Getting Real About Depression: Four Athletes Discuss Pressures, Identity, & Purpose

A deep dive into the raw feelings of what it is to be an athlete struggling with mental health, what it takes to reach out for help, and what actually works for athletes.  Four athletes discuss the internal pressures they faced struggling through mental health challenges - the loss of drive, the guilt, the isolation, the comparisons. Having experienced injuries that led to a medically-forced exit from sport, each of our guests know all too well the struggles associated with being separated from their sport due to circumstances outside their control. Injured athletes and pandemic-sidelined athletes alike will find this honest conversation especially empowering. This episode is a special one to us at Sidelined. Whether you are an athlete, coach, athletic trainer, or parent, THIS CONVERSATION is what you need to know about mental health right now as it relates to athletes currently blocked off from their athletic goals. There is tremendous power in getting the conversation started. Dive in with us! And SHARE with your teams!

Show Notes:
(2:30) Guest intros
(4:45) "Rapid Fire Q&A" 
(7:05) The athlete experience with mental health

• The hidden struggle 
• The complications of the perfectionist mentality
• Isolation and apathy
• “Fake it 'til you make it” 
• Comparisons, beating yourself up, & permission to be vulnerable
• When mental health struggles fall on people you would never guess

(24:56)  Athletes finding mental health support

•  Taking the first step to seeking help
•  What actually works for athletes? 
•  Finding someone to talk to 
•  Permission to feel
•  Identifying your triggers
•  Expanding your identity beyond sports
•  The role of social media  
•  Figuring out where your “safe spaces” are
•  What if a particular therapy/strategy doesn’t work for you? 
•  When your feelings don’t match up with where you want them to be
•  The power of professional help 
•  When you feel “stuck” 

(47:12) Feeling like you’re struggling more than others with the impact of COVID on sports

•  The power of vulnerability
•  The significance of identifying your support system 
• The power when *coaches* are vulnerable 

(52:38) Advice athletes would give their younger selves

• What does advocating for yourself look like?
• How understanding your worth beyond athletics transforms everything
• The human factor that coaches should remember 
• Why finding a therapist isn’t something to put off 
• Building other coping skills besides sports 
• Giving yourself some credit 

(1:02:15) Where to go from here? Resources for athletes ready to take the next step in their mental health journey