Beyond the Outcome is a searchable collection of articles about current topics in athlete mental health. I hope this helps you as an athlete or coach in developing awareness of mental health and reducing the stigma associated with it. 

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At her breaking point, she finally accepted her heightened emotions. She said she didn’t know what anxiety was; she thought feeling constantly worried was normal. 

“People shy away from it, because it might be scary and they don`t want to face it,” Hunter said. 

Lead psychologist of Sun Devil Athletics Jayme Shelton explained that every emotion and thought athletes had is now emphasized and saturated since the onset of the pandemic, she said.

In times of stress, people fall into habits that help alleviate that feeling. Athletes, particularly, in college deal with a tremendous amount of high-pressure situations, so they understand how to adapt in tough circumstances......

"It almost builds anxiety, having the feeling that I`ll have nothing, like I`m not going to be able to have any sports or stuff that I`m really good at and really look forward to. It`s getting taken away and you have no control."

.....Hastings feels that the pause in sports have allowed people to realize their importance. Victory feels good, and there are lessons to learn in defeat, but it`s the little moments that athletes are missing out on.

"We tend to take (sports) for granted, how beneficial that it can be for the mental welfare," he said. "Just being in the locker room with your teammates, that might not sound so important, but just being there with your teammates, fooling around, teasing each other, being together, that kind of camaraderie is really beneficial. Maybe we take it for granted, especially now that we don`t have it."......

Stress is never a great ally to anyone, but unfortunately, it`s quite common for us all. And for athletes, it can be extra harmful. For those of us who are training, stress has the potential to derail workouts and even cause some health problems or injury.

"Research demonstrates that stress impacts not only risk of injury and athletic performance but recovery from injury and return to play," noted Bonnie Marks, PsyD and staff psychologist at NYU Langone`s Sports Performance Center. "Mental health can also be a great concern for injured athletes, who often feel disconnected from their sports community when stuck on the sidelines. Using mindfulness and other coping strategies to reduce and manage stress plays a crucial role in rehabilitation, both in terms of physical and mental quality of life.".....

Studies have shown that Cahill is justified in the way she feels.....

.....Cahill said the concussions affected her emotional, mental and physical health. She had bouts of depression. She’s fought hard to get better.

“I have found ways to cope with it better, but they do still exist,” said Cahill, who graduated from Arizona State University in the spring, but did not play volleyball. “Through that and more research has come out linking all of the mental health issues that athletes are experiencing to brain trauma.”.....

....Quite often athletes find themselves in a mental environment that is not conducive to mindfulness. Analyzing past performances can create a mindset of judgement and resistance. Having a focus on outcomes often creates a situation where athletes grasp for more never allowing themselves to enjoy of the present moment....

....Focusing on future events creates grasping and paying too much attention to the past can create attachment which in turn may create feelings of discontent and regret. These emotions can play havoc on an athlete’s mental health.

In contrast when your awareness is on the present it allows you to notice things that create feelings of gratitude and engagement.....

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