Much like our physical health, lifelong activity in sport can be a contributor to positive mental health. Sport teaches many traits that promote positive mental health such as resilience, goal setting, creating social connections, and more. According to the Power of Sport: The True Sport Report 2022, 70.3% of sport participants reported perceiving themselves to have excellent or good mental health, compared to only 59.9% of non-participants in sport. The intentional promotion of positive mental health by community sport organizations can enhance the positive impact in our community.
Mental health is a continuum that can be impacted by mental illness, but these two things are not the same. Everyone has mental health. Mental health can range from optimal to poor and is constantly changing based on several factors in an individual’s life. Good mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to their own community (World Health Organization).
Mental illness is estimated to affect 1 in 5 Canadians in their lifetime (Mental Health Commission of Canada). Mental illness can create additional challenges for individuals in maintaining positive mental health. There are also social determinants in mental health. Canadians who identify are members of equity-deserving groups such as 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, Indigenous peoples, people of colour, and individuals from low-income households are at an even higher risk of experiencing mental illness (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health).
So, what can you do to support mental health in sport?
- Encourage your coaches to complete the online learning module Mental Health in Sport from the Coaching Association of Coach. This 60-minute online eLearning workshop is available free of charge and can be done at any time. The course is intended to teach the foundations of mental health, recognizing and understanding your role in promoting well-being, and understanding the importance of self-care. Learn more.
- Check in with your volunteers and staff. By regularly checking in on your volunteers and staff, you can foster more trusting relationships and look for signs of burnout or poor mental health. We know the volunteer system in community sport is burning out, and early recognition of burn-out is key. Here are some ways to check-in:
- Take 5 minutes at your next meeting to ask folks to check-in and share with the group. This can be done using a red/yellow/green activity or something funny like “which cat are you today?”.
- Send out an anonymous volunteer engagement survey. This method will give you a snapshot of how your group is feeling rather than individuals, but the anonymity may result in greater honesty. Survey results could indicate a change needed in the overall sport environment or atmosphere. Here a volunteer/staff morale survey template.
- Check-in informally with individuals. While it can be time consuming, having leaders create informal conversations with volunteers is a good opportunity to check in on mental health. This may be more feasible for smaller organizations with fewer volunteers.
- Creating an inclusive and welcome sport environment. Because members of equity-deserving groups experience a higher risk for mental illness, it is important that everyone have access to the positive benefits of sport. Read more about making community sport more diverse, equitable and inclusive here.
- Promote positive mental health regularly. Intentionally sharing positive mental health practices for individuals and promoting positive mental health among your staff, volunteers, and participants is one way to provide support. This can include:
- Creating safe spaces for everyone to be included.
- Promoting good physical health, including staying active and eating well.
- Being accepting of change and encouraging adaptability.
- Encouraging individual to identify and realize their goals.
- Sharing access to supportive resources, such a counselling.
The Ottawa Sport Council believes in positive sport experiences for everyone. Supporting good mental health is one way to increase positive sport experiences. If you’d like more information about mental health in sport, contact us today.