Poor mental health is becoming more common in sports, with athletes experiencing a growing number of sporting pressures that contribute to mental health issues. While the numbers are rising, athletes can benefit from various exercises, wellness, and meditation techniques to improve their mental well-being.

This toolkit, curated by the ISNation team, aims to provide athletes, coaches, and parents with the tools they need to support sporting professionals with their mental health.

Each section includes up-to-date information, tips, and exercises for good mental health and, by extension, the maintenance of healthy sporting performance. This toolkit also contains our latest mental health commentary, handpicked by our experts for your use.

Tools in this guide:

• Mental Health in Sports: The Figures

• Meditation for Athletes

• Mental Toughness Exercises

• Wellness for Athletes

• Mind, Body, and Sport

• Mental Health in Sports: The Figures

In elite and professional athlete circles, mental illness is rife. Studies have shown that over 50% of elite athletes suffer from some form of mental health issue in their lives, whether during sports or post-sporting achievement. But why is athlete mental health becoming prevalent? Recent research indicates factors such as alcohol misuse and poor support networks, amongst others, have been shown to have an impact. This section will dive into the statistics, what they mean, and how you can use this information to protect yourself or help a friend or family member.

Meditation for Athletes

Meditation and mindfulness practices are important tools for enhancing mental health as an athlete. While in the past, people didn’t take meditation so seriously, studies have proven that mediation and mindfulness decrease anxiety. As an athlete, it can give you an edge over your opponents and allow you to keep your cool during high-pressure competition.

Employing the right techniques, such as grounding and self-soothing practices, can help take the edge off of potentially overwhelming and anxiety-inducing situations. Practiced meditation and grounding have been proven to improve mental health outcomes. To provide athletes with the right meditations to deal with struggles in sport, school, and everyday life, we’ve teamed up with Smiling Mind to provide free meditations on our platform.

Mental Toughness Exercises

Amid consistent pressure to perform and without the right supportive network, athletes are susceptible to increased levels of fatigue and poor mental health. Practicing mental toughness exercises can help overcome negative mental health and associated symptoms or conditions, such as anxiety and depression.

In this section, we give examples of exercises you can try, based on the four pillars of mental toughness: motivation, self-confidence, attentional focus, and managing pressure.

Wellness for Athletes: Holistic wellness for an athlete is a combination of both physical health and mental fitness.

Focusing on ‘mind, body, and sport’ is a mantra that all athletes should use to improve their well-being. Ensuring you get the right sleep, proper nutrition, and the right balance with training are all important factors for positive mental health. Wellness is not a matter of physical or mental health alone, but both work in harmony.

Mind, Body, and Sport on the ISNation App

To learn more about improving mental health as an athlete, coach, or parent, check out the ISNation App. Our app provides free mental wellness content to help you be the best you can be, in and out of your sport.

ISnation is building a community-oriented platform that fosters a supportive training environment and support network by bringing athletes, coaches, and parents together to achieve positive mental wellness outcomes.

Latest commentary:

• Positive Self-Talk Examples and Activities for Athletes from Former NFL Quarterback

• Nothing to Lose vs Everything To Lose: The Importance of a Growth Mindset

• Turning Setbacks into Success: How Coaches Can Use Failure as a Learning Tool

• The Art of Coaching: Cultivating Growth and Inspiration