For Athletes, Mental Health is Key to Success

Being a college athlete isn’t easy by any means. Many of my friends who attend college, but don’t participate in athletics don’t understand the daily struggle of balancing school, sports and a social life. With all these things that are being juggled, sometimes athletes’, in specific, mental health declines with all the pressure that is put upon them. Anyone’s mental health is important; but I feel that most athletes really don’t take time to evaluate how they are doing and what is going on within their personal life.

A lot of what happens behind the scenes affects how they play and even their attitude. Athletes are expected to be 110 percent every game and practice; but I feel that can sometimes be difficult when there are external factors affecting their performance. Because of the way athletes are wired and trained, dealing with emotions and mental health is not high on the priority list for most. I have talked to many athletes and a lot of them are struggling more now than ever because of COVID-19. Many seniors feel that a lot has been taken from them and going through that big of change isn’t easy for anything. Athletesforhope.org says that “Among professional athletes, data shows that up to 35% of elite athletes suffer from a mental health crisis which may manifest as stress, eating disorders, burnout, or depression and anxiety.”

I think a good question to ask is this: if I deal with all of my problems and issues outside of athletics, will my performance be better as an athlete? These are important questions to ask, because it may seem small; but if you are making sure that you are mentally healthy outside of sports and school, you are more likely to be successful in more areas of your life.