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College Athletes Mental Health Essay

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Why Mental Health is Important for Student Athletes.
Why is Mental Health in High School & Collegiate athletes a top priority for us today? Mental health is very important, not just in a regular person, but the most overlooked mental health is the ones in high school and collegiate athletes. Just because they are on tv doesn't mean they don't have their own struggles in life. Good mentality for high school and collegiate athletes has dwindled and has become a bigger issue, as soon as one's confidence and everything they have built up gets destroyed by one little setback, or injury, they can never seem to get out of that mental state they have fallen into.
People have struggles throughout their daily lives, and when it comes to being an athlete …show more content…

Although it is common for college students to feel overwhelmed with their class load, studies show that signs of depression are considerably higher in college athletes. A National College Health Assessment reported about 31% of male and 48% of female NCAA student-athletes reported having depression or anxiety symptoms each year the test was issued in 2008 and 2012 (Moreland, 2018).” With the stress that comes with grades and skill level it can be very hard to make sure you stay on track. With the stress being placed onto them student athletes tend to end up with some level of anxiety or depression. This stress only grows if you decide to continue your sport in college. Many people think it'll be easy to go to college and play a sport, but in reality it is one of the toughest things someone can experience. Playing a sport in college will put a dramatic strain on your mentality, if you truly think playing in college is something you wanna do then you need to make sure your mental toughness is at its best. “Sixteen percent of the women's sports participants said they felt very lonely constantly or …show more content…

Along with this, we need to be prepared to have some options or solutions for the athletes that fall into that bad mentality. “Coaches and athletic administrators must invest in their athletes’ mental health just as much as they invest in their physical well-being. Some effective implications could include: Prioritizing mental recovery by emphasizing proper sleep and implementing off-days. Avoid placing unreasonable amounts of pressure on individuals. Using positive reinforcement rather than negative emotions to motivate.” Coaches and players need to focus on these points. Prioritizing your mental health is an incredible smart thing to do and it will help you as you grow up. Coaches can help with not placing so much pressure on their players, and by doing this it will give the athletes a chance to enjoy the game instead of dealing with the constant stress and anxiety. Sometimes the best thing to do for coaches is to build a bond with the layers and talk with them in a positive tone to motivate them but every once in a while you will get a player that needs a harsh push in the right direction. “As a society, we must make time to develop well-rounded humans, not just athletes. Be able to provide encouragement, support, and suggestions to athletes who are struggling (Purcell et al., 2019). “However, playing sports does not make athletes immune to

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