In a recent open letter to NCAA student-athletes on mental health, the NCAA Division I, II, and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees and NCAA Board of Governors Student-Athlete Engagement Committee acknowledged that the “state of urgency surrounding mental health concerns for student-athletes is palpable on campuses across the country and backed by Association-wide data. As such, it's encouraging that there has been an increase in support from student athletes, administrators and athletics staff in shattering the stigma surrounding mental health and dedicating their efforts to improving support systems.” For the first time in NCAA history, the term "mental health" is included in the NCAA constitution, which all member schools, conferences, and divisions have agreed to uphold.
In light of this major step for mental health advocacy in collegiate sports, Counslr spoke with one of its sports and performance experts, Dr. Jill Kapil.
Q: The recent NCAA Student-Athlete Well-Being Survey reported high levels of anxiety, depression and mental exhaustion that were comparable to pandemic levels. Are these issues consistent with your experience in working with athletes?
Anxiety, depression, and mental exhaustion are some of the top reasons college students seek support or therapy. Student athletes have to balance their academic success with athletic goals, adding additional pressure. I advise them to check in with their emotional well-being and utilize healthy support systems, which can help them stay on top of their mental health.
Q. What exactly is performance anxiety? Is it the same as stress, which everybody experiences at college?
Performance anxiety is the combination of stress and anxiety about performing in front of people. Stress is the reaction that our bodies and minds have to the general environment around us, which leads to our perceiving the environment as a threat, whereas performance anxiety is the fear we experience about our ability to perform a certain task. Performance anxiety is unique to each person and varies based on the individual’s prior experience.
Performance anxiety signs and symptoms in sports typically fall into two categories: common physiological responses and common cognitive signs.
Physiological signs include:
- Racing heart: The body’s reaction to fight-or-flight mode increases hormone production, like adrenaline and cortisol, which can make the heart beat faster.
- Changes in breathing: Hyperventilation, difficulty breathing, or having a hard time catching one’s breath.
- Muscle tension: The muscles in the body begin to feel tight. An individual might also experience headaches or notice tension in other parts of the body.
- Tremors and increased sweating: Shaky hands, twitching feet, or trembling arms, legs, or voice. Cold or sweaty hands are also common.
- Nausea or stomach troubles: When we are in fight-or-flight mode, our digestion speeds up, to allow our body to focus resources on survival. As a result, we might feel stomach pain, cramping, nausea, or a strong urge to visit the bathroom.
Cognitive signs include:
- Overthinking: We might notice an increase in worrisome, difficult-to-control thoughts. These thoughts may lead us to “forget” how to engage in athletic actions that we usually carry out automatically.
- Disrupted concentration: We might have trouble focusing on the game and instead begin to worry about how others perceive us or our performance.
- Low self-confidence: Feelings of self-doubt may increase, and we may engage in negative self-talk and doubt around athletic abilities.
- Fear of failure: We get stuck thinking about possibly losing and automatically make a massive leap to the worst-case scenario.
Q. Can mental health challenges affect other aspects of a student athlete’s life?
When students experience stress, anxiety, or depression, these symptoms can impair sports performance as well as other areas of the student’s life. Mental health concerns can contribute to impairment in academic success, family relations, hygiene, and personal well-being—just about every area of college life.
Depressed mood, low self-esteem, worrisome thoughts, changes in sleep or appetite, difficulty focusing or concentrating, and even suicidal ideation can impact a student’s ability to regulate their emotions, manage stress, and complete even simple day-to-day activities. When baseline areas such as sleep, appetite, finances, housing, or family relations are impacted, sports performance can be affected in a major way.
Q. How can student athletes thrive in competition if they are struggling with these issues?
I encourage student athletes to seek out the support they need from faculty, coaches, teammates, friends, family, and access other resources in the community. A trained therapist at the campus health center can help boost sports performance by working with student athletes to manage core mental health concerns in healthy ways. Learning skills and using proven tools to address mood disturbances, self-esteem issues, negative self-talk, and stress responses often lead to improved performance.
