It has long been known that taking part in sport and physical activity can have a profound and positive impact on mental wellbeing. Being physically active can improve mood, decrease the chance of depression and anxiety and lead to a better and more balanced lifestyle.
Emerging evidence suggests that competitive sport can also paradoxically contribute to poor mental health and lead to adverse impacts on athletes’ psychological health.
At the Tokyo Olympic Games Simone Biles joined a number of athletes who openly talked about their mental health struggles:
‘I feel like that’s all been going really well but then whenever you get in a high-stress situation you kind of freak out. You don’t really know how to handle all of those emotions, especially being at the Olympic Games.’