Faith, sport and mental health: Creating safe spaces to flourish this Mental Health Awareness Week

Written by Karen van Namen, our new Sport and Faith Lead in the East Zone, this blog shares her insights for Mental Health Awareness Week, reflecting on the pressures athletes face, the importance of safe spaces, and how faith and self-care can help us thrive.

"Mental health is an increasingly significant concern, and nobody is immune to life’s challenges. We all need a positive, healthy, and caring environment to thrive rather than just survive. The facts are that one in four young people currently has a mental health condition, and suicide accounts for more deaths among young people than car accidents.

Sports people are not exempt from this. Playing sports and being active has numerous benefits for holistic health, physically, emotionally, and socially. However, those who take part in competitive sport face the same pressures as everyone else, including work, study, finances, and relationships. On top of this, they also deal with team selection, injuries, and game-day mistakes, which can significantly impact their identity and self-worth unless they learn to manage negative thoughts.

For 11 years, I was an Accredited Sports Chaplain for professional women’s basketball and football teams in Australia. My focus was to support the development of the whole person, helping people through both good and bad times to be the best version of themselves. I worked to create safe spaces in the community where players, staff, and parents could feel comfortable and know it was perfectly normal to reach out and talk to someone when needed.

'Stopping the stigma' of mental health issues is vital. If you have a bad tooth, you go to the dentist. If you have a bad back, you go to the osteopath. If you are struggling with your mind, we should normalize talking to a professional who can help. At times, we just want to vent to a friend and get things off our chest, but if you’re feeling low or down and it lasts longer than two weeks, that’s when it’s time to seek help from external sources. Your GP is a great place to start, and they can refer you on if needed.

I’ve personally struggled with bouts of anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression at certain points in my life. I’m grateful to have had strong support systems around me, and my faith has played a huge part in helping me through. I’ve had to learn to retrain my brain in the same way I train my body at the gym.

'I haven’t been given a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind' (2 Timothy 1:7) and 'I am transformed by the renewing of my mind' (Romans 12:2) are two of my favourite scriptures. Don’t believe everything you think. Sometimes our thoughts lie to us, and when negative thoughts arise, it’s helpful to challenge them and fill our minds with positive words from what God says about us.

Self-care is also important, doing the things that bring you joy in a healthy way. For me, this includes being out in nature, watching movies, listening to music, and chatting with people. I don’t have it all together; I’m still a work in progress, but I’m trying to be my own best friend and to remember, 'You are bold, you are courageous, you are more than a conqueror and an overcomer.'"

If anything mentioned in this article affected you, or you’d like support or to find out more about the topics discussed, please see the links below: