{"id":6821,"date":"2020-10-21T16:16:14","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T16:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/?p=6821"},"modified":"2025-07-09T06:30:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T10:30:38","slug":"how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Young Athletes with Mental Health During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-20.jpg\" alt=\"mental health in young athletes\" class=\"wp-image-6822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-20.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-20-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Kids_Cope_with_Uncertainty\"><\/span>Help Kids Cope with Uncertainty<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-19\/#Help_Kids_Cope_with_Uncertainty\" >Help Kids Cope with Uncertainty<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-19\/#Young_athletes_who_are_accustomed_to_getting_exercise_wont_feel_right_in_their_bodies_she_adds\" >Young athletes who are accustomed to getting exercise won\u2019t feel right in their bodies, she adds.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-19\/#Listen_to_the_Ultimate_Sports_Parent_Podcast\" >Listen to the Ultimate Sports Parent Podcast<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-19\/#Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\" >Related Articles on Youth Sports:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-19\/#Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\" >Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s tough for sports kids during the COVID-19 crisis. Either they aren\u2019t playing sports at all&#8211;or if they are, they\u2019re worried about their sports being canceled due to COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such uncertainty creates <strong>anxiety <\/strong>in sports kids, says Rebekah Roulier, director of the Champions Network and a former NCAA Division 1 student-athlete. She\u2019s also a college soccer coach who now has a degree in counseling. With the Champions Network, she\u2019s working to teach coaches how to address <strong>mental health challenges<\/strong> in young athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn just the youth sports community in general, I\u2019ve heard that their seasons are being taken away&#8211;or if they are back on the field, they don\u2019t know if COVID will cancel the season. It translates to a great deal of <strong>anxiety<\/strong>,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help kids <strong>cope with uncertainty<\/strong>, parents and coaches can show young athletes, through modeling and conversation, how to reduce their anxiety. Explain to kids that no one their age has ever been through a pandemic before, and it\u2019s a challenging situation. Encourage them to take walks or call friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTalk through a plan with them,\u201d Roulier says. \u201cPerhaps you can\u2019t train on a trip with your team, but what can we do together in the backyard? There are practical things a parent or coach can do for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Young_athletes_who_are_accustomed_to_getting_exercise_wont_feel_right_in_their_bodies_she_adds\"><\/span>Young athletes who are accustomed to getting exercise won\u2019t feel right in their bodies, she adds.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>They may not possess the communication skills to express that they don\u2019t feel right. Parents, coaches and teachers should check in with sports kids and offer to help them structure their days so they can get exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answers aren\u2019t always so simple for kids in low-income families. Their families are facing loss of income and housing instability. Working parents are unable to supervise their kids during online classes. \u201cThe stressors are enormous,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parents, coaches and teachers should watch for signs of <strong>stress<\/strong> in these young athletes and be sure to open up the lines of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBe a good listener, nod your head, maintain eye contact,\u201d she advises. Be sure to use a non-threatening tone of voice. Coaches and parents could also share YouTube videos about athletes who have overcome challenges.<br>Adults should also contact mental health professionals if they\u2019re worried about their kids\u2019 mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coaches can play a critical role in helping kids identify and cope with <strong>mental health challenges<\/strong>. \u201cCoaches are on the front lines in terms of being able to reach out to kids. They are trusted adults,\u201d Roulier says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In youth sports, you can help teach your sports kids how to deal with adversity&#8211;in sports and life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Listen_to_the_Ultimate_Sports_Parent_Podcast\"><\/span>Listen to the Ultimate Sports Parent Podcast <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related-articles-on-hockey-mental-game\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Related_Articles_on_Youth_Sports\"><\/span>Related Articles on Youth Sports:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/help-athletes-trust-the-training\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-toxic-sports-cultures-hurt-kids-mental-health\/\"><strong>How Toxic Sports Cultures Hurt Kids\u2019 Mental Health<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/the-link-between-sports-kids-mental-game-and-mental-health\/\"><strong>The Link Between Sports Kids\u2019 Mental Game and Mental Health<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-care-about-athletes-mental-health\/\"><strong>How to Care About Athletes\u2019 Mental Health<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"block-f49818fa-7c7a-4ee3-b5ee-66581aad2c71\">*Subscribe to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/sports-psychology-podcast-by-peaksports-com\/id152566009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0on iTunes<br>*Subscribe to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0ynyaalKxbnNmsoeL8gF5X?si=8224669de9b3435b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sports Psychology Podcast<\/a> <\/strong>on Spotify<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Help_Young_Athletes_Boost_Confidence_in_Sports\"><\/span>Help Young Athletes Boost Confidence in Sports!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ultimate-sports-parent-small.jpg\" alt=\"The Ultimate Sports Parent\" class=\"wp-image-11157\" style=\"width:167px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Every day, we receive letters from parents like you who want their children and teens to excel in sports. However, these parents can <strong>see fear, doubt, and frustration on the faces of their kids<\/strong> who struggle with the \u201cinner\u201d game of sports. But these parents have no idea how to help their kids <strong>overcome the worries, expectations and self-defeating thoughts<\/strong> that prevent their young athletes from feeling confident and successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can benefit from our 1<strong>5-plus years\u2019 of work in sports psychology and sports parenting research<\/strong>. Now, you can <strong>tap into our secrets to sports success<\/strong> through a cutting-edge, 14-day program that helps young athletes overcome the top \u201cmental game\u201d challenges that sports parents face\u2014and the top <strong>challenges young athletes face<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-fbab03ed\">\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-fa7bf2e7 gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peaksports.com\/ultimate-sports-parent-workbook-cd-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GET DETAILS<\/a>\n\n\n\n<a class=\"gb-button gb-button-33bcee1d gb-button-text\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.peaksports.com\/products\/the-ultimate-sports-parent-digital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BUY NOW<\/a>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Help Kids Cope with Uncertainty It\u2019s tough for sports kids during the COVID-19 crisis. Either they aren\u2019t playing sports at all&#8211;or if they are, they\u2019re worried about their sports being canceled due to COVID-19. Such uncertainty creates anxiety in sports kids, says Rebekah Roulier, director of the Champions Network and &#8230; <a title=\"How to Help Young Athletes with Mental Health During COVID-19\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/how-to-help-young-athletes-with-mental-health-during-covid-19\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to Help Young Athletes with Mental Health During COVID-19\">Read Sport Psychology Tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[367,382],"class_list":["post-6821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-parent-podcast","tag-anxiety-in-youth-sports","tag-communication-with-sports-kids"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youthsportspsychology.com\/youth_sports_psychology_blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}