Adam Saad: What mental health challenges do athletes face?

Mental health is so important to us – not just as athletes, but as humans. Sometimes people forget, but elite athletes aren’t any different from anyone else. We're human beings and we feel the same things. We feel pressure, we stress about the little things and we worry about what’s next.

The main source of pressure is to perform well, week in, week out, in front of gigantic crowds. And after the match, there’ll always be someone with an opinion on your performance.

But it doesn’t end there. Even after the match, we can experience degrees of anxiety and self-doubt. Maybe we didn’t play well, and we start beating ourselves up over it, thinking we won’t be able to perform next week – it's a bit of a vicious cycle. Add in contract negotiations and game day selection, and you’ve got a hefty recipe for stress.

Early in my career, I was always worried about whether I was going to get selected for the match. I’d be stressing all week about whether I'd get to step out on the field or not, just waiting to hear news from the coach.

As the years passed, I learned how to deal with this anxiety: I’d start the conversation myself. If I was feeling anxious, I’d go speak directly with the coach and ask him if I was playing, so my mind would feel at ease. I took the same approach with my mental health and any negative thoughts I had – I'd find a close friend or my mentor and tell them what I’m thinking.

My family is another source of strength that helps me through tough times. My little daughter is almost two years old now, and when I see her, she puts a big smile on my face and my stress and worries just fade away.

And finally, I often fall back on my religion to deal with the pressures of life. When I pray, I achieve a sense of mindfulness and peace. If I’m overthinking or stressing about something, I’ll pray and refocus my perspective on what’s really important; footy isn’t the be-all and end-all in my life.

I’ve been in the AFL for eight years, and I’m glad to see more importance being placed on mental health in the industry. The support from the AFL and the AFL Players Association have been nothing short of awesome.

There’s been a lot more education sessions at footy clubs. At the start of the year, we complete a module about mental wellbeing, and the club also hosts a guest speaker every one or two months.

There’s also a sports psychologist who works at the club, so if we have something that’s troubling us, we can speak to her anytime. Plus, she runs a mindfulness and breathing technique session once or twice a week. In these sessions, we learn different mindfulness techniques, how to hone our focus and stay in the moment.

Lastly, Carlton also has a mentor group program. The team is divided into groups of six to eight players, and they exist to help the players bond a little bit more. If you have any issues or any worries on your mind, you can bring it up with the group and lean on them as another addition to your support network.