Maintaining sports, homework, relationships, tasks at home and your own healthy habits is not always easy for many athletes who attend school. We know that it’s exciting, but trying to manage all criterias and still meet the needs of one’s own mental health gets hard when we aren’t making time for our own feelings or we aren’t sure how to practice good habits.
Being student athletes ourselves, we wanted to make it clear that taking care of your mental health while being busy does not show signs of weakness- it actually means you’re strong enough to reset and take breaks. We can help ourselves even by simply changing our self-talk or eating habits. We walked around our school this week and asked two students what they do to juggle everything while keeping a good mindset in place, here’s what we heard.
Ellary Cooke is a sophomore who attends HHS and plays on the volleyball team. She says, “While I’m in class I get as much work done for that class that I can, any free time in school I use that to work on any homework I have left. That helps me have none to less work for after school and I can use my home time to rest and relax without the stress of extra schoolwork.” Ellary practices using her time wisely in school so stress doesn’t build up later at night. Ellary also shares that cleaning her room and lighting a candle helps her rest in a calm area where she can be herself and recharge. “I also like to get ready for bed really early and hop in bed with a snack,” she says.
Beck Johnson is also a sophomore at HHS and he plays basketball, football and runs track. We asked Beck how he manages this environment all year long! And here’s what he wanted to note, ”I like playing fetch with my dog and driving my snowmobile. I’ll also go to the river and sit there for a while.” Beck recharges best when he is doing things that just feel fun to him. Nature helps us get fresh air and realize there’s so much beauty outside. We asked Beck if he has any advice on what to do when you feel alone and he said, “I look up to my parents.” Talking with the people around you who support you is a great way to debrief and feel connected.
Addi’s input: I play volleyball and basketball throughout the school year. I advise other students to connect with your feelings and don’t ignore them. Understand what you are feeling and learn how to cope with it. Things that help me are meditating, connecting with my religion, fresh air, going for a drive, cleaning, and music! While activities are great, sometimes laying on your couch is what you need for the night, and that’s okay too. Also one of the more important things to remember is sleep and food always. Remember misaligned physical needs can affect your emotions too. My last piece of wisdom is to always know it’s okay to reach out and share ideas and feelings with the people around you.
Kayleigh’s Input: I get pretty busy with sports throughout the year but also make time for myself and try to make my life not so overwhelming. I really prioritize getting enough sleep at night and staying healthy mentally and physically. I enjoy listening to music, going for walks with my dog, hanging out with friends, and cleaning helps refresh my mind. Everyone has different ways to help cope with stress and it’s important you don’t over-do yourself.
In conclusion, being a student showing up for school everyday along with being an athlete with games and practices every week can be difficult to have good mental health. Seeing what other student-athletes do in their free time to recharge and keep a positive mindset hopefully gives you ideas to do the same. Even though it might be difficult at times, there is always someone to talk to that is willing to help.
