As a mental health professional and former ski racer with a special interest in the

mental health needs of athletes, I am delighted to have an opportunity to raise

awareness within the VARA community. In recent years we have been hearing

more and more about what is being referred to as the “Youth Mental Health

Crisis.” In the aftermath of the Coronavirus pandemic, surveys are showing

alarmingly high increases in youth mental health issues. The World Health

Organization reported that anxiety and depression increased by 25% worldwide

during the first year of COVID-19. Even in the face of such alarming statistics, I feel hopeful about the movement I’ve seen within athletic communities to discuss

mental health more openly. The rise in statistics on mental health problems in

student-athletes may, in part, be due to successful efforts to reduce stigma.

Elite athletes such as Mikaela Shiffrin have openly shared that they had been

suffering from mental health difficulties in silence and isolation. Higher suicide

rates among college athletes have also led to a movement within college athletics

to increase access to mental health care for student-athletes. Talking about

mental health openly is one of the best ways we can increase awareness and

reduce stigma. By having conversations about mental health, normalizing seeking

professional support, and adopting a non-judgmental and non-reactive approach,

we can become safe sources of information and support for the young people in

our lives.

The sport of skiing and athletics, in general, have not traditionally promoted the

idea of expressing vulnerability. This has inadvertently sent the message that

there is something inherently wrong or bad about experiencing struggle, especially

when it comes to mental health. The “no pain, no gain” mentality is actually quite

problematic when it comes to mental health. If someone is experiencing

debilitating anxiety or is in the throes of an eating disorder, then staying quiet and

trying to push through is sure to exacerbate their problem. This antiquated

athletic mentality may also put athletes at risk for physical injury because they

haven’t learned how to listen to their bodies. This is not to say we should not be

encouraging athletes to have grit and to work through the struggle of training and

competing. I am suggesting that we should also be infusing our teachings to

athletes with more attention to listening to their bodies and minds. We should be

helping them learn how to grow through hardship, challenge, and loss.

In athletics we often talk about building confidence in terms of believing in one’s

ability to perform successfully athletically. In terms of mental health, I see

confidence as the ability to maintain a sense of worthiness as a human, whether

you win or lose. Confidence is trying your best and being okay with it no matter

what the outcome. Confidence is being able to ask for help when you need it

without fear of judgment. Confidence is knowing that struggle is where growth

happens. If we wish to build resilience in our youth and help combat the mental

health crisis, we need to move towards helping athletes build this type of

confidence. It will take them well beyond their years of competing on the slopes.

This is email #1 in the 3-part series for Mental Health Awareness Month. Stay tuned for tips, resources, and more information about mental health and working with young athletes from Heidi!.