The Mental Health of Student Athletes
“But in the end, the thing that causes the stress also helps to relieve the stress. Once you step your feet onto the track, run on the turf, perfect the perfect move, feel the blood, sweat, and tears in sports – then the hours spent working make the stress of doing things worth it all.”
What is an athlete? An athlete is a person who participates in physical exercise or sports. To be an athlete you must possess strength, ability, and endurance. You must be willing to encounter obstacles and adversity along the way. As an athlete, if you overcome challenges and adversity, you are successful and a champion, even if you do not win every race. But what does it take for an athletic high school student to become a champion? More specifically, what does it take for Comp Sci High athletes?
As a student athlete myself, I can say it takes effort. Waking up early before school just to head to track practice is not easy. In those early morning hours, the sun isn't fully up yet. My mind worries about the day that lies ahead of me. I have to ask if I will make it in time to practice, if I forgot my books at home, if I have time to finish my homework.
Anxiety must be natural in these moments. However, after running in track practice I feel successful. I feel accomplished that I completed my first task for the day, and I feel ready to start my school day.
Stress is always a factor. It can be difficult for young adults to juggle school work and sports. You have to find time to manage both, especially if you want to succeed. To further understand this I talked to Arnel from the basketball team. Arnel told me: “School work can feel very tedious. I find myself having to find certain working windows for my work and for sports.” While interviewing Arnel, I realized student athletes have it twice as difficult as non student athletes. This is because student athletes have twice the amount of pressure. They are twice as likely to fail, just as they are twice as likely to succeed. Student athletes may feel they have to be successful in both the classroom and their sport. If they are not successful in one aspect, they may feel that it will be impossible not to fail in the other. But how do they become successful? What leads to them becoming a champion?
Teddy Roosevelt once said “it is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.” He continued: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood.” When I think of this, it makes me want to try, and to keep trying.
When I have had a big exam for AP Biology and a track meet the next day, I have so much anxiety. I fluctuate between the option to consider training for my race or studying for my exam; the stress that floods my brain is like no other stress. I feel depressed and during my race day, I end up feeling I could have done better. To combat this stress in the future, I refer back to my name “student-athlete.” The student comes before the athlete. I created working windows to do my work during certain times in the day and the times I have practices. This strategy has helped diminish my anxiety and depression for time management of sports and school.
But in the end, the thing that causes the stress also helps to relieve the stress. Once you step your feet onto the track, run on the turf, perfect the perfect move, feel the blood, sweat, and tears in sports – then the hours spent working make the stress of doing things worth it all.