Mental health is a critical topic overlooked by many students. Student-athletes have a lot on their plate juggling sports, homework, practice, tests and sometimes also a job.
Student-athletes often face tremendous pressure pushed by parents, teammates and coaches to perform to their highest potential. With teammates also being classmates, it can be hard to separate school from sports, making it just as much of a mental game as it is a physical one.
“Getting overworked and getting overwhelmed can happen so quickly which can lead into bigger issues like depression and anxiety, which happens a lot for student athletes,” Kylie McGovern, president of Morgan’s Message, senior, said.
Jupiter High School has over 22 different sports, allowing for an ample amount of opportunity for various groups of students to feel overwhelmed due to the workload between balancing school and sports.
“The pressure can get to them [referring to her beach volleyball players] and when their confidence is low they don’t play to their full potential,” Lillian Fink, beach volleyball coach, said.
It is important for student athletes to maintain a balanced routine to reduce stress. Setting personal time aside is important to help minimize burnout and feelings of exhaustion.
“I think making a schedule and being able to say no to having to go do something is so important… set a schedule and know your boundaries about whether or not you have time to do something,” McGovern said.
Morgan’s Message is a club at JHS with the goal of eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health.
“We do an informative message at the start of all of our [Morgan’s Message] meetings… and we provide a spot where all student athletes can go and just be themselves. After the message we eat food and play fun games,” McGovern said.
Athletes have a stigma surrounding their mental health due to the fact that many believe athletes are tougher than most. While this may be the case physically, it should not be the case mentally.
“A lot of people think that because they are an athlete they think they are tougher but that’s not necessarily true, a lot of athletes take things to heart and get overworked very easily…when people see an athlete who is struggling they are more likely to think that they are fine because they are tough,” McGovern said.
Many students go unnoticed due to the stigmas surrounding their mental health. One in five student athletes experience some type of mental health issue and less than half of these students seek mental health treatment.
“It’s okay to have a busy schedule, it’s okay to say no and it’s okay to need to take a break,” McGovern said.
Morgan’s Message provides an opportunity for students to have a community of athletes who may be experiencing similar challenges.
“It’s so important for coaches to teach their players how to deal with mental health and how to be able to access others for that resource especially when they are struggling, they need to know it’s okay to reach out,” McGovern said.
Coaches at JHS try to prioritize athletes’ mental health by having athletes practice and prepare for challenges, both mentally and physically.
“In my beach program we spend a lot of time doing mind gym. We learn tools to reset negativity, we do breath work, visualization and other things that allow the girls to be mentally strong,” Fink said.
Practicing different ways to mentally prepare for a game, or performance, is one of the key parts to maintaining a healthy mindset as an athlete. It is also super important for a student-athlete to maintain boundaries and know how much they can take on.
“I encourage my players to stay healthy mentally and physically by having balance. Have friend time, get enough sleep, nourish their bodies with proper nutrition and spend time seeking growth mentally and emotionally. All of these things are just as important as training on the court or in the gym,” Fink said.
Keeping a schedule, setting reminders, reaching out to coaches/teachers, not procrastinating, prioritizing what’s important and setting alone time aside are a few ways to have good time management, which is crucial for student-athletes to have.
“Time management is everything. Effective planning is the tool to balance school, sports and social life… planning and discipline is what creates the ability to rest and refuel mentally and emotionally too,” Fink said.
