Under greater stress, some athletes fight to stabilize mental health

Sports can teach teamwork and discipline while fostering a strong work ethic. But the pressure to constantly perform, to win and to be in peak physical and mental shape, can make the inseparability of athletic life from social and academic life cause for additional stress for an athlete — particularly one pursuing an Ivy League education. For an athlete struggling with mental health issues, it can make the balance impossible. Because for all the good things sports can give, they can take just as much.....

...“The biggest issue I’ve found is the lines blurred between generalized anxiety disorder and performance anxiety, which are two very different things with two very different underlying causes. They were kind of equated and that prevents in particular athletes who are told, ‘You need to be mentally tough. You need to be able to block this out. You need to be able to play through high pressure situations and your ability to do that is directly related to your performance as an athlete.’…It’s about getting your performance up and minimizing the impact it has on your sport,” Schoenberger said.

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Bethany`s Notes
Notes: Trying manage a healthy balance as a student athlete is challenging. When you find yourself anxious try to narrow it down and see if it happens daily or just during performance. In either case there is help available so reach out and ask for it.