Kelsey Mitchell's Honesty About Grief and Mental Health

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Uphill and Downhill: What Kelsey Mitchell's Honesty About Grief and Mental Health Teaches Us About Recovery

From the outside, Kelsey Mitchell's 2026 season looked like a dream. The Indiana Fever guard put together the best year of her career, averaging nearly 25 points per game. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star, a former Ohio State standout, and one of the most respected scorers in the league.

But when the season ended, Mitchell shared something that the box score could never show. In an interview for the Indianapolis Colts' "Kicking The Stigma" mental health initiative, she opened up about her ongoing struggle with mental health and how it has been shaped by the sudden death of her father.

"My mental health journey has always kind of been an uphill-downhill battle," she said.

At Eternal Purpose Recovery, we hear versions of that sentence every day. People walk through our doors carrying grief, stress, and pain that no one around them could see. Many of them have been performing at a high level at work, at home, or in their communities while quietly falling apart inside. Mitchell's honesty is a powerful reminder that success and struggle can live side by side, and that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Here is what she shared, and what her story can teach anyone facing grief, mental health challenges, or addiction.

A Loss That Changed Everything

Mitchell's father, Mark, was much more than a parent to her. He was her coach and mentor, the person who helped shape her as a player and as a person. In 2024, he died unexpectedly at just 56 years old.

Mitchell has described how that loss changed her on a deep, psychological level. Learning to live without a parent, especially one who played such a central role in her life and career, forced her to adjust in ways she never expected. She has also spoken about how hard days like those shape who a person becomes.

Anyone who has lost a parent suddenly knows that kind of grief. There is no time to prepare and no chance to say goodbye. One day the person is there, and the next day the world feels completely different. Grief like that does not stay neatly in one part of your life. It follows you to work, into your relationships, and into your quiet moments at night.

Success Does Not Protect You From Pain

One of the most important lessons from Mitchell's story is that achievement and pain often exist at the same time. During the same stretch that she was grieving her father, she was performing at an elite level on one of the most watched teams in women's sports.

Her 2026 season brought its own pressure too. Mitchell has talked about the intense scrutiny and hostility she and her teammates faced from some corners of the public during a season with a huge spotlight on the Fever. That kind of constant attention and criticism can wear on anyone's mental health.

Many people assume that if someone is successful, they must be okay. That assumption can be dangerous. It keeps people from checking on the high achievers in their lives, and it keeps high achievers from admitting they are struggling.

We see this often in addiction treatment. Some of the people who come to us are executives, nurses, teachers, parents, and athletes who held everything together on the outside for years. They used alcohol, pills, or other drugs to keep functioning, to sleep, to calm down, or to numb the pain they did not have time to feel. By the time they reach out, they are exhausted from pretending.

If that sounds familiar, please hear this: you do not have to wait until everything falls apart to get help.

How Grief and Mental Health Connect to Addiction

Grief is not a mental illness, but it can affect mental health in serious ways. A major loss can trigger or worsen depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and trauma symptoms. When those struggles go untreated, many people look for something that makes the pain quieter.

That is often where substance use begins. A drink to fall asleep. A pill to get through the funeral. A few more drinks on the anniversary of the death. Over time, what started as a way to cope becomes its own problem.

For people already in recovery, grief can also be one of the biggest relapse triggers. The pain is intense, the routine falls apart, and old coping habits start to look tempting again.

Some warning signs that grief or stress may be turning into something more serious include:

Drinking or using drugs to sleep, calm down, or avoid feelings
Needing more of a substance to get the same effect
Feeling hopeless, numb, or disconnected for weeks at a time
Pulling away from friends, family, or activities you used to enjoy
Struggling to function at work or at home
Hiding how much you are drinking or using from people close to you

If you see these signs in yourself or someone you love, it is time to talk to someone.

The Power of "Kicking The Stigma"

Mitchell shared her story through "Kicking The Stigma," an initiative from the Indianapolis Colts and the Irsay family that works to raise awareness about mental health and encourage people to seek treatment. Her willingness to speak publicly matters more than it might seem.

Stigma is one of the biggest barriers to recovery. Many people stay silent because they are afraid of being judged, seen as weak, or treated differently. In sports, that pressure can be even stronger, because athletes are often expected to be tough and push through anything.

When a high-profile athlete says, out loud, that she has had good days and bad days with her mental health, it gives other people permission to say the same. It tells a young athlete, a grieving parent, or someone quietly struggling with substance use that they are not alone and that there is nothing shameful about needing help.

