Wrestling & Mental Health
The physical challenges faced in wrestling as a competitive sport are of a great magnitude, but the effects on mental health can be just as, if not more, potent.
Challenges Faced
- Demand for cutting or gaining weight
- Intense strength training
- Pressure of 1v1 competition
- Burnout
- Student-athlete lifestyle
- Injuries
- Depression
- Anxiety
Eating Disorders
In their book, “Wrestling with Eating Disorders,” Carrielynn Reinhard and Christopher Olson discuss how there is a tangible history of a focus on a “perfect image” of body types in wrestling (2021).
They examine professional female wrestling specifically, and show how there is some level of improvement in mitigating this idea of a perfect body, but also how the sport of wrestling is a breeding ground for eating disorders to develop under the guise of “cutting” weight.
If you or someone you know is experiencing signs of an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating contact the National Eating Disorders Helpline now for support, resources, and treatment options.