Mindfulness for Optimizing Mental Health in Sports: A Systematic Literature Review and Implications for SDG 3
Journal of Current Studies in SDGs June 10, 2026 Dhevy Puswiartika, Humaedi Humaedi, Addriana Bulu Baan et al.
A systematic review of 14 studies published between 2020 and 2024 examined mindfulness in sports contexts. The findings indicate that mindfulness contributes positively to sports performance and mental health outcomes. Mindfulness-based interventions were reported to improve resilience, self-confidence, emotion regulation, subjective performance satisfaction, mindful awareness, well-being, and sleep quality, while reducing stress, anxiety, depression, tension, and the likelihood of choking during performance. The review highlights mindfulness as both a psychological training strategy and a promising approach to optimizing mental health in sports. It identifies a need for more rigorous randomized controlled trials with larger samples and diverse sports contexts, and notes implications for SDG 3.