7 Ways To Support an Athlete With Anxiety

By: Misty Buck, Athlete Mental Health Coach and Contributor to HOFH

Note: Always consult a medical professional. The content in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment in dealing with mental illness

Sometimes nervousness and worry are more than just simple emotions. Chances are, you’ve heard an athlete say they are feeling anxious or experiencing anxiety. Anxiety disorders are prevalent affecting roughly 40 million adults (18 and older) in the U.S. each year making it the most common mental illness. Athletes are just as susceptible to struggling with anxiety as anyone else. From student athletes to weekend warriors to professional athletes, people experiencing mental health issues need the right support.

Panic attacks, social anxiety, performance anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorders — you might associate these with fear or shyness. But what you probably don’t realize is that they can also affect athletes who fear revealing their personal weaknesses in front of the public eye. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. It’s not a negative feeling, but rather a natural reaction to stressors in our lives. However, when this response becomes consistent and interferes with your life on a daily basis, it’s time to seek professional help. And while mental illness is not something we should be embarrassed about or hide away from, it is often overshadowed by stigma.

In the sports community, the last thing you may want to let people know about is your struggles with mental health issues. You may be embarrassed or afraid of letting people know that you might not be up to performing at your best. It’s common in sports to strive to “toughen up” and play anyway. However, when an issue goes unaddressed it can explode. In a 2018 article in Players’ Tribune, Kevin Love describes being surprised by a panic attack and the steps he took following the incident. Prior to that, however, he never really gave much thought to his own mental health. He wrote, “So for 29 years, I thought about mental health as someone else’s problem. Sure, I knew on some level that some people benefited from asking for help or opening up. I just never thought it was for me. To me, it was a form of weakness that could derail my success in sports or make me seem weird or different. Then came the panic attack.”

Regardless of what your opinions are about mental health and anxiety, the truth is that it affects all of us differently. That being said, it’s crucial for coaches, team members, and

athlete supporters to understand how anxiety affects athletes so we know how to support them on and off the field without further compromising their well-being.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of nervousness, worry, or nervous excitement that can make you feel like you’re on edge. It’s a normal part of life that can be triggered by a number of things, including stressful situations, concerns about your health, financial pressures, and relationship issues. While it’s not always easy to identify anxiety in others, there are some telltale signs to look out for. Some of these include feeling restless or on edge, having a sense of impending doom, sweating, feeling tense, experiencing shortness of breath, feeling like you’re losing control, or having a racing heart.

Sometimes anxiety can be a good thing in performance such as when you experience a feeling of butterflies in your stomach that might actually help you prepare for the game. However, anxiety is your body’s way of signaling that there is something going on mentally or emotionally that’s causing stress hormones to release. There are different types of anxiety, but some of the signs and treatments are similar.

“Identifying or diagnosing anxiety can sometimes be a challenge. Symptoms of anxiety may mimic other illnesses like ADHD, Mood Disorders, or physical health problems,” says Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD, Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Scheduled Care and AtHome Care at Array Behavioral Care. “When treating or addressing anxiety symptoms, it is important not to avoid your fears entirely. Avoidance often increases anticipatory anxiety. Treating more severe symptoms of anxiety often requires both therapy and medication interventions. Anxiety can be a debilitating illness and appropriate treatment can drastically improve an individual’s quality of life.”

1. Know the Signs of Anxiety in Athletes

Whether you’re a coach, a team leader, a teammate, a friend, or a family member, it’s crucial to be aware of the signs and symptoms of anxiety so you can step in when you see them. There are many different types of anxiety disorders, each with its own set of symptoms. However, there are some commonalities to be on the lookout for.

Examples of signs of anxiety:

● Physical symptoms like trembling, headache, stomach ache, or an increased heart rate

● Nervousness and edginess

● Racing thoughts

● Feeling like you’re losing control

● Difficulty concentrating

● Trouble sleeping

● Various forms of avoidance

● Excessive worry

2. Have a Plan to Help Athletes With Anxiety

Anxiety disorders can be debilitating, but help is available. Treatment often comes in the form of therapy, as well as medication if necessary. There are many ways you can support an athlete suffering from anxiety. This can be anything from offering to accompany the individual to their therapy appointment to suggesting they take a break from training when they’re feeling stressed to reminding them to use their coping tools to help them relax.

One such tool is the 54321 method. This helps the person begin to focus on real and tangible experiences at the moment by becoming aware of their five senses. The way to do this is to ask the person to name five things they can see, four things they can touch, three things they can hear, two things they can smell, and one thing they can taste.

You can also try opening up a conversation by asking questions like:

● What’s your stress level like right now?

● On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, how would you rate your emotional health right now?

● What’s making you nervous? Let them answer and then tell them you’d like to know more about that. If they say they don’t know what’s causing them to feel a certain way, encourage them that it’s okay and ensure them that their feelings are valid even if they don’t understand them. Invite them to do a breathing exercise or the 54321 method along with you.

