Beyond The Game
Recognizing emotional struggles in athletes and supporting mental wellness alongside physical training.
BEYOND THE GAME
Why Mental Wellness Matters in Athlete Development and Performance
And How Parents, Coaches, and Loved Ones Can Recognize When an Athlete Is Not Really “Fine”
By Christine Matthews, LCSW, MBA, CLC, CCTP, BSP
Founder & Clinical Director, Never Journey Alone, LLC
We Train Their Bodies. But Are We Supporting Their Minds?
From early morning practices to late-night competitions, young athletes dedicate countless hours to developing their skills, improving their performance, and pursuing their athletic dreams.
Parents invest time, finances, and emotional energy. Coaches develop training plans, teach discipline, and encourage athletes to push beyond their perceived limitations.
But somewhere between practices, competitions, recruitment opportunities, and expectations, an important question deserves our attention:
Are we giving athletes the same level of support for their mental and emotional wellness that we give their physical development?
Athletic development is about more than speed, strength, endurance, and technical ability. It also involves emotional regulation, confidence, resilience, decision-making, and the ability to navigate pressure.
An athlete can be physically prepared for competition while emotionally struggling behind the scenes.
And sometimes, the athletes who appear to be doing the best are the very ones who need someone to check on them.
The Connection Between Mental Wellness and Athletic Performance
Mental wellness plays an important role in how athletes train, compete, recover, and respond to challenges.
Research in sports psychology and mental health supports the value of psychological skills training, supportive environments, adequate recovery, and early identification of mental health concerns.
When athletes develop healthy mental wellness practices, they can strengthen several areas that contribute to their overall development.
1. Improved Focus and Concentration
Athletes must make decisions quickly, respond to changing situations, and maintain concentration under pressure.
Mindfulness, breathing exercises, and mental preparation routines can help athletes manage distractions and bring their attention back to the present moment.
For example, a track athlete preparing for a championship race may benefit from a consistent pre-race breathing routine rather than becoming overwhelmed by competitors' times or expectations.
2. Greater Emotional Regulation
Every athlete experiences disappointment.
Missed opportunities, injuries, losses, reduced playing time, and unexpected performance outcomes can trigger frustration, embarrassment, sadness, or anger.
Mental wellness practices help athletes recognize their emotions and develop healthier responses.
The goal is not to eliminate disappointment. It is to teach athletes how to experience difficult emotions without allowing those emotions to define their identity or determine their next decision.
3. Increased Confidence and Resilience
Confidence is not simply believing you will win.
Healthy confidence involves trusting your preparation, recognizing your strengths, and understanding that one performance does not determine your worth.
Athletes who develop resilience learn to view setbacks as experiences they can grow from rather than evidence that they are failures.
This mindset can be especially valuable during transitions, such as moving from high school athletics into collegiate competition.
4. Better Recovery and Stress Management
Physical recovery and emotional recovery are connected.
Chronic stress can interfere with sleep, concentration, motivation, and overall well-being.
When athletes incorporate appropriate rest, healthy sleep routines, stress-management strategies, and emotional support into their lives, they create conditions that support both wellness and sustainable performance.
Recovery should not be viewed as a reward athletes receive after working hard enough.
Recovery is part of the work.
5. Healthier Athletic Identity
One of the most important areas of athlete development is helping young people understand who they are beyond their sport.
For some athletes, their identity becomes closely connected to their statistics, rankings, scholarships, playing time, or athletic achievements.
While dedication is admirable, problems can arise when athletes begin to believe their value depends entirely on their performance.
What happens when the athlete gets injured?
What happens when they lose their starting position?
What happens when they are not recruited by their preferred college?
Athletes need opportunities to develop confidence, relationships, interests, and a sense of purpose outside competition.
Their sport is something they do. It is not the entirety of who they are.
When “I'm Fine” Doesn't Mean Everything Is Okay
One of the greatest challenges for parents, coaches, and loved ones is recognizing when an athlete may be struggling emotionally.
