How to Deal with Anxiety as an Athlete

Student-athletes deal with a lot. There are so many decisions and moves we have to make that extend beyond the classroom and playing time. More often than we realize, anxiety manifests in different ways and can affect our day-to-day life. 

Anxiety is one of the natural ways our body deals with impending danger. When I was a student-athlete there were times I felt that it was impossible to get rid of the anxiety I felt, especially during basketball season. I thought ‘waiting it out’ or ‘letting the feeling pass’ was the best way to deal with my anxiety. I can easily remember things that would make me feel anxious, such as:

• my grades and a fear of not being academically eligible to keep my scholarship
• my health and always trying to keep my weight up
• Healing from injury and not loosing my starting spot
• Life after school and having never worked an official job or internship, basically not knowing where to start
• Coaches- worrying about what mood they would be in our teams’ dynamic during a losing season

I would get headaches, problems focusing, and have difficulty breathing. Now there are different techniques I use to help control my symptoms. For student-athletes especially, it’s not uncommon for  anxiety symptoms to pop up more regularly than you’d expect. We have so much on our plate like:

• staying academically eligible
• excelling in our sport
• keeping relationships with our families, significant others and friends
• NIL opportunities and the work that comes with earning as an athlete
• what to do after school: finding jobs, internships or extending your athletic career. 

Symptoms of anxiety can negatively affect your every day life, especially if you don’t find ways to control it. Here are the steps I take when my anxiety is at its peak, or I feel that I’m getting close to anxiety symptoms:

How to Deal with Anxiety as An Athlete

Uncover the source of your stress

As an athlete, I had a few things that would trigger my anxiety. Making sure my GPA was solid for competition and for future internships, what I would do after graduation and more would bring on feelings of anxiety.

When I find myself feeling anxious now, I’d try to pinpoint where its source is so that I cab work to silence the irrational thoughts behind them. This might be a stressors at work, a family dynamic I need to address, or a money situation that I haven’t quite figured out. Identifying the source of my anxiety will help me focus on what is causing my problem.

Try breathing exercises

When I google ‘how to manage anxiety’ I see a lot of tips on getting out and exercising… well you’ve probably checked that box off as a high school or collegiate athlete! One very low impact exercise you can try is a breathing exercise or a guided meditation. Take 3-5 minutes in your dorm room, outside, or somewhere where you can take the time to zone out. 

Recently I’ve been using the Calm app before I go to sleep to help control my breathing. Just a few minutes of breathing exercises always helps relieve tension in my chest and helps my body relax.

Watch what you eat

Just like with your physical performance, eating and drinking poorly can worsen your anxiety. Items like sugar, caffeine and alcohol can really make you feel worse. While it might feel great in the moment to indulge, these won’t help boost your overall health.

When I’m feeling anxious I’ll admit that chocolate and ice cream are constantly on the top of my mind. But I’ll also know that if I binge on cookies or a pint of of ice cream, I’m just wasting my money and I feel no better than I did before. Instead, I’m super conscious of my diet and try to eat more leafy greens, fruits and vegetables. 

Sleep!

Sleep has so many healing benefits, and it’s especially important to help you manage symptoms of anxiety. Get a good night’s rest to help your body recharge, relax and calm your mind.

In school, I’d skip watching a show or hanging out with friends to get an extra hour of sleep. Giving your body the time to heal physically and recharge mentally can help lessen the stress your body is going through.

Don’t isolate yourself

Being around close friends and family are good ways to boost your mood. During the season, it might be hard to spend time with people outside of your team. Facetime, WhatsApp and other tools can help you spend virtual time with those who can help uplift you.

In school I quickly learned that isolating myself when I was stressed was not the way to go. When time permitted, I’d visit my parents, spend time with my sister, or grab food off campus with a friend that was not a teammate.

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a great way to pause and think about what you’re going through. Taking the time to tune out everything around you, which can be done almost anywhere (your room, on the bus, on a flight, before you go to sleep, etc.).

There was a really nice park across from my campus that I’d walk to or drive to when the weather was cold. I’d sit, listen to music, and think about what’s going on in my life without distraction and ask myself the following questions: 

• How am I feeling?
• What has bothered me the past few days?
• What have been a few personal wins?
• What would bring me joy right now>

Talk to someone

If the steps above don’t help and you find yourself in a constant cycle of anxiety, talk to someone. Many schools and campuses have resources for students to help them with mental health and wellness. There is no shame in asking for help, just as you’d go to the training room if you needed ice or tape 😉