● Can I help you find the right support?

3. Understand That Recovery Takes Time and Relapses Can Happen

Anxiety disorders are often misunderstood and misdiagnosed as a weakness in the person. In reality, if left untreated, anxiety can become very serious and even affect your career. It may also worsen with time, as athletes are often pushed to train when they’re not fully healed from their illness. This is why it’s so important for everyone to understand that recovery takes time. This means that if an athlete is diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, it’s important to give them the time and space they need to heal. Avoid pushing them to train too soon, and avoid letting others pressure them to perform before they’re ready. There’s a fine line between working through adversity and pushing yourself too hard. Meet them where they are. Encourage them, but respect their process. Allow them to feel safe.

Mental health maintenance lasts a lifetime. It’s not uncommon for someone who previously overcame a mental health issue to relapse. A variety of different experiences can cause old thinking patterns and negative coping mechanisms to reemerge. It’s important to understand that this is both normal and treatable. Mental wellness is a journey and along each step of the way, you’ll discover and learn something new. The best thing you can do is encourage grace, patience, and courage.

4. Don’t Be Afraid To Seek Help Yourself

To truly be able to support someone else, you must first take care of your own needs. You too can suffer from anxiety, stress, or other mental health issues. And, when supporting someone through a hardship, it’s especially critical to be aware of your own needs. Everyone deals with hard times and internal struggles. Just because you are supporting someone else or an entire team for that matter, that doesn’t mean that you can ignore your own mental wellness needs. It may feel easier to focus on others and pour yourself into supporting them, but you can’t carry the weight of everything on your own. Make sure you also have a team to help you be the best complete version of yourself so that you can do the best job possible of supporting others. When things feel particularly stressful, make it a point to talk to someone whether it’s a peer group, a counselor, a family member, or a friend. You need an outlet too.

5. Don’t Forget To Celebrate Small Wins

Anxiety disorders can be debilitating. They can take a long time to recover from and some days might be better than others. However, it’s important to remember that progress is being made, even when it doesn’t feel like it. To foster a sense of progress, it’s crucial to celebrate small wins. For example, if you’re coaching a football team and one of your players is struggling with an anxiety disorder, you can track how many days in a row they go to practice and make that a point of celebration. Furthermore, help them celebrate small victories like getting out of bed, meeting daily goals, or even the fact that they are talking about how they feel. You may also want to celebrate self-care and wellness streaks such as meditation, journaling, or using affirmations. When it comes to mental health and recovery, no victory is too small.

6. Create a Safe Space

Sometimes not speaking up is not so much about fear as it is about the effects of the mental health disorder. Issues like anxiety can feel isolating because the individual might

prefer withdrawing and being alone. One of the best ways to offer encouragement is to create a safe space where the individual doesn’t feel pressured or judged.

They say that a safe space is a consistent space. Be someone that the athlete knows that they can count on by practicing active listening, non-judgment, and checking in on them regularly before an issue arises. If a person feels that you care and that they can trust you, they are more likely to open up to you. There are a myriad of ways to achieve this. If you’re a coach, you can ask one-on-one questions at various times–I know one former football coach who would go around to the players during warm-ups to check in with them on how their day was going. You can also develop a peer group within your team to provide a place and time for players to open up. As a family member or friend, keep showing up and being consistent in checking in and providing support when needed. Sometimes, creating a safe space can be as simple as sharing a regular reminder that you’re thinking of them, there for them, and your door is always open.

7. Utilize Mental Skills Training and Coaching

Mental skills training (MST) is an important part of being an athlete, but it’s also important for athletes who are dealing with an anxiety disorder. MST can help athletes learn techniques for visualization, confidence, overcoming adversity, concentration, and much more. These psychological skills can be of great benefit in dealing with stress and anxiety. Consider bringing in a sports psychologist or other mental skills training professional to work with the player.

Ultimately, when supporting athletes with anxiety, it’s important to remember that mental health disorders are very serious, but they don’t have to be the end of someone’s career. You can help foster an environment that helps athletes with anxiety feel comfortable and supported while they heal. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and it’s crucial that everyone take care of themselves.

Anxiety and anxiety disorders can be debilitating and affect your day-to-day life. Support is available. Contact the Hall of Fame Health (HOFH) concierge call line at (866) 404-HOFH to find out more about treatment centers, health services, and providers. The service line is open to athletes and non-athletes. Scholarship funds may be available on a case-by-case basis through Fund Recovery. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency or require emergency assistance, please call the HOFH Crisis Line at 866-901-1245, call 911, or head to your nearest local emergency room.

Misty Buck is an athlete mental health and mindset coach and contributor to Hall of Fame Health. She can be reached at https://purposesoulathletics.com.