Student-Athletes’ Hidden Opponent: Mental Health

.....With the constant pressure to be in peak physical shape, as well as performing in the classroom, collegiate student-athletes often feel overworked and overwhelmed.

Despite these feelings, many student-athletes suffer in silence.

As a member of the SMU volleyball team, I can say that one thing this can be attributed to the messages ingrained in the roots of sports culture. From a young age, athletes are taught to “push through” and “not be a quitter.” These common refrains surface in pep talks, locker room debriefs, and conversations between athletes.

Minor issues, like a missed class here or a bad practice there, soon snowball into major problems, creating an avalanche. Spence noted that she personally has experienced the first-hand effects of this chain reaction.

“I was majorly depressed, coming into the fall of 2020. And I got just in a super unhealthy spot mentally and struggled to pull myself out of it,” Spence said.

Although Spence was physically in the best shape of her life, training with a team that later that year would place 11th at the NCAA Division One Championships, she was suffering mentally......

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Bethany`s Notes: Sometimes athletes need to take a step back to take a step forward.