Getting personal, former Waltham track star Ivy Watts talks mental health

....“I was a college athlete and had no idea who I was beyond that,” she said. “Then I came crashing down. It’s difficult because your whole life you are cheered on because you are so good at sports. But that doesn’t have to define you as a person.”

Watts said lingering stigmas around mental illness, and a former boyfriend who discouraged therapy, delayed her from reaching out for help. But once she did, she not only realized she could help herself, but that her story could perhaps help others....
.....One of the messages Watts tries to impart: Athletes must remind themselves they “are more than just a time on the scoreboard.” She allowed that it was harder, at first, to share her vulnerabilities in front of large groups of strangers, but that she has become more comfortable with it over the past 18 months......

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Bethany`s Notes: No one is alone. There are people who have gone through similar situations. Ask for help. If you are a coach, check in with your athletes and ask how they are doing...listen and dig deeper if necessary.