Stress, mindset, and youth athletes performing under pressure

Sport and physical activity are used as a way to exercise and offer stress relief. In many cases, they help. Sport can also create a sense of community, improve self-confidence, and provide an avenue for exercise. Those are huge benefits, especially at the youth or junior level. Despite the many benefits of sport participation, youth athletes are not immune to experiencing stress and possibly symptoms of poor mental health.

Research shows that mental illness is the most prominent health condition in developed countries among youth athletes aged 14-25. In fact, 1 in 6 youth athletes have a mental health condition, and 50 percent of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14. Much of this can be a result of performance-related stressors like the demands to achieve a certain level of success, suffering injuries, and mental fatigue. These factors can take a toll on the youth athlete and lead to burnout and loss of self-confidence.

Cognitive Behavioral interventions can help reduce these stressors and improve the mindset of youth athletes by practicing self-compassion.

Self-compassion consists of three pillars:

·         Self-kindness

·         Common humanity

·         Mindfulness

Self-kindness helps youth athletes be more accepting toward themselves in difficult situations. Common humanity promotes the idea that many people experience thoughts and feelings similar to what the athlete is experiencing, such as pre-competition anxiety. Mindfulness encourages the athlete to stay balanced in their thoughts and feelings during stressful situations, and encourages self-awareness.

All of these are important to consider and are factors that can be improved through mental performance skills training. The idea of mental performance training is still relatively new, especially within youth sports. But, as the pressures of sport in this age range continue to increase, working to improve the mental side of the game will become increasingly important. Some of the areas youth athletes can benefit from include goal setting, visualization, positive self-talk, and reflection.

The statistics mentioned above might sound alarming, especially to those on the outside who are not fully aware of the pressures youth athletes experience. If you are experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression, or low self-confidence, you are not alone. The good news is there are strategies you can implement into your sport performance preparation to relieve some of those symptoms and get back on track.