Development of an audio and visual toolkit to support mental health in athletes

Athletes often experience significant emotional challenges including poor performance, negative thoughts, and difficulties with emotional regulation, all of which can impact their mental health and performance. Despite these challenges, only about 22%of elite athletes seek help for mental health concerns, highlighting barriers such as team culture and fears over confidentiality. Building on the ecological systems framework which emphasises mental health literacy and personal development, we developed a brief, accessible audio-visual toolkit targeting common emotional challenges in athletes. The mental health and recovery toolkit consisting of four short podcasts in audio and video format has episodes on ‘Dealing with Emotions’, ‘Dealing with Negative Thoughts’, ‘Dealing with Poor Performance’, and ‘Guided Progressive Muscle Relaxation.’ Each podcast provides specific strategies such as breathing exercises, mindfulness, and progressive muscle relaxation, supported by natural imagery and captions to enhance accessibility. Background videos include greenandblue spaces, designed to promote relaxation and focus. The toolkit is freely available online on all major podcast platforms and YouTube, enabling athletes to access support discreetly in environments like changing rooms or during travel. While podcasts have shown promise in health education and behaviour change, evidence specific to mental health outcomes in athletes is limited; therefore, the toolkit is positioned as an adjunct, not a replacement, for professional care. Further research is required to assess its effectiveness and potential for broader implementation in mental health literacy and athlete support strategies.