Balancing the Mind: The Hidden Struggle of Student-Athletes By: Malik Webster

Mental Health has become a central concern in sports. Especially among high school athletes who juggle academic pressure, performance expectations and personal challenges. While athletic ability is often celebrated, the unseen mental toll can quietly determine success or failure on the playing field. Athletes frequently report that mood and mindset can make or break a game. “If you're in a good mood, you'll have, like, a better performance. And if you're in a bad mood, then you're just gonna do horrible.” Said by athlete Jayden Johnson a Senior at Hillgrove Highschool.

Common challenges include stress from academics, Illness, and fatigue. Burnout is often recognized by signs of exhaustion or lack of motivation. As the same student, Jayden Johnson shared, “Looking more fatigued than normal. Uh. And you can prevent it by, you know, just not being overworked.” On a lighter note, sports are definitely a good way to find community and improve mental health. Support from teammates and coaches can make a significant difference creating something called “Team Culture”, Junior Henry Wood noted, “Team chemistry can always be good for a team. It can, like. basically bring, like, a tie bond together and like, how everything flows together, it flows better, and it works better for everyone and everything.”

Some athletes find unique ways to manage stress. Volleyball Player Jayden Johnson explained, “I count to, you know, I count to ten in my head, you know, making sure I'm staying calm and focused.”  Sophomore Football player and Swimmer Ethan Alsec emphasized motivation from family: “I just remember that me performing at my best, not only helps me, but if I make it, I can help my family. I can retire my parents.”

An important thing to note is sleep and nutrition. Sleep and nutrition also connect strongly to mental health. “Sleep is very, very, very important to how well you can play. If you're tired, you can't run fast, you can't focus. If you're hungry, you can't run fast or focus, you can't hit hard.  So I'd say that it's very important to stay on your mental health because it's very important to your mental health because if you're tired, you know, you'll be more irritable, and things will get to you easier. And your physical health because when you're energized, when you sleep well, eat good, you're energized, and you can do more” Said by Ethan Alsec. Athletes agree that mental health awareness reduces stigma and promotes balance between school and sports. As Henry Wood explained, “Obviously, there's a lot of like, physical, like football and, like sports in general. mental health is a big part of, like, every sport, I feel like, you have to be good mentally. You have to be strong mentally and physically.  I feel like it shows, but, like, it's not always, like, the full story of, like, mental health and sports.” These stories of these athletes reveal that strength is not measured only in speed, power or endurance, but in the ability to carry unseen struggles. One student described how even the smallest encouragement can shift an entire game, “There was this one time. where I was playing, you know? Like, I was feeling down a little bit.  But, like, as soon as somebody brought my spirits back up, like, I started playing so much better than I was before” Others find resilience in taking responsibly a peak point to encourage their mental health Ethan Alsec reflected on the purpose of alone time and taking it lightly between hard work, “When you have time to yourself, you can think about what it is that you need to do and you can really focus on yourself.”

Together, these perspectives shine a light on the weight carried behind every practice, test, and game. Wins and losses may be counted on the scoreboard, but the true measure of success lies in the resilience of athletes who learn to manage stress, support one another, and protect mental health. In the end, their stories show that the strongest victories are not only earned on game day but also within the mind.