Athletes’ mental health is also discussed on Radio Suomen Urheiluilla on Thursday from 6 p.m. In the program, Topi Nättinen discusses, among other things, the athletes’ threshold to apply for help.
– It wouldn’t have occurred to me that I would have dared to be the first in the League to raise my hand about these things, hockey player Aleksi Elorinne previously stated to .
However, now that others had talked about things, he dared. He spoke to about exhaustion and depression and thanked other athletes who spoke about their mental health.
About ice hockey players, for example Taavi Vartiainen, Miska Siikonen, Jori Lehterä and Niko Hovinen have talked about their mental health challenges along their careers.
Sports expert Top Nättinen is really proud that the players have dared to talk about their mental health problems. The culture is changing.
– I want to convey a big thank you to them. It has always been known that not everything is going well in sports and now the topic is really coming to the surface. I know there are still players who feel bad. At least the threshold to speak is decreasing. At least that’s how it looks, Nättinen says.
The latest topic came up when Patrick Laine applied for the treatment program of the NHL and the players’ association NHLPA. Laine wrote on Instagram that she recognizes how important it is to prioritize one’s own mental health and well-being.
Nättinen reminds that in Finland it is not even possible to understand what kind of focal point Laine is in the NHL.
– Talking about the subject is extremely brave of him and truly exemplary. I hope from the bottom of my heart that he gets the treatment and help he needs for his problems. Laine shows that nine million in a season is not free from mental health problems.
– No one has a compelling need or responsibility to society, but I think it’s really great that we dare to speak from the highest summit.
Contacts increased
Sports psychologist and former top ice hockey player Tuomas Grönman not surprised by the public outings. He refers to his experiences over the years and also to research conducted on the subject, according to which elite sports expose you to depression, anxiety and exhaustion.
Grönman says that contacts have increased in recent years both in general and also for top athletes.
– I am most worried that the number of contacts has increased among young athletes. They have anxiety, exhaustion and fatigue. Parents also get in touch and are worried about their children playing sports at a competitive level.
Grönman is sad that individuals are not doing well, but happy that the issues are being talked about.
– When we talk, it seems to normalize. No need to think that I’m the only one who experiences this kind of thing, which makes the situation even worse.
Great pressure
For example, Elorinne would not have dared to speak about it five years ago. Nättinen, who finished his career in the spring of 2021, fully understands what Elorinne means.
– It is quite natural that most of the players remain silent. In ice hockey, in sports in general, showing so-called weaknesses is not included in the image.
Nättinen saw many locker rooms during his hockey career. According to him, it is easy to say in retrospect that the locker room and professional hockey exposes a lot to mental health problems.
Ice hockey players experience heavy pressure from the club, teammates, coaches, media and supporters. The athlete struggles not only against others, but also against himself. Do I qualify and belong here? Am I good enough?
At the same time, a hockey player has to eat, rest, manage everyday life and remember to take care of his family and relationship as well. To top it all off, the future is possibly uncertain, as the contract for the next season has not yet been signed.
– Everyone can imagine how stressful it is if there is no information about the job next August. There is possibly a mortgage that needs to be paid.
– Conversely, it is the best possible environment for mental health problems.
The dynamics are not shaken
According to Nättinen, mental health problems were not discussed during his career, at least not in front of the entire team. You could talk about the issues to a few credit friends, who also took them seriously.
On the other hand, the hockey player could also withdraw into his own shell, so that the whole booth wouldn’t know about it. Nättinen describes this as based on the fact that everyone is committed to winning.
– You don’t want to undermine it with your own actions. That is probably the basic idea why silence prevails on a structural level.
– It’s not that there are cold people who don’t have empathy. The environment and energy are built in such a way that it is not advisable to reveal weakness or anything that weakens one’s own position or the potential success of the team.
Culture is changing
Nättinen believes that the younger generations have changed the hockey culture for the better. And just like the rest of society, the taboo of talking about mental health is disappearing.
Nättinen wants to believe that the culture of silence is changing in hockey and that the players who spoke about it are part of a new direction.
– I want to believe that the door is now open. It’s wide open and now we just have to blow it up so that at some point we get to the point where talking about these things isn’t a problem. And we could also reduce mental health problems.
Even during Nättinen’s career, some teams had people with whom you could talk about difficult issues. Increasingly, mental coaches and sports psychologists have also been used in hockey teams.
Easy competitive advantage without taking advantage?
However, Nättinen reminds us how the hockey routine often focuses on training, repetitions, test results and, in general, the development of physical qualities. Rarely does anyone talk about developing the spiritual side.
– Someone once said that the mental and physical aspects are equally important. I say the spiritual is even more important. Everyone knows that your own mind is the most important thing.
The expert announces that in the future more and more focus will be placed on the spiritual side.
– It could really easily be a competitive advantage to utilize mental resources and people’s minds. Everyone runs, passes, skates and goes to the gym, but the ones who help the team mentally are people worth their weight in gold.