Athletes are often taught to push through discomfort, remain mentally tough, and avoid showing weakness.
While perseverance is an important life skill, there is a difference between developing resilience and learning to suppress emotional distress.
Some athletes may hesitate to share their struggles because they fear disappointing others, losing playing time, being viewed as weak, or creating additional stress for their families.
Others may not fully understand what they are experiencing.
As a result, emotional struggles may appear through changes in behavior rather than direct conversations.
10 Signs an Athlete May Not Be Emotionally “Fine”
Parents, coaches, and loved ones should pay attention to noticeable changes in an athlete's usual behavior, particularly when those changes persist or interfere with daily functioning.
1. Withdrawal from Family, Friends, or Teammates
An athlete who previously enjoyed socializing may begin isolating themselves, avoiding conversations, or spending significantly more time alone.
2. Increased Irritability or Emotional Outbursts
Frequent frustration, anger, tearfulness, or unusual sensitivity may indicate that an athlete is struggling to manage stress.
3. Changes in Sleep Patterns
Difficulty falling asleep, excessive sleeping, recurring nightmares, or persistent exhaustion may signal emotional distress.
4. Loss of Interest in Their Sport
An athlete who once loved practicing or competing may begin expressing dread, indifference, or a desire to quit.
Although interests naturally change, sudden or significant shifts deserve attention.
5. Excessive Fear of Failure
Some athletes become consumed by making mistakes, disappointing coaches, losing scholarships, or failing to meet expectations.
They may become unusually self-critical or experience intense anxiety before competitions.
6. Changes in Eating Habits or Body Image Concerns
Noticeable changes in eating patterns, restrictive eating, excessive concern about weight, or compulsive exercise may indicate a need for additional support.
These concerns can be particularly significant in sports where athletes experience pressure related to body size, appearance, or weight.
7. Declining Academic Performance or Difficulty Concentrating
Mental health concerns do not remain confined to the athletic environment.
An athlete may struggle with schoolwork, forget responsibilities, or have difficulty making decisions.
8. Frequent Physical Complaints Without an Obvious Explanation
Headaches, stomach discomfort, muscle tension, and fatigue can sometimes accompany stress and anxiety.
These symptoms should not automatically be attributed to emotional causes. Persistent or concerning physical symptoms warrant medical evaluation.
9. Negative Self-Talk and Feelings of Worthlessness
Pay attention when an athlete repeatedly says things such as:
- “I'm not good enough.”
- “I always mess everything up.”
- “Everyone is better than me.”
- “I'm letting everybody down.”
- “I don't know why I even try anymore.”
Occasional frustration is normal. Persistent hopelessness or harsh self-criticism deserves further attention.
10. Statements Suggesting Hopelessness or Not Wanting to Be Here
Any statement suggesting that an athlete feels life is not worth living, wants to disappear, or is considering self-harm must be taken seriously.
Do not dismiss these statements as attention-seeking or ordinary frustration.
Ask directly about suicide, remain with the athlete if there is immediate concern, and seek appropriate professional or emergency assistance.
In the United States, call or text 988 for suicide and crisis support. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or seek emergency care.
Important: These signs do not automatically mean an athlete has a mental health disorder. However, they are reasons to begin a supportive conversation and consider professional evaluation when appropriate.
What Parents and Coaches Can Do Differently
Supporting athlete mental wellness does not require parents and coaches to become mental health professionals.
It requires awareness, intentional communication, and a willingness to recognize that athletes are people first.
Create Conversations That Go Beyond Performance
Instead of always asking, “How was practice?” or “Did you win?” consider asking:
“How are you feeling about everything right now?”
“Are you enjoying your sport?”
“What's been the hardest part of this season?”
“What do you need more support with?”
Sometimes the most meaningful conversations happen when an athlete realizes someone is interested in their well-being, not just their results.
