You are not alone - 20 Common Struggles Athletes Face

I recently spoke at a Summit for Mental Health hosted by AppState Athletics. It was an amazing night of honest conversations, learning and sharing. One thing that I took from that night is that no problem that you are having as an athlete, is a problem you and you alone face. Of course context and severity varies, but guaranteed someone at some point somewhere is thinking or feeling the same thing as you. This includes the best athletes in the world, all the way to the athletes side by side with you. Just because we struggle doesnt mean we are weak, that makes us human, so why are we expecting ourselves to be machine-like super-humans? Struggle is an amazing opportunity to grow as a person and learn more about yourself.

Below i've gathered 20 of the common struggles and questions that athletes face. I am not going to provide answers or advice here to the following statements (feel free to share your advice in the comments!) but I just want to put them out there so that you might be able to find a little relief in the fact that what you stress over is actually a shared experience between athletes. In other words... you are not alone.

1. How do I manage my emotions better?

2. Imposter syndrome- I feel I don't belong here.

3. I cant help but compare myself all the time to others even though I know its unhelpful.

4. I struggle to stay disciplined and motivated consistently.

5. How do I deal with a loss of motivation, a slump or burn out?

6. Am I burnt out or just exhausted?

7. How do I beat this voice in my head that is negative before or during a game?

8. I am worried about my mental health post-graduation and in retirement.

9. I don't know how to not let my nerves effect me.

10. Time management as an athlete is hard with sports, school, social life, relationships, family.

11. How can I not get so caught up on my mistakes?

12. I have to numb myself to get through the pain, and it makes me feel lifeless sometimes.

13. I treat myself like a machine.

14. I expect myself to be perfect and have negative thoughts when Im not.

15. Who am I without sport?

16. I feel I have to live up to the expectations of my parents and community, and the pressure is too much.

17. I am competing against my best friends for a spot on the team and it's hard sometimes I get jealous and feel resentment.

18. I measure my self-worth on my performance and spot on the team.

19. I feel extreme guilt when Ive played poorly and/or lost the game.

20. How does everyone else do it....

This list is not even close to an exhaustive list of the shared struggles amongst athletes, and sharing in hardships doesn't mean we normalize it and do nothing about it. Seeking help for any of your internal struggles, be them mental, emotional or spiritual does not make you weak. Just like you would go to a doctor or athletic trainer for a physical injury, we should treat our subtle energy bodies the same.

I loved how Dr. Tia Konzer framed it at the mental health summit, she framed like this: mental health, same as physical health, exists on a spectrum. On one end when you are physically sick sometimes you can get through with taking it a little easier and on the other end you may need to go to the hospital. Mental health is on a similar spectrum. Sometimes we can feel better after a little down time, and other times we need to seek professional help. Responding to your needs and taking ownership over your growth is an act of self-love.