Q. What critical steps can athletic departments take to provide a safe and healthy environment that supports mental wellness on campuses?
Athletic departments can focus on the following steps:
- Create an open and safe space to talk about what’s going on. Begin the coaching season by encouraging athletes to talk about mental health concerns, and to seek support if and when they are struggling.
- Actively create opportunities for coaching staff to check-in with athletes regarding their well-being. Repeat the message often, and point out that during high-pressure times, mental health may start to decline—but help is available.
- Know about campus resources. Be aware of on-campus and local resources, not only in the event of an emergency, but also when any type of support, such as financial, legal, academic, emotional, or physical support is needed.
- Provide specific resources related to crisis intervention. Examples include, “text HOME to 741-741 for immediate support,” or “call 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for a free, confidential conversation with a trained counselor, 24/7/365.”
- Encourage Self-Care. Incorporate relaxation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises into the coaching process in order to decrease anxiety, stress, and depression.
- Check that self-talk! Our mind and body are deeply connected; therefore, our thoughts contribute to our feelings/moods and our behaviors/actions. Be mindful of the messages athletes hear about their performance, and any self-doubt or negative self-talk they might be engaging in. Encourage healthier self-talk that highlights personal strengths and positive aspects of performance.
Q. Are there ways that their academic instructors and family members can support them?
Academic instructors and family members can be of great support by providing a safe, non-judgmental space for student athletes to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Family members can create healthy opportunities and openness by initiating conversations about mental health. If they are going to have such a conversation, here are some suggestions:
- Don’t be afraid to name what you are observing and describe any concerning symptoms.
- Ask open-ended questions about their well-being. Let them speak openly and vent
- And of course, let your loved ones know you are always there to listen and help.
Faculty and staff members are often on the “frontline” because they have daily interactions with students. As such, they often recognize behavioral changes, which can indicate that the student athlete is experiencing some distress. Instructors’ ability to recognize the signs of emotional distress and acknowledging their concerns directly are often noted by students as the most significant factors in their successful problem resolution. They can also share helpful campus resources .
Q. What advice would you give to the athletes themselves?
Athletes spend a lot of time and energy maintaining their physical health. It is as important to take care of their mental and emotional health as it is to perform at their optimal level.
I advise them to regularly take time to check in with their thoughts, and to consider whether they are adding to their performance anxiety. Shifting the focus from “what could go wrong” to “visualizing your success” and focusing on the positive is a good strategy.
Learning controlled breathing, meditation, or other relaxation strategies—which help combat stress, channel energy, regain focus, and transform negative thoughts into neutral or positive thoughts—are all good practices. For example, negative thoughts might include: “I can’t do this,” “I’m not prepared,” or “I am going to lose.” Such internal self-talk can impact mood and self-confidence. I encourage athletes to learn how to stop those thoughts and replace them with more encouraging, self-compassionate messages, which will be more empowering, such as “Let’s do what I practiced,” or “I am going to do my best and win this.” Regarding actual sports performance, I recommend practicing athletic skills with the coach. Always keep the focus on the elements one can control.
Q. What practices and resources have you found on college campuses that directly reduce the negative impact of anxiety and other mental health issues associated with sports?
Campus resources are vital to students’ academic performance and overall wellbeing. Often, they are underutilized, especially the campus health center, which usually includes both physical and mental health resources. It’s a great place to begin. It’s also a safe space to talk about other stressors.
Asking trusted professors, counselors, or academic instructors for help is also a good idea. They are there to guide their students and connect them to all kinds of resources on campus.
Attending or listening to presentations on mental health, or general outreach events on the college campus, can help students learn about available resources, decrease stigma related to mental health, and allow students to learn more about how to take care of their emotional well-being.
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to Counslr, Inc., its partners, its employees, or any other mental health professionals Counslr employs. You should review this information and any questions regarding your specific circumstances with a medical professional. The content provided here is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as counseling, therapy, or professional medical advice.
