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Mental health advice for competitive swimmers

Mental health advice for competitive swimmers

March 1, 2020

While we can all agree swimmers are the fittest and most fun athletes, even superhumans can have low moments.

Chasing personal bests and representing your club and your own ambitions takes a lot of drive and commitment. And it’s not always easy to balance training and competing alongside study and life!

Approximately one in four people will experience a mental health problem in any given year – that could be two or three in every race at your next competition.

Mental health problems can effect anyone, and have a wide range of causes that can be complex and interrelated.

Mental health advice

Our England Talent and Health and Wellbeing teams have put together a useful flow chart for how to get help for mental health problems.

If you feel like you are struggling, you can use the following steps to seek help and advice.

Just like training with others will help you improve your times and stroke, sharing challenges with others will make you stronger and better equipped to tackle them when they arise.

Click or tap the flowchart below to open it in full.

Mental health referral flowchart.

Step-by-step mental health advice

Is it an emergency?

  1. If it’s an emergency, call 999 or attend A&E as soon as you can
  2. You may then be referred to CAMHS, which is the child and adolescent mental health services.

If it’s not an emergency:

  1. Speak to your club welfare officer, parent or guardian, friend, coach, mental health first aider or colleague for support.
  2. One of these people may help you decide to seek advice from one of the organisations below.
  3. They may also help you arrange an appointment with a GP.
  4. A GP may also refer you to CAMHS.

Mental health helplines available

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