Talking Olympic Medals, Weightlifting And Mental Health With Psychologist Dr Anjuman Bains

We speak about Weightlifting And Mental Health to counselling Psychologist Dr Anjuman Bains, who has worked with the Weightlifting Federation extensively before the Tokyo Olympics and even worked with Padamshree Saikhom Mirabai Chanu the renowned Silver Medallist Tokyo Olympics.

Highs of victory, the lows of defeat and umpteen injuries punctuate the journey of a sportsperson's life. Mental health is the key in sports. But imagine being away from your families for over four years, training to achieve the desired fitness for that elusive Olympic medal. And then knowing the event is postponed? How would you feel?

Dr Anjuman Bains talks to SheThePeople about why mental health interventions are needed in sports and what kind of issues women sportspersons face. She has been associated with the federation since 2019.

Some edited excerpts from the conversation.

You have worked closely with sportspersons and their mental health; tell us about the kind of mental health pressures that even the people in the best form go through?

One of the most common challenges that athletes face is the pressure due to excessively high standards of performance that are expected from them. This often triggers a never-ending cycle of overly critical self-evaluations. Such pressures and negative self-reflection has terrible consequences for the overall mental health of the athletes. This may also have the potential to damage the athlete’s identity. Furthermore, it has been seen that those athletes who have strong tendencies to negatively evaluate themselves and their performance may oftentimes show signs of depression.

 Talking specifically in the context of athletes in India, a medal for an athlete can be life changing not just by making them a star but also financially, and bring a better life ahead. The personal stakes are so high that the athlete’s success is dependent on their single medal/performance.

To top it off overtraining and personal and emotional sacrifices may end up in athletes experiencing depression, anxiety and insomnia.

Tell us in detail about your work with the Weightlifting Federation of India ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

The pandemic has been one of the toughest times for all of us but you cannot even imagine how it was for the athletes. Imagine that these athletes and their coaches had been away from their families for over four years, training day and night for that one Olympic medal. Then they get the news that Tokyo Olympics is postponed. How would that have been for them? How would you feel if that happened to you?

For a sportsperson every single year matters because their age increases and overtraining can be harmful to their overall performance.

Weightlifting Federation of India in my understanding may have been the first federation to attach a psychologist with their team and also acknowledge mental health. Due to the pandemic the sessions with the athletes were conducted through virtual platforms. Some sessions lasted for 2 hours. A lot of concerns were highlighted by the athletes and what was very common was a total jolt to their overall motivation levels. There was also a fear about not being able to perform again as most of them had attained their peak performance by then.

The pandemic has been one of the toughest times for all of us but you cannot even imagine how it was for the athletes. Imagine that these athletes and their coaches had been away from their families for over four years, training day and night for that one Olympic medal. Then they get the news that Tokyo Olympics is postponed. How would that have been for them? How would you feel if that happened to you?

For a sportsperson, every single year matters because their age increases and overtraining can be harmful to their overall performance.

The Weightlifting Federation of India in my understanding may have been the first federation to attach a psychologist with their team and also acknowledge mental health. Due to the pandemic, the sessions with the athletes were conducted through virtual platforms. Some sessions lasted for 2 hours. A lot of concerns were highlighted by the athletes and what was most common to see was a total jolt to their overall motivation levels. There was also fear about not being able to perform again as most of them had attained their peak performance by then.

Not just this but group sessions and national level webinars with coaches across India were also organised. About 400 Indian athletes and coaches from all parts of India along with federation officials joined for such large scale webinars.

Athletes' training plans and goals were upended, and many had to train alone — on top of reckoning with racial justice issues, COVID-19 related deaths, and financial hardship. Now, the strict protocols, lack of fans, and absence of familial support are likely taking a toll.

In a country like ours where sports remains a male domain, largely. How easy or difficult is it for women sportspersons to keep their focus?

When it comes to sports, there used to be gender biases on what females could play and what they could not which had often left Indian female athletes with limited choices. Some part of it is due to the wider sexism and gender biases that exist in India.