In a recent open letter to NCAA student-athletes on mental health, the NCAA Division I, II, and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees and NCAA Board of Governors Student-Athlete Engagement Committee acknowledged that the “state of urgency surrounding mental health concerns for student-athletes is palpable on campuses across the country and backed by Association-wide data. As such, it's encouraging that there has been an increase in support from student athletes, administrators and athletics staff in shattering the stigma surrounding mental health and dedicating their efforts to improving support systems.” For the first time in NCAA history, the term "mental health" is included in the NCAA constitution, which all member schools, conferences, and divisions have agreed to uphold.
In light of this major step for mental health advocacy in collegiate sports, Counslr spoke with one of its sports and performance experts, Dr. Jill Kapil.
Q: The recent NCAA Student-Athlete Well-Being Survey reported high levels of anxiety, depression and mental exhaustion that were comparable to pandemic levels. Are these issues consistent with your experience in working with athletes?
Anxiety, depression, and mental exhaustion are some of the top reasons college students seek support or therapy. Student athletes have to balance their academic success with athletic goals, adding additional pressure. I advise them to check in with their emotional well-being and utilize healthy support systems, which can help them stay on top of their mental health.
Q. What exactly is performance anxiety? Is it the same as stress, which everybody experiences at college?
Performance anxiety is the combination of stress and anxiety about performing in front of people. Stress is the reaction that our bodies and minds have to the general environment around us, which leads to our perceiving the environment as a threat, whereas performance anxiety is the fear we experience about our ability to perform a certain task. Performance anxiety is unique to each person and varies based on the individual’s prior experience.
Performance anxiety signs and symptoms in sports typically fall into two categories: common physiological responses and common cognitive signs.
Physiological signs include:
- Racing heart: The body’s reaction to fight-or-flight mode increases hormone production, like adrenaline and cortisol, which can make the heart beat faster.
- Changes in breathing: Hyperventilation, difficulty breathing, or having a hard time catching one’s breath.
- Muscle tension: The muscles in the body begin to feel tight. An individual might also experience headaches or notice tension in other parts of the body.
- Tremors and increased sweating: Shaky hands, twitching feet, or trembling arms, legs, or voice. Cold or sweaty hands are also common.
- Nausea or stomach troubles: When we are in fight-or-flight mode, our digestion speeds up, to allow our body to focus resources on survival. As a result, we might feel stomach pain, cramping, nausea, or a strong urge to visit the bathroom.
Cognitive signs include:
- Overthinking: We might notice an increase in worrisome, difficult-to-control thoughts. These thoughts may lead us to “forget” how to engage in athletic actions that we usually carry out automatically.
- Disrupted concentration: We might have trouble focusing on the game and instead begin to worry about how others perceive us or our performance.
- Low self-confidence: Feelings of self-doubt may increase, and we may engage in negative self-talk and doubt around athletic abilities.
- Fear of failure: We get stuck thinking about possibly losing and automatically make a massive leap to the worst-case scenario.
Q. Can mental health challenges affect other aspects of a student athlete’s life?
When students experience stress, anxiety, or depression, these symptoms can impair sports performance as well as other areas of the student’s life. Mental health concerns can contribute to impairment in academic success, family relations, hygiene, and personal well-being—just about every area of college life.
Depressed mood, low self-esteem, worrisome thoughts, changes in sleep or appetite, difficulty focusing or concentrating, and even suicidal ideation can impact a student’s ability to regulate their emotions, manage stress, and complete even simple day-to-day activities. When baseline areas such as sleep, appetite, finances, housing, or family relations are impacted, sports performance can be affected in a major way.
Q. How can student athletes thrive in competition if they are struggling with these issues?
I encourage student athletes to seek out the support they need from faculty, coaches, teammates, friends, family, and access other resources in the community. A trained therapist at the campus health center can help boost sports performance by working with student athletes to manage core mental health concerns in healthy ways. Learning skills and using proven tools to address mood disturbances, self-esteem issues, negative self-talk, and stress responses often lead to improved performance.
