Paige Hamann now knows how to manage her anxiety and depression, but it wasn’t long ago the 18-year-old basketball and track athlete was at a loss.

“I was just feeling very hopeless, worthless,” she said. “I was super tired all the time. I wasn’t eating well, I was super irritable.”

The outgoing teenager became withdrawn, and would feel anxious while practicing and playing sports.

“Coping with my own mental illness and at the same time managing the pressure of my sports, it was very difficult. I wasn’t quite sure how to separate them,” she said.

While the Regina teen tried to work through it alone, she tragically learned a close friend and teammate was also struggling.

“Losing a teammate to suicide was a big eye opener for me and it was a dark time for me,” she said.

“I’ve come to recognize it’s a lot of young athletes (struggling) and maybe their sport didn’t cause their mental health issues, but their sport should be a safe space for them to cope with those things.”

Thinking ‘Inside the Box’

Hamann said after seeking professional help, she’s able to manage her mental health more productively.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she used her photography skills to fundraise by offering portraits by donation of families outside their homes.

She then used those funds to create Inside the Box, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting mental health and wellness in sports.

“It’s super important to recognize that athletics can be a big issue for people and can be the thing that is causing the mental health issues,” she said.

“It really can make you doubt yourself and who you are as an athlete and as a person.”

Hamann said the organization wants to focus on spreading awareness and starting conversations, “really changing the culture in sports.”

She added one of the most prevalent topics she wants to address is anxiety and performance anxiety.

“Whether the anxiety is actually stemming from sports or it’s anxiety that people are struggling with on a daily basis and that added pressure of sport makes it difficult,” she said, adding athlete identity can also have a negative impact.

“That’s something we really want to focus on, is making sure that athletes know their identity is more than that and they are humans and they are bigger than their sport.”

Hamann is now looking to build partnerships with sports organizations in Regina and Saskatchewan.

The education student is creating courses and presentations for athletes and coaches that will address interpersonal communication, how teammates can provide support and ways parents can ease pressure.

“We really want to bring that all to light and talk about the difference between mental toughness and mental health,” she said.

Hamann noted the organization is making one more push for stronger supports in Saskatchewan, where the provincial government’s suicide prevention plan is being met with criticism from various groups.

Additionally, mental health experts maintain the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened anxiety levels for people of all ages.

“Especially for kids, this past spring and summer has seen quite a change in their daily routines,their access to physical activity,” said occupational therapist, Louise Burridge.

“That has caused a lot of physical health issues as well as mental health issues.”

2:33Minister Miller announces $82.5M for Indigenous mental health support during coronavirus pandemic