The challenges of female sportswomen are a lot and it starts from the media. The portrayal of sports into categories like female sports and male sports makes it even harder to break traditional gender barriers. Sometimes, media coverage is comparatively less for female sportsperson than how men are celebrated. However, thanks to the social media platforms this is now celebrated. Some added pressures are social media forwards such as memes which focus on their sexuality than their physical appearance and accomplishments.

Eating disorders have been specifically seen in researches and talked at various platforms amongst female athletes thanks to so much emphasis on their appearance than performance.

Other concerns include safety concerns which could be resolved by having a women supervisor or mentor on the team who may help them feel supported.

The portrayal of sports into categories like female sports and male sports makes it even harder to break traditional gender barriers.

What kind of mental health intervention initiatives for sportspersons are there in place in India?

A lot of different federations are taking personal initiatives for mental health, however, mostly the mental health assistance comes in the way when an athlete goes through some mental health crisis.

There is an official psychologist under the Sports Authority of India. However, when it comes to independent federations it’s hard to find psychologists permanently as part of the team. If some mental health assistance is needed the athlete is referred to a psychologist outside the federation. Sadly, many are undertrained or do not have exposure to sports and athlete's mindsets leading to less effectiveness.

If a psychologist is also hired on a team along with a medical doctor, physiotherapist and a coach it would just be a perfect combination for the athletes to rely on. Plus training psychologists to work with athletes is also equally important for their effectiveness.

How has the pandemic affected women and especially women sportspersons?

While the pandemic has been difficult for athletes, in general, female sportspersons have had their fair share of difficulties. While most of the female sportspersons have been stressed due to running time and not being able to perform at an international level issues like job losses, lack of mental health support and lack of support and funds for women's sports.

Sportspersons receive a cult status after winning medals, tournaments, they are often hero-worshipped. Is it very easy for them to falter at this stage? How do you counsel them?

This is popularly known as the post-Olympic depression state. The transition from being a sportsperson and being completely defined by the sports through years of goal setting and efforts to suddenly coming to a point where their identity and goals need to be redefined often makes a person go through low states.

The athletes are assisted by helping them prepare themselves for a newer identity off the playing field. Long-term plans posts the tournaments are worked on to help the athletes prepare themselves for the transition. Along with this focus on creating support, the idea is to help the athlete sail smoothly through the transition.

The transition from being a sportsperson and being completely defined by the sports through years of goal setting and efforts to suddenly coming to a point where their identity and goals need to be redefined often makes a person go through low states.

Mental illness is not a weakness. Your comments.

 Mental illness is not a choice or a person’s character flaw or some kind of mental weakness. It is an illness just like a physical illness that has nothing to do with them lacking the willpower to come out of it.

 In your experience do women underplay their mental health issues? Or is it men who face the stigma more as they are supposed to be strong and can’t express their emotions?

Females have been able to reach out to help more easily than their men counterparts. This may be due to the gender stereotypes where female self-disclosure is respected however when men open up its perceived negatively.

You have been part of research talking to people who wanted to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Tell us about some of the key societal pressures transpeople face wanting to undergo a reassessment surgery face?

Problems like foster isolation, lack of social support, discrimination and victimisation are the most common problems faced by them. All this adds to what’s called Minority Stress that stems from being part of a minority. The stigma, prejudice and discrimination often cause mental health problems including anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress. However, it has been seen that post-sex reassignment surgery the overall satisfaction with life and mental wellbeing is enhanced positively. Getting a reassignment surgery is a privilege as it requires financial muscle because of which a lot of people are not able to afford it.

 What are the mental skills we would need to come out of the pandemic?

• Anticipate the distress. We must prepare ourselves mentally for tough times as we take care of ourselves physically.
• Goal setting – short goals are much better at this time than long term goals. Make weekly goals or daily goals this will help you feel that you are moving ahead every single day.
• Manage your media consumption make sure you watch content that adds value rather than create fear.
• Stay connected with loved ones. Social support can act as a big buffer for you all at this time.
• Every week learn something new, the idea is to keep yourself in a growth mindset this will help you feel that your life is moving and the chances to feel fall will reduce.