Q. What critical steps can athletic departments take to provide a safe and healthy environment that supports mental wellness on campuses?
Athletic departments can focus on the following steps:
- Create an open and safe space to talk about what’s going on. Begin the coaching season by encouraging athletes to talk about mental health concerns, and to seek support if and when they are struggling.
- Actively create opportunities for coaching staff to check-in with athletes regarding their well-being. Repeat the message often, and point out that during high-pressure times, mental health may start to decline—but help is available.
- Know about campus resources. Be aware of on-campus and local resources, not only in the event of an emergency, but also when any type of support, such as financial, legal, academic, emotional, or physical support is needed.
- Provide specific resources related to crisis intervention. Examples include, “text HOME to 741-741 for immediate support,” or “call 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for a free, confidential conversation with a trained counselor, 24/7/365.”
- Encourage Self-Care. Incorporate relaxation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises into the coaching process in order to decrease anxiety, stress, and depression.
- Check that self-talk! Our mind and body are deeply connected; therefore, our thoughts contribute to our feelings/moods and our behaviors/actions. Be mindful of the messages athletes hear about their performance, and any self-doubt or negative self-talk they might be engaging in. Encourage healthier self-talk that highlights personal strengths and positive aspects of performance.
Q. Are there ways that their academic instructors and family members can support them?
Academic instructors and family members can be of great support by providing a safe, non-judgmental space for student athletes to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Family members can create healthy opportunities and openness by initiating conversations about mental health. If they are going to have such a conversation, here are some suggestions:
- Don’t be afraid to name what you are observing and describe any concerning symptoms.
- Ask open-ended questions about their well-being. Let them speak openly and vent
- And of course, let your loved ones know you are always there to listen and help.
Faculty and staff members are often on the “frontline” because they have daily interactions with students. As such, they often recognize behavioral changes, which can indicate that the student athlete is experiencing some distress. Instructors’ ability to recognize the signs of emotional distress and acknowledging their concerns directly are often noted by students as the most significant factors in their successful problem resolution. They can also share helpful campus resources .
Q. What advice would you give to the athletes themselves?
Athletes spend a lot of time and energy maintaining their physical health. It is as important to take care of their mental and emotional health as it is to perform at their optimal level.
I advise them to regularly take time to check in with their thoughts, and to consider whether they are adding to their performance anxiety. Shifting the focus from “what could go wrong” to “visualizing your success” and focusing on the positive is a good strategy.
Learning controlled breathing, meditation, or other relaxation strategies—which help combat stress, channel energy, regain focus, and transform negative thoughts into neutral or positive thoughts—are all good practices. For example, negative thoughts might include: “I can’t do this,” “I’m not prepared,” or “I am going to lose.” Such internal self-talk can impact mood and self-confidence. I encourage athletes to learn how to stop those thoughts and replace them with more encouraging, self-compassionate messages, which will be more empowering, such as “Let’s do what I practiced,” or “I am going to do my best and win this.” Regarding actual sports performance, I recommend practicing athletic skills with the coach. Always keep the focus on the elements one can control.
Q. What practices and resources have you found on college campuses that directly reduce the negative impact of anxiety and other mental health issues associated with sports?
Campus resources are vital to students’ academic performance and overall wellbeing. Often, they are underutilized, especially the campus health center, which usually includes both physical and mental health resources. It’s a great place to begin. It’s also a safe space to talk about other stressors.
Asking trusted professors, counselors, or academic instructors for help is also a good idea. They are there to guide their students and connect them to all kinds of resources on campus.
Attending or listening to presentations on mental health, or general outreach events on the college campus, can help students learn about available resources, decrease stigma related to mental health, and allow students to learn more about how to take care of their emotional well-being.
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to Counslr, Inc., its partners, its employees, or any other mental health professionals Counslr employs. You should review this information and any questions regarding your specific circumstances with a medical professional. The content provided here is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as counseling, therapy, or professional medical advice.
Mental Health for Student-Athletes: A Q&A with Dr. Jill Kapil, PsyD.
