World Mental Health Day
Vacant courts, empty fields - the mental health challenge for athletes and sports participants acknowledged on World Health Day.
Today, October 10, 2020, is World Mental Health Day, and organisations around the world are sharing resources and focusing a much-needed spotlight on mental health. The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused a public health and mental health crisis that will continue to have far-reaching impacts for decades to come.
Recent research shows that 73% of Australian’s reported feeling that their mental health has been impacted as a result of the pandemic due to “stress and worry.”
The impact for athletes and sports participants has also been great with majority of sports forced to shut down during the pandemic. Physical activity is a much needed outlet for people's mental health and both from a physical and social aspect.
Discussions and concerns around the coronavirus outbreak and practising self-isolation can be stressful and it can impact our mental health and wellbeing. It’s normal to feel a range of emotions, such as stress, worry, anxiety, boredom, or low mood.
Today on our AFH social media feeds, we’ll be featuring stories of athletes, organisations, and resources to recognise and empower other athletes to join in the global mental health discussion. We hope that more athletes will come forward with courage and support others who may be silently struggling. We plan to elevate the work of incredible organisations working in this space and actively share resources for those in need.
We will continue to advocate for issues that impact athletes from across the globe and include athlete voices in the critical discussion.
We invite you to read our OpEd on Athlete Resilience in Mental Health published by Athletes For Hope (US) in July 2020 and share it with those you know who may need to hear they are not alone.
