Building a Toolkit to Protect Your Own Mental Health

Working in an administrative role within high school athletics can be very stressful. Therefore, it’s critical for people in these positions to protect and prioritize mental health and well-being as much as possible. Understanding stress and how people react to it is also important.

The topic was the focus of a workshop at the 2025 NFHS Summer Meeting in Chicago. Dr. Lindsey Blom of Ball State University and Dr. Kylee Ault-Baker of Ohio State University presented strategies to manage stress and prioritize their mental health. Blom recently finished a term on the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.

The presenters noted that the body has two natural responses to demands and threats. While distress causes a negative reaction to these demands and threats, eustress demonstrates a positive reaction to possibly embrace a challenge. The outcome of a situation is largely dependent on the body’s response, which can greatly improve things or make them much worse.

Blom and Ault noted that chronic stress may have physical effects like sleep disruption and fatigue. There are also mental and emotional impacts like burnout and irritability. Lastly, and maybe the most severe, are professional impacts that might decrease productivity and hinder decision-making at work.

There are various common stressors that impact athletic administrators:

• Time Constraints

• Parental Pressure

• Coach Management

• Budget Limitations

• Facility Issues

• Crisis Management

• Work-Life Imbalance

Dealing with those stressors can vary depending on how overwhelmed or stressed an athletic administrator is.

With that said, it’s also important to think about some useful stress management skills recommended by Blom and Ault. First is the “Two-Minute Rule” for time management. If something takes less than two minutes, it should be done immediately to prevent smaller tasks from stacking up over time.

Another useful stress management skill includes crafting a “No” statement. Having one of these is a great way to practice politely declining a request that doesn’t align with someone’s priorities or capacity. As a result, it demonstrates appreciation for being considered to complete a task, even if the individual cannot do so at that given moment.

“Really identifying and understanding that capacity looks different from different people at different times,” Blom said. ‘Rather than being judged, this makes for a more supportive approach to support others’ needs.”

The mentality of feeling like something must always be done is a frequent issue for many athletic administrators, Blom noted. It’s common that they feel like they are always behind in some regard.

“If you’re sitting on the couch, your opponent’s not. You’re going to be behind,” Blom said.

However, the biggest consequence is how it takes away time for rest and recovery. As a result, people believe that making time for rest and recovery is a sign of weakness, although demonstrating rest and recovery should actually be viewed as a sign of productivity and excellence, Blom mentioned.

Prioritizing time to rejuvenate is also crucial for sustainability as Blom and Ault touched on. The first aspect of this is physical well-being, which includes being active, getting enough sleep, and eating well. Second is emotional well-being, consisting of mindfulness and meditation, hobbies and interest, and connecting with nature. Lastly, demonstrating social well-being allows someone to find their team, connect with peers, and know who to call.

Various helpful support sources listed by Blom and Ault are available when mental health starts to take a toll. These include colleagues, mentors, family and friends. Seeking help from a true mental health professional is also a potential approach, like therapists and counselors. Seeking help is a great sign of strength that shows self-awareness and putting wellness first.

Blom and Ault mentioned the importance of creating a supportive environment and what that looks like. Modeling is the first key factor as it helps people prioritize and discuss the importance of mental health when appropriate as it models healthy boundaries and self-care practices.

The second part includes fostering a culture of openness to encourage the discussion of one’s challenges without the fear of judgment, by incorporating a “team” approach. Next, providing resources to make people aware of them is critical as it allows people in the workplace to be aware of signs of distress among staff to effectively connect them to support. Lastly, recognizing the effort and hard work of the team lets them know how much their support is appreciated.

Stress is something that many people look at as a negative thing, although it can still be positive. Eustress is a good way to take on a challenge that may seem stressful to use it as motivation. This helps athletic administrators plan better to break down what needs to be done before a set deadline. This also encourages them to embrace difficult situations, knowing that people have the resources to complete difficult tasks that ultimately make us learn and grow.

“I think it’s a little bit about understanding how challenges make us better, knowing that we have the resources to be able to meet that challenge,” Blom said. “This approach helps people take on difficult tasks with a growth mindset.”

While some athletic administrators may handle time demands better than others, the cognitive aspect can still be difficult to deal with. This especially impacts athletic administrators who must make heavy decisions, putting a lot of weight on their shoulders.

“I think it’s really important to teach athletic directors how to use their thought partners,” Blom said.

Having that support staff makes a substantial difference, whether that’s the principal, assistant athletic director, work colleague, etc. Someone might ultimately oversee making the big decisions but having another individual or group to assist is helpful to take off the stress of making that decision.

Looking into the future with how stress and mental health impact high athletic administrators, it’s important to consider the realistic expectations of things, the speakers noted.

“I think it’s maybe adjusting our expectations of being able to do all of it at the same time,” Blom said.

Implementing more strategies in high school sports like the ones seen at the college level is another possible way forward. Examples may include changing the limit on how long a team is allowed to practice or having no games on Sundays, because it gives coaches and administrators a much more favorable playing field, Blom said. Additionally, sitting down with the athletic director before the busy season starts can be beneficial. This helps administrators determine when they can have a break or time off well in advance, Blom said.

Although these jobs may be stressful, it’s still important that athletic administrators acknowledge the hard work their teams commit to building a successful program. Additionally, being aware of mental health resources that benefit administrators is crucial. These include the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA), American School Counselor Association (ASCA), school district Employee Assistance Program (EAPs), and Professional Athletic Administrator (Such as NIAAA or state athletic director resources).

Overall, it’s vital to keep all these tips and resources in mind so that athletic administrators put their mental health first, while taking the correct action in doing so.

Noah Eaton is a spring intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. He is a senior at Indiana University in Bloomington.