In a recent open letter to NCAA student-athletes on mental health, the NCAA Division I, II, and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees and NCAA Board of Governors Student-Athlete Engagement Committee acknowledged that the “state of urgency surrounding mental health concerns for student-athletes is palpable on campuses across the country and backed by Association-wide data. As such, it's encouraging that there has been an increase in support from student athletes, administrators and athletics staff in shattering the stigma surrounding mental health and dedicating their efforts to improving support systems.” For the first time in NCAA history, the term "mental health" is included in the NCAA constitution, which all member schools, conferences, and divisions have agreed to uphold.
In light of this major step for mental health advocacy in collegiate sports, Counslr spoke with one of its sports and performance experts, Dr. Jill Kapil.
Q: The recent NCAA Student-Athlete Well-Being Survey reported high levels of anxiety, depression and mental exhaustion that were comparable to pandemic levels. Are these issues consistent with your experience in working with athletes?
Anxiety, depression, and mental exhaustion are some of the top reasons college students seek support or therapy. Student athletes have to balance their academic success with athletic goals, adding additional pressure. I advise them to check in with their emotional well-being and utilize healthy support systems, which can help them stay on top of their mental health.
Q. What exactly is performance anxiety? Is it the same as stress, which everybody experiences at college?
Performance anxiety is the combination of stress and anxiety about performing in front of people. Stress is the reaction that our bodies and minds have to the general environment around us, which leads to our perceiving the environment as a threat, whereas performance anxiety is the fear we experience about our ability to perform a certain task. Performance anxiety is unique to each person and varies based on the individual’s prior experience.
Performance anxiety signs and symptoms in sports typically fall into two categories: common physiological responses and common cognitive signs.
Physiological signs include:
- Racing heart: The body’s reaction to fight-or-flight mode increases hormone production, like adrenaline and cortisol, which can make the heart beat faster.
- Changes in breathing: Hyperventilation, difficulty breathing, or having a hard time catching one’s breath.
- Muscle tension: The muscles in the body begin to feel tight. An individual might also experience headaches or notice tension in other parts of the body.
- Tremors and increased sweating: Shaky hands, twitching feet, or trembling arms, legs, or voice. Cold or sweaty hands are also common.
- Nausea or stomach troubles: When we are in fight-or-flight mode, our digestion speeds up, to allow our body to focus resources on survival. As a result, we might feel stomach pain, cramping, nausea, or a strong urge to visit the bathroom.
Cognitive signs include:
- Overthinking: We might notice an increase in worrisome, difficult-to-control thoughts. These thoughts may lead us to “forget” how to engage in athletic actions that we usually carry out automatically.
- Disrupted concentration: We might have trouble focusing on the game and instead begin to worry about how others perceive us or our performance.
- Low self-confidence: Feelings of self-doubt may increase, and we may engage in negative self-talk and doubt around athletic abilities.
- Fear of failure: We get stuck thinking about possibly losing and automatically make a massive leap to the worst-case scenario.
Q. Can mental health challenges affect other aspects of a student athlete’s life?
When students experience stress, anxiety, or depression, these symptoms can impair sports performance as well as other areas of the student’s life. Mental health concerns can contribute to impairment in academic success, family relations, hygiene, and personal well-being—just about every area of college life.
Depressed mood, low self-esteem, worrisome thoughts, changes in sleep or appetite, difficulty focusing or concentrating, and even suicidal ideation can impact a student’s ability to regulate their emotions, manage stress, and complete even simple day-to-day activities. When baseline areas such as sleep, appetite, finances, housing, or family relations are impacted, sports performance can be affected in a major way.
Q. How can student athletes thrive in competition if they are struggling with these issues?
I encourage student athletes to seek out the support they need from faculty, coaches, teammates, friends, family, and access other resources in the community. A trained therapist at the campus health center can help boost sports performance by working with student athletes to manage core mental health concerns in healthy ways. Learning skills and using proven tools to address mood disturbances, self-esteem issues, negative self-talk, and stress responses often lead to improved performance.
