[hlnx1]

Social media can help athletes connect, learn and build a profile. It can also feed comparison, expose them to abuse and eat into sleep.

Things worth considering:

• Constant comparison with other athletes’ training and bodies can distort what is normal and fuel unhealthy behaviour
• Online abuse after poor performances is a recognised problem, especially for higher-profile and female athletes
• Late-night scrolling can delay sleep, which matters for recovery
• Clear boundaries, such as no phone in the last hour before bed, muted words, or a manager posting for you around competitions, can help

Mental health overview: mental health in footballers.

What boundaries, if any, do you set around social media in competition periods?

[hlnx1]

A note on training data apps: seeing other people’s sessions can be motivating, but it can also push people to train harder on easy days or chase numbers that do not suit their plan.

Making your activities private for a block, or hiding pace data, is one way to keep the focus on your own training.

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