The Olympic Games are at the pinnacle of human performance. The athletes who compete at these games are the strongest, fastest, most skilled in the world. The games don’t just test an athlete physically, they also test players mentally – and it’s the players who are mentally the toughest who emerge at the top. It’s no wonder then that people often say that the most important distance is the six inches between your ears.
This distance though, as important as it is, is not always very well understood. How does the mind really play a role and what are the elements that an athlete needs to train to win this mind game? Mental health, well-being and peak performance all lie on a spectrum and a simple way of understanding it is to think of it as analogous to physical training. The spectrum of physical training lies all the way from rehabilitation and recovery to strength and conditioning. It’s the same with mental health too – the spectrum lies from the management of mental health concerns to self-care and mental conditioning. From personal well-being to performance enhancement.
Just like strength and conditioning is about helping athletes reach the peak of their physical potential, become physically stronger so that their body supports the requirements of the sport, mental conditioning is about helping athletes reach the peak of their mental potential in service of the sport. The games are played in a high pressure environment, and it’s only players who can withstand, and in fact, harness this pressure, who will succeed. Self-belief, commitment, motivation, autonomic control, resilience and focus are some key aspects of mental strength that athletes therefore must develop. Visualization, self-talk, goal setting, focus control training, zoning-in routines, mindfulness training, biofeedback, simulation training, and self-regulation are some of the strategies commonly used by sport psychologists to enable players to enter the flow state and play to their potential.
While mental conditioning is something that is gaining increasing acceptance in the world of sport, there is still the other end of the spectrum that is not very well understood. Take an example of a student – when we think of a student, the only marker of success we look at is marks. Nothing else. Do we stop and think – is this child happy?
Beyond the marks and medals, the athlete’s health and happiness matters. Over the last few years, some of the greatest players in the world – Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, to name a few – have come out and spoken about their struggles with mental health. Ensuring that our athletes get the right support during such times is absolutely essential.
For the first time ever, a team of mental wellness experts will be a part of the medical team accompanying players to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Such an initiative by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Ministry truly demonstrates their commitment to the complete health and well-being of our athletes. It also aligns with the efforts and vision of the International Olympic Commission which has recognized and championed the cause of athlete mental health over the past few years.
To truly win the mind game, every aspect matters. And what we must understand is that the health, happiness and performance of an athlete are inextricably intertwined. After all, the spectrum of mental health is not merely about the absence of a disease. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.
The impact of this decision to include mental wellness as part of the contingent is not going to be restricted to the players competing at the games alone. Learning from their role models, young upcoming players too will recognize the importance of this mind game. It’s time we created a sporting ecosystem that prioritizes the psychological well-being and safety of our athletes. Paris 2024 promises to be a positive step in the right direction.
(Authors: Dr. Samir Parikh (psychiatrist) is the Chief Mental Wellness Expert and Divya Jain (Sport Psychologist) is the Mental Wellness Expert with the Paris 2024 Medical Team appointed by the Indian Olympic Association.)
This distance though, as important as it is, is not always very well understood. How does the mind really play a role and what are the elements that an athlete needs to train to win this mind game? Mental health, well-being and peak performance all lie on a spectrum and a simple way of understanding it is to think of it as analogous to physical training. The spectrum of physical training lies all the way from rehabilitation and recovery to strength and conditioning. It’s the same with mental health too – the spectrum lies from the management of mental health concerns to self-care and mental conditioning. From personal well-being to performance enhancement.
Just like strength and conditioning is about helping athletes reach the peak of their physical potential, become physically stronger so that their body supports the requirements of the sport, mental conditioning is about helping athletes reach the peak of their mental potential in service of the sport. The games are played in a high pressure environment, and it’s only players who can withstand, and in fact, harness this pressure, who will succeed. Self-belief, commitment, motivation, autonomic control, resilience and focus are some key aspects of mental strength that athletes therefore must develop. Visualization, self-talk, goal setting, focus control training, zoning-in routines, mindfulness training, biofeedback, simulation training, and self-regulation are some of the strategies commonly used by sport psychologists to enable players to enter the flow state and play to their potential.
While mental conditioning is something that is gaining increasing acceptance in the world of sport, there is still the other end of the spectrum that is not very well understood. Take an example of a student – when we think of a student, the only marker of success we look at is marks. Nothing else. Do we stop and think – is this child happy?
Beyond the marks and medals, the athlete’s health and happiness matters. Over the last few years, some of the greatest players in the world – Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, to name a few – have come out and spoken about their struggles with mental health. Ensuring that our athletes get the right support during such times is absolutely essential.
For the first time ever, a team of mental wellness experts will be a part of the medical team accompanying players to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Such an initiative by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Ministry truly demonstrates their commitment to the complete health and well-being of our athletes. It also aligns with the efforts and vision of the International Olympic Commission which has recognized and championed the cause of athlete mental health over the past few years.
To truly win the mind game, every aspect matters. And what we must understand is that the health, happiness and performance of an athlete are inextricably intertwined. After all, the spectrum of mental health is not merely about the absence of a disease. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.
The impact of this decision to include mental wellness as part of the contingent is not going to be restricted to the players competing at the games alone. Learning from their role models, young upcoming players too will recognize the importance of this mind game. It’s time we created a sporting ecosystem that prioritizes the psychological well-being and safety of our athletes. Paris 2024 promises to be a positive step in the right direction.
(Authors: Dr. Samir Parikh (psychiatrist) is the Chief Mental Wellness Expert and Divya Jain (Sport Psychologist) is the Mental Wellness Expert with the Paris 2024 Medical Team appointed by the Indian Olympic Association.)
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