Brigita Stenger MD reflects on the current situation 22/01/2022

Dear athletes, coaches, teachers, adjudicators and DanceSport officials,

As we left 2021 behind and approached 2022, I wish you health and happiness.

2021 was full of challenges not only for DanceSport, but for all Sport in general. Successfully organized national and international DanceSport championships and competitions were a result of huge efforts, team work and collaboration between countries, clubs, federations and the most important between people having the same goal - to keep DanceSport and athletes “alive”.  I would like to emphasize the significance of the recent summer Olympic Games which showed that Sport can survive during pandemic. Japan made the impossible happen, besides all restrictions and obstacles and at the same time putting athletes’ safety as the first priority during event. Unfortunately, the world of sports continues to be challenged with ongoing impacts from the pandemic, maltreatment, inequity and countless other influences.

As a sports psychiatrist, I couldn’t notice that in 2021 the topic of athletes’ mental health has dominated the headlines. Obviously, like all of us, athletes are not immune to psychological difficulties. Despite their strong physical appearance, they suffer from a wide range of disorders, from depression or anxiety to eating disorders or addictions. I follow the latest developments in the world of sport closely, and I have noticed that it is no longer enough to focus solely on the performance of athletes, whatever the sport in which they compete. It is much more important to look deeper and broader, not only to achieve high results, but above all to care about the emotional health of athletes, to track, analyse and understand it. The problems that athletes face are not usually sudden and unexpected; they are the sum total of emotions, setbacks, fears, fatigue, the burden of responsibility, the feelings of uncertainty, which burst like a bubble in those moments when the psyche no longer has the capacity to cope with all this “fusion” and to focus only on a particular event or competition.

As an advocate of mental health of athletes and all sports society, I would like to put mental health as a priority and not allow it to slip below the surface. The first important step is to address problems by educating sports society members about mental health issues that are common among athletes as well as among the general population. And only after acknowledgment of these issues we will be able to find solutions. I encourage athletes, coaches and all other DanceSport society members to pay more attention to mental health. If there are any signs of depressed mood, lack of motivation and energy, changes in sleep and nutrition, unexplained pain, anxiety, or exhaustion, a professional athlete-specific assessment is needed. Even if there are only questions, it is necessary to look for answers, not to ignore and not to hide the problems - on the contrary, to try to understand them, to help sportsmen to be not only physically strong, but also emotionally and psychologically healthy.
Todays’ harsh reality is forcing us all to accept the aforementioned challenges which affect our lives whether or not we want to, that is why taking care of our mental and physical health is crucial not only for athletes but for all of us.
Let’s spend this 2022 paying more attention to each other.

I wish you all the best,
Brigita Stenger MD, Sports Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist
Consultant for WDSF Sports