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Originally Posted On: https://www.healthassured.org/blog/mental-health-disappointment/

What can the Olympics teach us about managing disappointment and mental health?

As the Paris Olympics comes to a close, athletes from around the world prepare to return home and celebrate success, analyse performance and, in some cases, reminisce about what might have been. With the focus now turning towards the Paralympics, it’s important not to overlook the mental pressures that come with being an elite athlete.

Olympians and Paralympians represent the peak of athletic accomplishment, and the Olympic Games are a chance for athletes to represent their countries with pride. However, along with success and celebration comes disappointment when the desired outcome is not met, for example if they don’t win a medal.

Bertrand Stern-Gillet, CEO at Health Assured, the UK and Ireland’s leading independent EAP provider, says “Unsurprisingly, the pressures of high-profile sporting events, such as the Olympics and Paralympics, can put a major strain on athletes’ mental health and wellbeing. Many have worked their whole lives for the chance to compete for Olympic gold, and if they fall short of the goal they have set, this can be difficult to accept.

“As well as the targets athletes set themselves, they also must deal with immense pressure and expectation from their teammates, coaches, judges and the world. Success or failure in the Olympics happens on a very public level.

“Simon Biles was one of the recent Olympians to speak up about the pressures athletes face with their mental health, opening the door for more elite athletes to talk about their mental health. Just yesterday, British diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix spoke emotionally about her own mental health struggles and pride at having overcome them to reach the Olympic finals.

“This sends a clear message that mental health issues are not something to be ashamed of and having them does not mean you are ‘broken’ or ‘weak’.
“Mental health is important for every aspect of life, athlete or not, and cultivating good mental health practices to lead a healthier and happier life should be a priority for everyone. To mitigate the pressures, take time to understand and improve your mental health.”

Here are some ways to boost mental health

• Feed your body well

Obviously this is an area where elite athletes excel, but sometimes relaxing their diet can help boost mental health. For us mere mortals, the way you feed your body affects both physical and mental health. 95% of the body’s serotonin (or feel-good hormone) is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, so looking after the gut with healthy food is imperative in boosting mental health.

• Practice gratitude

Gratitude is like a muscle, it can be built and shaped in a way that is right and comfortable to you. In the short-term, practicing gratitude boosts mood, decreases stress, and reduces anxiety symptoms. In the long-term it can change the way your brain recognises positive experiences every day, increasing awareness of positivity.

• Experiment with a new activity

Competition can be all-consuming, and many elite athletes report feeling burned out or falling out of love with their chosen sport. Taking up new activities and hobbies can make you feel invigorated, reduce stress and enhance mood. Tom Daley is a good example of this, he can often be seen poolside knitting or crocheting to help alleviate the pressures of diving.

• Show kindness

When we show kindness and compassion towards others, our serotonin and dopamine increases, subsequently, boosting our mood and mental health. Acts of kindness also enhance feelings of being in control, happiness, and confidence. So rather than simply celebrating individual success, acknowledge fellow competitors who may be feeling very differently than you in that moment. Some of the most moving moments come from watching people overcome adversity or hearing the crowd cheer an athlete across the finish line far behind the winner, having won their own personal race. A kind word goes a long way.

• Laugh

Laughter is an important part of life. Mark Twain said, “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” It lifts spirits, brings people together, defuses anger, and reduces pain. When we laugh the body relaxes, relieving tension and stress, making way for positive feelings and emotions to flood the mind and body. Laughter may even ease symptoms of mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety, providing a free and easy coping mechanism to be able to thrive.

A mental health shift

Psychology in sport is not new. Athletes, coaches, and the International Olympics Committee (IOC) have taken the mental health of athletes into consideration for years. However, there was a huge focus on visualising for success and victory rather than actually looking after mental health.

Recently we have seen a shift in this to prioritize mental health as a whole and challenging unhealthy and negative stigmas within the Olympics.

Simon Biles was one of the first Olympians to speak up about the pressures athletes face with their mental health and opened the door for more athletes in elite sports to talk about their mental health. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles shocked the world by withdrawing from the event, stating that she was going to focus on her mental health. In the Paris 2024 Olympics she expressed the importance of good mental health for athletes, “I think it is really important to take care of my mind as much as I do my body, especially in this sport, which includes going to therapy.”

This statement sends a clear message to athletes, and others across the globe, that having mental health issues does not mean you are wrong, broken, or something to feel ashamed about. It opened the doors for athletes to be open and honest about their wellbeing and showcased that even high performing athletes can struggle with mental health challenges-a strong and important message to the world.

The Olympic committee mental health standards

The IOC have started to recognise the dangers of poor mental health on athletes performance, development, and overall lives. For the Paris 2024 Olympics, the committee implemented strategies to elevate athletes’ mental health and mitigate the risk of mental health crisis’s so they can perform at their best.

The IOC have provided potentially life-saving support dedicated to helping those athletes who want to take care of and prioritize their mental health as much as their physical health. The IOC have implemented mental health hotlines in 70 languages which can be accessed until 2028 by all athletes. They have also introduced 165 welfare officers at the games who will anticipate mental health risks and have things in place to counterbalance these hazards.

They have also implemented a mental health zone, known as Athlete365 Mind Zone, in the hope that athletes can use the space to rest, recharge, and mentally prepare for their event. The Athlete356 Mind Zone is located by the gym to symbolise and recognise the importance of looking after mental health just as much as physical health. The zone offers unique and immersive mental health support, such as VR guided meditation and trained mental health first aiders on site.

Disappointment

Every four years, billions around the globe gather around to watch the formidable skills of Olympic athletes where they will showcase years of dedication and passion to their chosen sport. With this alone, athletes face immense pressures and expectations from themselves, teams, coaches, judges, and the world.

The pressure and expectation can cause significant disappointment if their desired goal is not met and be the catalyst to a mental health crisis.

It can be difficult to comprehend that athletes with extraordinary skills can have very real challenges with their mental health. Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, who also opened up about her mental health, told a reporter, “it’s unfair to be expected to be perfect.”

With such an overwhelming sense of expectation, athletes experience disappointment when they don’t achieve their goals and aspirations when competing in high-stakes events, such as the Olympics.

Years of rigorous training and high expectations can leave Olympians feeling disappointment in an elevated way. The disappointment can immensely impact mental health, including emotional distress, loss of motivation, loss of identity, depleted confidence, and harsh self-criticism. These symptoms of pressure and disappointment can lead to feelings of worthlessness, inferiority, and burnout.

To mitigate the pressures, athlete should take the time to understand and improve their mental health, such as talking to a therapist or counsellor, taking advantage of all mental health support options, and improving the balance between their personal and professional life.