🎓 Mini Training: Breaking the Stigma – Mental Health in Athletes
Jonathan W. Thompson II
Feeling the pressure in sports? You're not alone. 🧠💪
In my latest video, we uncover 3 hidden stigmas that stop athletes from speaking up. Follow CJ’s powerful journey from silent struggle to strength through teamwork and therapy.
🏀 Struggling doesn’t mean weakness—it's human.
🧘♂️ Therapy = mental training.
🗣 Speaking up = real empowerment.
It’s time to break the silence and support the whole athlete—mind, body, and spirit. Let’s make mental health part of the game.
#wanewellness #MentalHealthMatters #StrengthInSpeaking #BreakTheStigma #AthleteWellness #MindBodySpirit #WholeAthlete #MentalTraining #EndTheStigma #SportsPsychology #AthleteSupport #PerformanceAndWellbeing #MentalFitness #ItsOkayToNotBeOkay #SpeakUpForMentalHealth #StrongMindStrongBody #GameChangerMindset #BeyondTheGame
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Hi. I'm Jonathan Thompson the second, a licensed mental health therapist in the state of California. One area of specialty in my practice is working at the intersection of sports performance and mental health advocacy. The goal of this training is to help athletes and those around them understand the mental health challenges athletes face and how to support themselves and others by addressing three hidden stigmas in sports. Let's start with a story. Meet CJ, a high school basketball player, team captain, and starting point guard. From the outside, he had it all. On the court, he was locked in. Off the court, he was drowning. What nobody saw was CJ was losing sleep, battling anxiety, and putting so much pressure on himself to be perfect that he started to shut down. He had beliefs such as If I tell someone I'm not okay, they'll think I'm soft. I'll lose my spot. I'll just have to deal with it. But he wasn't dealing with it. He was just hiding it, and it nearly cost him his passion for the game. There are three big mental health stigmas in sports that keep athletes like CJ silent. Number one. Struggling is weakness. Athletes are taught to grind through everything, but the mental pain isn't weakness. It's part of being human. Number two, therapy is for those people, not me. Nope. However, therapy is training for your mind just like practice is training for your body. Number three. If I speak up, I'll lose my spot. Fear of being benched, judged, or looked at differently keeps so many athletes quiet. But silence doesn't protect you. It isolates you. So a quick reflection. If you've ever thought one of those things, you're not alone, but believing them keeps athletes stuck. Back to CJ. One night, he had a full on panic attack before a game. That moment finally pushed him to speak up. He started therapy quietly at first, but it changed everything. He slept better. He played clearer. He felt renewed. He said, I thought speaking up would make me weaker, but it gave me my love for the game back. So let's make this teachable. Whether you're an athlete, coach, or parent, here are three action items you can take. Check-in with your mind like you check-in with your body. Feeling off? Say something. That's how you stay strong. Number two, support your teammates off the court. A simple you good could open a life changing conversation. Number three, normalize health. Let therapy be part of the culture, not the exception. Mental health and asking for help isn't weakness. It's a part of greatness. Athletes like CJ are no longer the exception. They're part of the brave new norm. Let's break the stigma and protect the whole athlete, mind, body, and spirit.