8 Ways Athletes Can Manage Stress

Many athletes are no strangers to stress. With so much on our plates, it can be hard to balance the unending lists and commitments we have every week. Besides working hard to stay academically eligible, we’re focused on going hard in practice, staying in the rotation, all while keeping up relationships with family, friends, and others.

A coach once told me that stress is self-induced. While I agree with that statement, I’ve dealt with stress for most of my teenage years and throughout my adult life. While I don’t believe I’ll ever be completely stress free, I’ve recently made very intentional efforts to manage my stress to prevent burnout. The following items are a few of the ways I deal with stress, especially during weeks I have a lot on my plate.

8 Ways Athletes Can Manage Stress

Expect adversity. Being an athlete, especially a scholarship athlete, comes with some challenges. As a scholarship athlete, I felt pressure to perform in the classroom, to outperform my teammates, all while making the adjustments needed to be successful at the DI level. Understand that if you’re going to be great, there will be days that come with physical, mental and emotional challenges. If it were easy, every athlete would have a scholarship. 😉

Keep a realistic schedule. As an athlete, especially when you’re in a new environment (like when it’s your first semester on campus) it’s important to keep a realistic schedule. In addition to classwork, mandatory study hall hours, workouts, competition and more, do you have time to join a sorority, participate in clubs on campus, or volunteer? Make sure your schedule outside of sports is realistic- which includes signing up for too many classes as a newbie on campus.

Use a planner. I’ve always found comfort in having a planner, specifically a physical scheduler or agenda book. If you prefer digital options, download an app or keep a calendar on your phone that organizes all of your classes, workouts, exams, group projects and more. Seeing everything on paper (or on one app) can help you stay on top of your tasks without dropping the ball.

Meditate and practice mindfulness. No matter how busy your schedule, taking time to pause and reflect can completely change your approach to the day. While I didn’t meditate as a student-athlete, I now make time to meditate a few times a week. I also take a few minutes out of each day (especially during the extra-stressful ones) to pause, reflect, and review all of the positive things going on in my life. By taking time to mentally decompress, my mind is able to manage feelings of stress much better.

Keep a routine to help with control. Let’s be honest- between practice, workouts, training room visits, classes, and more, you probably don’t have much control over your schedule during the season. To help me manage, I’d create a routine for the days I had off, or the down time I had in the evenings to do things for me. Scheduling time to watch a show or catch up with family over the phone really boosted my mood during times when my schedule was controlled by someone else.

Practice positive self-talk. On those days your stress levels are very high, it helps to have a positive outlook. During my four years as a DI athlete, our W-L record wasn’t great. Instead of always focusing on the negative, I made it a priority to focus on the positives. Phrases I used to say to myself included:

“It doesn’t matter if I mess up, I’m leaving it all on the court. No regrets”
“I’m not where I want to be, but I’ve accomplished so much.”
“These drills suck, but I’m proud that I’m getting stronger, quicker, and smarter.”
“I am enough, my team’s record doesn’t take away from the hard work I’ve put in to get here.”

Having a positive mindset can also help boost your self esteem, make you feel more in control, improve your overall wellness and help you incorporate more feelings of calmness.

Eat well. Many athletes know the power of nutrition. Not only does eating well improve your physical health, but good nutritional habits can help you feel better, prevent illness and help regulate your emotions.

Get sleep. Studies have shown that when you get proper sleep, your body reduces the level of stress hormones in your body. Sleep helps with so much, including mental and physical healing- both of which are so important to athletes.