Mental Health Awareness Month Starts Today - Here’s How to Get Involved!
Posted on: 01 May 2026 by Switch the Play
Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Month, and we’re proud to be joining a global movement focussed on opening up conversations around mental health and highlighting the importance of wellbeing in everyday life, especially within sport and athlete transition.
At Switch the Play, we see first-hand that leaving sport is rarely just a career change, it’s a life transition. That’s why our Psychological Care Pathway (PCP) service exists: to support athletes navigating life beyond sport with tailored mental health support, practical tools and trusted guidance.
Whether an athlete is retiring, transitioning early, or simply starting to think about what comes next, this period can bring uncertainty, identity shifts and new pressures. Our aim is to ensure no one goes through that alone.
Mental Health Awareness Month gives us the opportunity to shine a light on this work, share lived experience, and bring expert voices together to help normalise conversations around mental wellbeing. Ultimately, we want athletes to feel supported, understood and better equipped to thrive both during and after their sporting careers.
Why this matters
Transition out of sport can be one of the most significant shifts an athlete will ever experience. 70% of athletes don't end their careers on their own terms and it can bring challenges such as:
- Loss of identity and routine
- Uncertainty around future career direction
- Physical and emotional adjustment after injury or retirement
By opening up these conversations, we can help encourage earlier support and ensure athletes feel empowered to seek help when they need it.
What’s happening this month
We’ve created a range of ways to get involved and support mental wellbeing throughout May:
1) Expert mental health tips
Throughout the month, our Mentors, Team Mates and Psychological Care Pathway professionals will be sharing practical mental health tips and lived experience on Instagram. These will focus on real, accessible strategies to support wellbeing both in and beyond sport.
2) "Move Your Mood” Challenge
During Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ll be encouraging our community to take part in a daily movement challenge designed to explore the link between movement and mental wellbeing.
Participants are invited to spend 10–20 minutes each day moving in a way that feels right for them, whether that’s walking, training, stretching or something completely different!
We’ll be encouraging people to share their journey, tag us Instagram, and use the hashtag #MoveYourMood to take part and inspire others.
3) Live Q&A: 'Supporting Your Mental Health Beyond Sport' with special sports guest:
To close the month, we’ll be hosting a LinkedIn Live Q&A on Friday 29th May (1:00pm–1:30pm), featuring a special guest from the world of sport alongside our PCP professionals.
The session will explore what mental health support looks like beyond sport, common challenges in transition, and practical ways to support wellbeing. We’ll also be inviting questions from our community in advance, so keep an eye on our channels or feel free to DM us directly.
Get involved
Mental Health Awareness Month is about more than just awareness, it’s about action, connection and support. Whether you take part in the challenge, join the live session, or follow along online, we’d love you to be part of the conversation. Together, we can help create a sporting culture where mental wellbeing is openly discussed, properly supported and prioritised at every stage of an athlete’s journey.