Discussing the mental health stigma with athletics and how to find help.
Last week, I had the great opportunity to meet with Behind the Dish Softball owners Shelby Babcock, Dr. Alley Dake, and Ashlie Rowley and record a podcast episode for their site. I was so honored to be invited to discuss my story and how mental health now takes shape in the athletic world.
In the last couple of months, we have seen some of the best athletes take their lives after suffering from mental illness, insurmountable pressure, and the expectations that being a student-athlete comes with.
While I was playing softball, I didn’t have the resources or knowledge to understand what high-functioning depression and anxiety are, why I was feeling a sense of despair multiple times throughout my day, or whether it was okay to discuss what I was going through. I didn’t understand why I felt poorly when there were so many things going well in my life.
I was pulling straight A’s in school, I was the starting varsity pitcher, I was committed to playing D1 softball at Colorado State University, and I had an amazing family at home to support me. On the surface, everything was perfect, and nobody thought otherwise.
This is the great misconception of our culture: if everything looks perfect on the outside, everything is perfect on the inside as well. Mental health has been a taboo topic that nobody dares to venture into, leaving so many people lost in questioning.
As an athlete, it is especially intimidating to begin the conversation around mental health and inner turmoil. One of the most common teachings in athletics is to leave your troubles, feelings, and stressors outside of practice and games. It was preached to me that when you show up, nothing else exists. To some extent, I can understand the notion that you need to be present and work hard. However, when a player is carrying baggage for weeks and doesn’t have anywhere to relieve their shoulders from bearing that weight, it takes a serious toll. Performance may take a hit, sacrifices are made to social life, and grades may begin to falter. All of this weighs down even further on a highly driven student-athlete.
In our discussion, the four of us bring to light how the silent battle in our minds is so common, yet so difficult to deal with. But realizing that you are not alone is such an important step toward knowing that there is help for you.
Behind the Dish Softball is a fantastic organization that has begun to help its athletes in addressing the internal struggles that come with being a student-athlete. They are providing many resources for athletes to talk about what they’re going through and find the help necessary to be well. To find balance in their life and abundance in all that they do.
Check out their website and give their podcast a listen. Reach out if you need help or even have an idea that something feels off in your life. It is better to receive help now, than wish you had received help in the future.
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