There’s no doubt that transitioning to life after sport can be a confusing and overwhelming process. This can be compounded if your transition triggers any previous, underlying, or new mental health issues.
If you are feeling lost, confused or concerned about the transition process or about any mental health symptoms you are experiencing, the information fact sheets below could be a good place to start.
Please note, these are information resources only. If you (or a loved one) are struggling with transition out of sport, contact us at info@crossingthelinesport.com for a referral to some helpful services.
If you need to speak to someone about your mental health concerns, you can call one of the helplines listed on our mental health contacts page. If you or someone you know are in need of immediate help, please call 000 (or the emergency services in your country).
Fact sheets
Crossing the Line
1. This Mental Health in Life After Sport fact sheet highlights some key ways to keep mentally healthy while you are preparing to retire from sport, including:
- how to support your immediate mental health
- tools for enhancing long-term mental health
- tips for keeping your emotional backpack light.
(Download a printable A4 version.)
2. Sound mental health is essential in a high-performance sporting environment. This Athlete Mental Health fact sheet looks at three key areas for athletes to focus on:
- resilience
- emotion regulation
- how to manage setbacks and injuries.
3. Our Athlete Transition Fact Sheet provides an overview of athlete transition, including:
- what to expect during and after the transition
- managing identity loss
- tips to help find your passion and purpose.
(Download a printable A4 version.)
You can also take a look at these 12 helpful tips for retiring athletes.
4. Our Athlete Transition Checklist provides an at-a-glance list of the key steps you can take to a help ensure more successful transition.
You can also find out more about our Athlete Transition Program here.
(Download a printable A4 version.)
5. This Integrating Study and Sport fact sheet offers support to student-athletes juggling school or university with their sport, including:
- the importance of a non-sporting identity
- time and energy management skills
- tips for looking after mental health.
(Download a printable A4 version.)
Beyond Blue
Australian mental health charity Beyond Blue publishes a wealth of information and fact sheets about different areas of mental health. (These links will take you to the relevant pages on their site.)
3. Facts about suicide prevention
5. Facts about drug and alcohol use
Black Dog Institute
Australian mental health charity the Black Dog Institute specialises in information and support around depression and associated issues. The organisation has an incredible range of fact sheets on everything from the causes of depression and bipolar disorder to how to manage depression with mindfulness and exercise. These can be accessed online or downloaded as PDFs from the link below.
Lifeline
Lifeline is an Australian mental health charity that provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services. Along with its 24-hour hotline, Lifeline’s website also includes a wealth of videos, fact sheets and downloadable PDFs on a variety of topics, including:
2. Domestic and family violence
5. Stress
6. Substance abuse and addiction
R U OK?
R U OK? is an Australian charity that empowers people to check in with those around them and start a conversation about mental health.
There’s a number of helpful resources on its website, including this four-step infographic.