Athletes are great at physical training, but the mental side can be tougher. With that said,an athlete's mental and physical health should be given equal attention if they want to  perform successfully. Here are some tips that can help athletes improve their mental health,enjoy practice more, and perform better at matches and meets. 

Reach out

There is no shame in talking about your emotions (even the negative ones) with someone you trust. A good friend or teammate who is there to listen would be a great person to confide in. Also, another source of help is the resources available on campus. Almost every campus has a wellness center with mental health specialists and other helpful resources. 

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Practice relaxation exercises

Look for Youtube videos of meditation, mindfulness yoga or breathing. These types of exercise can help you connect your mind and body, be more aware of your emotions, and control them better. 

Give yourself some time to not think about your sport 

Give yourself a break. Talk with your coach about how you are feeling and give yourself some time to rest and clear your mind from your sport. A good thing to do can be hanging out with friends outside your sport can help you distract and think in something else. Another good thing to do can be calling a family member and talking with them about what is going on at home or about something outside of your sport.   

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Enjoy the process, not just the result

Be aware of all you do every day to achieve your goals. Enjoy practice, have fun and try not to overthink about the future. Enjoy the path you are following to reach your goals. A good way to do this is setting small achievable goals for every practice, this will keep you concentrated during practice and will make you feel great at the end when you achieve it.  

Focus on the present

Why do you worry about things you can not control? Focus on the present and what you are doing at this precise moment. This will also help you enjoy the moment. When you are at practice or competition, focus on what you are doing, disconnect from all the homework you might have for later, don't think about past situations and just focus on what you are doping. Practice usually lasts like two hours. Give yourself that two hours to be present. 

Be grateful 

Being grateful will make you feel better with yourself, it will make you aware of all the good things you have in your life. A good way to do this is thinking about it in the morning or at night or writing it down. 

Eat healthy

Eating a balanced diet will make you feel healthy, helping your mind feel better with your health and body. Check out these healthy snack ideas perfect for busy, hungry athletes!

Find a purpose 

Why are you doing it? Why did you start? What do you want to achieve? Write your goals, start by planning short term achievable goals that will keep you motivated to keep working and achieve more short term goals and in the long term reach a higher goal. A good strategy that may work is writing by hand all these goals in chronological order and put that note somewhere you see it everyday. 

Never forget what you have achieved 

Being an athlete is hard and requires a lot of sacrifice. You have worked and put a lot of effort into this and you should never  forget all you have accomplished. 

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* Originally published on July 19, 2022, by Camila Cramer