ScienceDaily: Warning signs of poor mental health in athletes

“The findings reveal that athletes' belief systems -- specifically irrational beliefs -- are related to poorer self-confidence, and in turn, greater competitive anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Phrases that reflect self-deprecating beliefs such as "if I lose, I'm a failure" or "If I face setbacks, it shows how stupid I am" are warning signs, say the authors.

Paul Mansell, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University, said: "Despite the psychological benefits of physical activity, studies frequently report poor mental health in athletes, which may be exacerbated by adversities, such as injury, de-selection, and performance pressure.

"We investigated athletes' beliefs, how they view stress, their levels of self-confidence and put all this data together to work out what might predict psychological wellbeing. We found irrational beliefs to be a core reason for symptoms of poor mental health manifesting in athletes." This is the first known study that has examined irrational beliefs, self-confidence, and the psychological wellbeing of athletes all together. Irrational beliefs are extreme, rigid, and illogical ideas that people hold. For example, a person might believe that they "must" get what they want, or that just because they have failed, that they are a "complete failure.”

My Takeaways:

• Research found that the most significant contributor to mental health stress in athletes is self-deprecating beliefs and thought structures such as “if I fail, or lose I am a complete failure.” These beliefs can be reinforced by other factors such as hearing them from other people like their teammates or their coaches.

• I think this also holds significance in non-athletes' lives as well. Often holding irrational or extreme self-deprecating thoughts can be of detriment to our mental health. Almost like setting ourselves for our own failure.

• Holding realistic and positive thoughts can help us counteract this effect! Instead of thinking in extremes such as “If I fail, I will be a complete failure” perhaps we can think “If I fail, this means I still have much to learn.” or even better not setting us up negatively at all omitting the “If I fail” part,

Full article is here!

How does setting up positive realistic expectations affect your mental health?

#Mindset #MentalHealth #Expectations