Winning In Sports Needs A Winning Mindset

“Even in a room full of people who support and love me, I felt alone,” these are the words of former Indian Cricket Captain Virat Kohli, emphasizing the need to reconnect with your inner self. Recently, Lakshya Sen, an Indian Badminton player took a break from the sport to focus on his mental and physical health.

Just like them, several international athletes have discussed how anxiety and depression hindered their performance in the games and competitions they were a part of, like Ben Stokes, Michael Phelps, Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, and Chris Gayle.

Aryaman Birla, Madhya Pradesh’s batsman, took an indefinite break from cricket citing “severe anxiety related to sport” as the primary reason. In a statement released on Instagram, he wrote, “I have been coping with severe anxiety related to the sport for a while now. I have felt trapped. I have pushed myself through all the distress so far, but now I feel the need to put my mental health and well-being above else. So, I have decided to take an undefined sabbatical from cricket.”

Within the tapestry of athletic competition, where physical prowess is celebrated, lies a lesser-known, yet equally significant aspect: the intricate interplay between the human mind and athletic performance. And when this balance wavers, it impacts the mental health of a sportsperson.

Recent instances of high-profile athletes prioritizing their mental health, along with organized efforts from the sports industry, have triggered an important shift in the narrative of mental health in sports. Large organizations have also started looking at employee mental health significantly.

Just last week Unhurry did a story on Molly Seidel, an Olympiad with ADHD, OCD, and eating disorders . So many young sports persons are suffering from mental health conditions. Embracing and seeking timely help and support helped Molly triumph despite her mental health struggles. Molly is an inspiration to young sportspersons aspiring to make a career in sports.

In this article, we take a dip into understanding sports psychology and how deeply it impacts an athlete’s performance, and how the tools that are available today cope with such a situation.