesson sportspersons need to include is to not associate self-worth and self-esteem with their performance or form. Paddy Upton, who was the Indian cricket team’s mental conditioning coach has earlier said, “the key is to help a player understand that who they are as a person and what they do on the ground are two different things. They need to separate the results- good or bad- from their personal lives.”

Many athletes have stated that surrounding themselves with their close ones helps, as the closer circle loves them regardless of their status or outcome of matches. So it’s very crucial for them to ensure that the right people have influence over them.

Professionals also note that fans and society expect the players to stay tough, as the society regards any vulnerability as a weakness. They say that the sportspersons are afraid that media glare and fan attention to their mental health issues, would affect their careers.

Track and field athlete, Dutee Chand has said in a statement that professionals have fear and doubt, but people just expect them to ignore it and move forward. This often leads to a scenario, where there is lack of motivation and we can see a drastic drop in the energy levels of players.

Despite the stigma, in recent years, we can see a surge in the number of players moving away from ground pressure and taking time for themselves. This kind of decision is highly personal and the members expect their fans and critics to understand that they are doing what works best for them.

Many players like Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian Women’s Cricket Captain in T20, have urged the respective sports council to appoint psychologists for the teams. They feel that it is mandatory to place one’s mental health as a ‘constant’ rather than a priority.

It is highly vital to realize that one’s on-field performances doesn’t evaluate their individual worth. And its also required to acknowledge the performance pressure and seek psychological assistance without second thoughts.