We're surrounded by beating hearts and electrifying cheers, bursting with energy and passion. The greatest sporting event, the Olympic Games, is back!
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with its symbolic mascot, the Olympic Phryge, embodies the spirit of transformation through sport. The city-state of Elis in the northeastern Peloponnese hosted the Olympics at Olympia in celebration of Zeus. The first Olympic champion recorded was Coroebus of Elis, a chef who won the sprint event in 776 BCE. The Olympics are the real test to evaluate human potential. The athletes who compete in the Olympics are the strongest, fastest and most skilled in the world. These games test the player's mentality, and only the ones who are mentally fit emerge as the winner. As much as the Olympics is about athletic skills, it is also a game of the mind.
Hence, a crucial aspect of the games is creating a resilient mind. For the Indian athletes preparing for the Paris Olympics 2024, the significant step in the direction of mental health is the inclusion of mental health experts who will accompany the athletes throughout the games.
On an international level, the Paris Olympics has also made space for mental health. For the first time during the Games, a specialised mental health zone, known as the Athlete365 Mind Zone, is established. It is manned by experienced authorities to deal with athletes who may come in with difficulties, but it is also an all-inclusive and all-encompassing mental space for individuals who simply want to escape the constant mental drive that an Olympics requires.
All these initiatives in the direction of mental health acknowledge that mental health is as vital as physical health. Mental health professionals work with athletes to enhance their focus, manage anxiety, and maintain resilience, all of which are key to peak performance.
Mental health and Athletes
A 2019 research discovered that around 35% of professional athletes had mental health issues. The most common difficulties identified by athletes were feelings of exhaustion, despair, and anxiety.
Athletes work under severe strain. They frequently encounter unreasonable expectations from coaches, fans, teammates, and even themselves. The obsessive quest of perfection might have a negative impact on their well-being. Athletes frequently confront the issue of integrating personal duties with athletic commitments.
Lydia Jacoby was a breakout star in the pool for the United States in the previous Summer Games, winning a gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke and a silver in the relay. What are some of the memories you have from your time in Tokyo? "People are talking about post-Olympic depression," she observed. She was 17 at the time, and when other athletes brought up the subject, her first answer was, "Well, that doesn't apply to me." "I essentially did not understand the topic of depression," she said. "It wasn't until after the Games that I was like, Oh, okay. Yes, I am feeling this a little."
Jacoby, who did not qualify for the 2024 Olympics, is now well aware of the phenomena, has gone through it, moved on, and casually mentions it.
All of this highlights how much has changed in the field of mental health in only a few years.
As the Paris Games begin on Friday, followed by the Paralympics on August 28, competitors have more access to previously forbidden materials and are more willing than ever to use them. That seems especially significant given that Jessica Bartley, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee's senior director of psychological services, claims that approximately half of the country's athletes at the previous two Olympiads were flagged for at least one of the following: anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, eating disorders, substance use or abuse.
In such a situation, it becomes crucial to put a special focus on mental health of athletes and emphasise some practices that could make them more resilient.
Mental Health Aspects We All Need, Athlete or Not
Here are some mental health aspects that not only athletes, but anyone can benefit from:
Mental Toughness
When we talk about mental toughness, we mean the ability to be resilient, stay focused, and deal with pressure positively. For athletes, it helps them prepare to manage any situation positively, like recovering from seatbacks, handling adversity and being consistent. For others, these qualities are also quite important to building a fruitful life. They help one be consistent with goals and deal with daily stressors better.
Goal Setting
Setting goals is an important aspect for achieving anything in life. Goals provide direction and allow you to assure your progress. Where athletes use the technique of goal setting to stay focused and commit to their regime it helps everyone even non-athletes to achieve what they desire in life it could be anything like a job promotion or simply losing weight.
Visualization and Imagery
It is the technique to imagine and play the scenario in your head to better equip with any possible threat you might face. This activity helps athletes build their confidence and reduce anxiety as it creates a blueprint and makes them familiar and prepared about their surroundings. This acts as a wonderful aspect for all non-athletes too as for example you have a presentation or an important sales pitch. Imagining the area and performing your script in mind will help you deal with doing the task in real life with much ease.
Stress Management
A highly competitive environment like the Olympics can lead to stress. Learning effective coping strategies becomes crucial. Now, when we compare non-athletes, we all face stress in multiple areas of our lives, like school, college, work, home, etc. Learning stress management is quite important for all of us to function optimally.
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