Q. What critical steps can athletic departments take to provide a safe and healthy environment that supports mental wellness on campuses?
Athletic departments can focus on the following steps:
- Create an open and safe space to talk about what’s going on. Begin the coaching season by encouraging athletes to talk about mental health concerns, and to seek support if and when they are struggling.
- Actively create opportunities for coaching staff to check-in with athletes regarding their well-being. Repeat the message often, and point out that during high-pressure times, mental health may start to decline—but help is available.
- Know about campus resources. Be aware of on-campus and local resources, not only in the event of an emergency, but also when any type of support, such as financial, legal, academic, emotional, or physical support is needed.
- Provide specific resources related to crisis intervention. Examples include, “text HOME to 741-741 for immediate support,” or “call 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, for a free, confidential conversation with a trained counselor, 24/7/365.”
- Encourage Self-Care. Incorporate relaxation, mindfulness, and breathing exercises into the coaching process in order to decrease anxiety, stress, and depression.
- Check that self-talk! Our mind and body are deeply connected; therefore, our thoughts contribute to our feelings/moods and our behaviors/actions. Be mindful of the messages athletes hear about their performance, and any self-doubt or negative self-talk they might be engaging in. Encourage healthier self-talk that highlights personal strengths and positive aspects of performance.
Q. Are there ways that their academic instructors and family members can support them?
Academic instructors and family members can be of great support by providing a safe, non-judgmental space for student athletes to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Family members can create healthy opportunities and openness by initiating conversations about mental health. If they are going to have such a conversation, here are some suggestions:
- Don’t be afraid to name what you are observing and describe any concerning symptoms.
- Ask open-ended questions about their well-being. Let them speak openly and vent
- And of course, let your loved ones know you are always there to listen and help.
Faculty and staff members are often on the “frontline” because they have daily interactions with students. As such, they often recognize behavioral changes, which can indicate that the student athlete is experiencing some distress. Instructors’ ability to recognize the signs of emotional distress and acknowledging their concerns directly are often noted by students as the most significant factors in their successful problem resolution. They can also share helpful campus resources .
Q. What advice would you give to the athletes themselves?
Athletes spend a lot of time and energy maintaining their physical health. It is as important to take care of their mental and emotional health as it is to perform at their optimal level.
I advise them to regularly take time to check in with their thoughts, and to consider whether they are adding to their performance anxiety. Shifting the focus from “what could go wrong” to “visualizing your success” and focusing on the positive is a good strategy.
Learning controlled breathing, meditation, or other relaxation strategies—which help combat stress, channel energy, regain focus, and transform negative thoughts into neutral or positive thoughts—are all good practices. For example, negative thoughts might include: “I can’t do this,” “I’m not prepared,” or “I am going to lose.” Such internal self-talk can impact mood and self-confidence. I encourage athletes to learn how to stop those thoughts and replace them with more encouraging, self-compassionate messages, which will be more empowering, such as “Let’s do what I practiced,” or “I am going to do my best and win this.” Regarding actual sports performance, I recommend practicing athletic skills with the coach. Always keep the focus on the elements one can control.
Q. What practices and resources have you found on college campuses that directly reduce the negative impact of anxiety and other mental health issues associated with sports?
Campus resources are vital to students’ academic performance and overall wellbeing. Often, they are underutilized, especially the campus health center, which usually includes both physical and mental health resources. It’s a great place to begin. It’s also a safe space to talk about other stressors.
Asking trusted professors, counselors, or academic instructors for help is also a good idea. They are there to guide their students and connect them to all kinds of resources on campus.
Attending or listening to presentations on mental health, or general outreach events on the college campus, can help students learn about available resources, decrease stigma related to mental health, and allow students to learn more about how to take care of their emotional well-being.
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and should not be attributed to Counslr, Inc., its partners, its employees, or any other mental health professionals Counslr employs. You should review this information and any questions regarding your specific circumstances with a medical professional. The content provided here is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as counseling, therapy, or professional medical advice.
