Stress Among Student-Athletes
Sports can be a very positive outlet for children and teens. Benefits include less depression and anxiety, and improved confidence, concentration, friendships and academic performance. According to a study of adolescent health behaviors in the U.S., “Student-athletes are more likely than their non-athlete peers to engage in health-promoting behaviors such as daily physical activity, sleeping at least seven hours per night, eating f
Those are all of the reasons why I love playing sports, watching my own kids play sports, and love coaching field hockey. Unfortunately, there is a flip side. Mental health issues can also be a part of the picture too. Organized sports can also have a negative impact on our young athletes and bring out negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, frustration and anger. These emotions combined with academic stress, peer pressure, social media, and all of the stressors that teens can face, can be overwhelming. These athletes need to recognize these negative emotions and learn how to control them to prevent harm to themselves and to others. They need the guidance and support of coaches, parents and teachers to navigate them through these rough waters.
I have seen first-hand how a coach can make or break an athlete. Watching my daughter struggle through high school soccer was devastating. She suffered from anxiety and depression in school and in her personal life. Covid and social isolation did not make it any easier. Soccer was always a positive outlet for her to regain focus, have fun and feel successful. She thrived on the soccer field from the age of five. In high school, when she was crying out for help, her coach never asked once, “What can I do to help you through this? How are you feeling today? I understand you are struggling with your mental health, do you want to talk about it? You are a great player and I want to support you.” Instead, she was ignored, lost playing time, and played on egg shells.
Thankfully, her soccer career did not end there. She was recruited by an amazing coach that listened to HER story, and encouraged her to come and play for him. She had a very successful freshman year academically and in soccer. She earned her 90 minutes on the playing field because she had a coach that believed in her, supported her, communicated with her and never gave up on her. Her confidence increased on and off of the field. This confidence pushed her to work harder and love the game of soccer again. Not every athlete is this blessed.
So, what can we do as coaches and parents to support our student athletes?
*Make practice a positive experience
*Open a dialogue and listen
*Create team building activities
*Make time for breaks
*Have your players set meaningful and realistic goals
*Teach them to learn and build from their mistakes
*Always leave your door open for discussion
*Always point out positive behaviors
*If you see your player struggling, TALK and LISTEN to them
*Have them practice mindfulness and yoga for self-care
I coach field hockey at a local private school (middle school and high school students). I had our players create positive mantras and write them on their sticks in pre-season. We encourage them to look at their mantra every day when they step on the field. We emphasize that this is when we focus on the game and leave any other stressors on the other side of the field. I also had my daughter’s college soccer team write down positive affirmations on an index card, decorate them with positive stickers, and clip it onto their soccer bag. I encouraged them to read their affirmations daily. At the end of the field hockey practice yesterday, our head coach asked the girls to practice visualization. Their homework assignment was to create a positive vision of themselves doing something successful in their upcoming game.
It is important to reinforce healthy eating behaviors that will optimize their performance on and off of the field. I have seen student-athletes at my practice who struggle with energy, body image and other health concerns. Inadequate nutrition can increase stress levels and cause adverse health issues. Here are some of the common unhealthy behaviors that I see:
*They don’t eat enough
*They skip meals
*They don’t sleep well
*They don’t have the energy to get through school and practice
*They choose what is quick and easy and not always the healthiest choice
*They experience weight fluctuations
*They have irregular menses
Student-athletes need to work hard on and off the field and make their mental and physical health a priority. As coaches and parents, we need to guide them and support them. When they make mistakes we need to teach them to learn from them and grow from them. Always keep the communication open and support a positive, trusting environment on the field and and the home. Most importantly, have fun!
Here are some of the inspiration bracelets that we made.