Be Mindful of the Pressure You Communicate
Parents and coaches may have positive intentions but unintentionally contribute to performance pressure.
Statements about scholarships, rankings, winning, or sacrifices made for an athlete's success can sometimes create a sense of obligation.
Encouragement should communicate belief in an athlete's abilities without suggesting that love, acceptance, or approval depends on performance.
Normalize Mental Health Support
Just as athletes work with trainers, physical therapists, and medical professionals, they may benefit from mental health professionals and qualified sport psychology practitioners.
Seeking support should not be presented as something athletes do only when they are in crisis.
Mental wellness education, psychological skills development, and counseling can serve different but complementary purposes.
Teach Athletes That Rest Is Necessary
Young athletes need opportunities to recover physically and emotionally.
This includes appropriate sleep, time away from competition, meaningful relationships, and activities unrelated to their sport.
Pay Attention During Major Transitions
Moving to a new team, experiencing an injury, entering college, facing recruitment decisions, or approaching the end of an athletic career can create significant emotional challenges.
These transitions may require additional support, even when the athlete appears excited or successful.
The Athlete Behind the Uniform
As a mental health professional, I believe one of the most important things we can do is change how we define success in youth athletics.
Success cannot be measured only by championships, personal records, recruitment offers, or professional opportunities.
We must also consider whether athletes are developing the emotional skills necessary to navigate life.
Can they manage disappointment?
Can they ask for help?
Can they recognize when they need rest?
Can they maintain a healthy sense of identity when their performance does not meet expectations?
Can they experience success without living in constant fear of failure?
These are skills that extend far beyond the playing field.
Not every athlete will compete professionally.
Not every athlete will receive a college scholarship.
But every athlete will eventually face challenges that require emotional awareness, resilience, confidence, and healthy coping skills.
Our responsibility is not simply to help athletes become better competitors. It is to help them become healthier, more confident, and emotionally equipped individuals.
A Message to Parents, Coaches, and Loved Ones
The next time you ask an athlete how they are doing and they respond, “I'm fine,” take a moment to pay attention.
Notice their behavior.
Listen to what they say—and what they may be struggling to communicate.
Make room for conversations that have nothing to do with winning.
And remember that even highly successful athletes can experience anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion, and feelings of inadequacy.
An athlete should never have to reach a breaking point before receiving support.
We train the body. We develop the skills. We prepare for competition. It's time we become equally intentional about supporting the mind.
Because the greatest investment we can make in an athlete is not simply helping them perform better today.
It's helping them develop the emotional foundation to thrive throughout their lives.
Introducing The Mental Edge: Supporting Athletes Beyond Performance
Recognizing the importance of athlete mental wellness, Never Journey Alone, LLC, in collaboration with CheerBoss, LLC, is introducing The Mental Edge, a three-part workshop series designed to support athletes, parents, guardians, and coaches.
Through education, meaningful conversations, shared athletic experiences, and practical strategies, this initiative will explore the emotional challenges athletes experience both during competition and beyond their sport.
Participants will have opportunities to learn from mental health professionals and athletes with firsthand experience navigating competitive sports, including collegiate and professional athletics.
The series begins:
November 7, 2026 | 3:00–5:00 PM
Workshop #1: Inside the Game
Honest Conversations About Confidence, Communication, and Pressure
Location:
Never Journey Alone 2303 N. Broad Street, Suite 4 Colmar, PA 18915
Investment: $68 per family (parent/guardian and athlete)
Learn More and Register:
https://neverjourneyalone.com/the-mental-edge-3-part-workshop-series/
About Never Journey Alone
Never Journey Alone, LLC, provides mental health services, mental wellness education, and community-based initiatives designed to promote emotional well-being, resilience, and meaningful personal growth.
Through The Mental Edge initiative, Never Journey Alone and CheerBoss seek to expand conversations about mental wellness within athletic communities and help athletes and families access education, resources, and support.
Never Journey Alone
We Treat Mental Health. We Teach Mental Wellness.
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