The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Athletes Mental Health

    Athletes Mental Health
    Jacoba Taylor

    Mental health in athletes is a very important topic that does not seem to get brought up enough in the media and locally. It can completely change an athlete’s performance in very negative ways; in some cases it will end with athletes removing themselves from that sport entirely.

    Around 46.6 million people are living with mental illness in the US. That’s around 1 in 5 adults who could be living with a mental health condition at some point in their lives. Many attempt to manage symptoms with therapy, medication, eating a healthy diet or exercise. Sometimes that just is not enough.

    In our community there have been plenty of athletes that had so much potential in certain sports that ended up quitting; this could be because of mental health, improper coaching, no outreach, etc.

    If you or anyone involved in a sports starts having these thoughts, try reaching out to a coach or staff member and bring it to their attention. If that does not help the problem, sometimes for your own personal health, it’s the best option to remove yourself from that activity.

    Student athlete and Boy’s Cross Country captain James Toole had this to say,” I have had my fair share of issues with injuries and doubting my own abilities but I persevered and became even better than I was before. It’s not an easy task overcoming the adversity of your own mind but it is possible.”

    Students deal with intense pressure to perform in a game, as well as in the rest of their public lives with maybe working a job to help the family or themselves for the future. Sometimes even suffering a major injury can really kill motivation for athletes, on top of student-athletes having to balance grades and practices everyday. It is no wonder careers get ruined because of inadequate self love and care.

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