The same stigma surrounds addiction. Too many people believe addiction is a moral failure instead of a health condition. That belief keeps people from asking for help until they are in crisis. Every honest conversation, whether it happens on a national stage or around a kitchen table, helps break that silence.

5 Lessons From Kelsey Mitchell's Story

1. Healing is not a straight line

Mitchell described her journey as uphill and downhill, and that is exactly how recovery works for most people. You will have strong days and hard days. A bad day does not mean you have failed or that you are back at the start. It means you are human.

2. Lean on the people who love you

Mitchell has said that she finds strength in leaning on the people around her who love her. Connection is one of the most powerful protective factors in both mental health and addiction recovery. Isolation feeds pain; community helps heal it.

3. Your hard days can shape you without defining you

Mitchell has talked about how difficult days influence who a person becomes. Grief and struggle leave a mark, but they do not have to have the final word. With support, painful experiences can lead to greater empathy, strength, and purpose.

4. Speaking up helps you and others

When you share your story honestly, you take away some of its power over you. You also give others the courage to do the same. That could mean telling a friend, joining a support group, or simply admitting to yourself that you need help.

5. Getting help is part of being strong

Mitchell did not stop being an elite athlete because she talked about her mental health. In the same way, asking for help does not make you weak or broken. It shows that you are serious about taking care of yourself.

Simple Ways to Protect Your Mental Health During a Hard Season

You do not have to be a professional athlete to feel worn down by grief, pressure, and criticism. If you are walking through a hard season right now, a few daily habits can help keep you steady:

Keep a basic routine. Regular sleep, meals, and movement give your mind and body something solid to stand on.
Limit what drains you. If social media, the news, or certain conversations leave you feeling worse, it is okay to step back.
Name what you feel. Writing in a journal or talking it out with someone you trust can make heavy feelings easier to carry.
Make space for your faith or quiet time. Prayer, meditation, or a few minutes of stillness can help you reconnect with what matters most.
Schedule support before you need it. Put therapy sessions, meetings, or regular check-ins with a friend on your calendar so help is already in place on the hard days.

None of these habits will erase grief, but together they can keep pain from pushing you toward unhealthy ways of coping.

Finding Purpose After Loss

Losing someone who shaped your life can make everything feel meaningless for a while. You may wonder who you are without them, or why you should keep working toward goals they once helped you chase.

At Eternal Purpose Recovery, we believe that every person still has a purpose, even after heartbreak. Sometimes that purpose looks like honoring the person you lost by living well. Sometimes it looks like helping others who are walking through the same pain. And sometimes it simply looks like getting through today with honesty and support.

Many people in long-term recovery say that their hardest season became the starting point of a more meaningful life. Not because the loss was good, but because they chose to face it instead of running from it.

How to Support Someone Who Is Grieving or Struggling

You may be reading this because you are worried about someone else. Here are a few ways to help:

Check on the strong ones. People who seem to have it all together may be the ones struggling most quietly.
Listen without fixing. Let them talk about their loss, their stress, or their bad days without rushing to solve it.
Remember the hard dates. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays can bring grief rushing back. A simple message can mean a lot.
Notice changes in drinking or drug use. Ask gently and without judgment if you see signs that they are using substances to cope.
Encourage professional help. Offer to help them find a therapist, support group, or treatment program, and remind them there is no shame in it.

How Eternal Purpose Recovery Can Help

Eternal Purpose Recovery in North Hollywood, California, helps adults struggling with addiction, including people whose substance use is tied to grief, loss, stress, or mental health challenges. Our care includes:

Medically supervised detox, with support available around the clock
Residential treatment in a private, comfortable setting
Individual, group, and family therapy
Dual-diagnosis care for people facing both addiction and mental health challenges
Grief support for people working through loss
Aftercare planning so you stay supported after treatment ends

If you are dependent on alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids, please do not try to stop suddenly on your own. Withdrawal can be dangerous, and medically supervised detox is the safest place to start.

You Don't Have to Carry It Alone

Kelsey Mitchell's season showed the world what she can do on the court. Her honesty showed something even more important: that strength includes admitting when life is hard.

Whether you are grieving, battling your mental health, or struggling with alcohol or drugs, your uphill and downhill days do not have to be faced alone. Help is available, and healing is possible.

If you or someone you love is struggling, call Eternal Purpose Recovery today at (888) 294-5407. Our team is here to listen and help you take the next step.