Endorphins make you happy: mental health in student-athletes

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a whole new discussion of mental health among athletes– especially student-athletes.

Mental health is a rising conversation, especially concerning athletes. From wider covered cases like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka to lesser-known like Mardy Fish, athletes begin to express their discomfort and personal struggles with athletics' pressures. The story, however, doesn’t start there; amateur athletes start seeing the side effects of sport on positive and negative levels as early as middle school. 

During the early weeks of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, many found themselves inside, away from social communities and struggling to maintain peace of mind. These symptoms were especially prevalent in athletes who base their social, work, and physical activity on being with others. 

Weeks turned into months before any athletic competition resumed. In May 2020, the National Collegiate Athletic Association conducted its annual well-being survey, which focused on the effects of the pandemic on college athletes. The poll found that most student-athletes felt hopeless or depressed most days leading up to the survey. There were increases up to 250 percent in specific demographics who reported having some sort of mental health concerns. 

According to a 2016 report by the American College of Sports Medicine, male athletes are six percent more likely to experience mental health challenges than their counterparts, and women are seven percent more likely. 

Why is this? 

College is already an incredibly stressful time and often the first time many experience anxieties, depression, and other signs of mental health concerns. At all levels, student-athletes are expected to cooperate with demanding schedules, extra hours of practices and games, AND meet the same expectations as students with classes and homework. 

Helen Love, a freshwomen rower at Boston College, explained the stress of adding a sport into an already stressful course load: "I considered quitting for a little bit because I felt like that was the one thing that I could change.” 

Like most student-athletes, Love explained that navigating college sports can be stressful and rewarding because she sees the benefit of community identification and forced time outside. However, adaptation to college social scapes and course load can be brutal when forced scheduling. 

We are growing out of the generations afraid to quit or talk about mental health. It is becoming increasingly common for student-athletes to take a leave of absence to focus on well-being (both physical and mental), school, or any array of reasons. 

Love, and many other student-athletes I’ve talked to, expressed that if their sport became too overpowering, they would feel comfortable taking time away from it or removing themselves from the team entirely. 

Emerson College basketball junior forward Ben Allen stepped away from the game during the 2021-22 season to focus on his mental health and school.

“One of the things that I have trouble with is separating basketball and the rest of my life; it was really affecting everything that's going on,” he explained in an interview earlier this year. 

He credited his teammate and best friend, Zach Waterhouse, to influence his decision and support Allen to put his mental health first.

“As much as it may matter to me, at the end of the day, it's a game; and when I leave basketball, I leave basketball,” Waterhouse said. ” I try not to think about it. But when I'm there, I'm fully in tune. So kind of separating the two.”

Colleges are beginning to offer access to sports psychologists as a resource to help navigate collegiate sports and the demanding aspects of the commitment and tools for individuals to bring into games.

At Emerson, the men’s soccer team brought in a sports psychologist during the pandemic to provide additional support for players and help keep the group engaged in team bonding when they couldn’t be together. When the campus opened and practices resumed, they continued with the psychologist and have seen improvement in team communication on and off the field and overall morale. 

“I think she really helped us hone in on defining who we want to be, setting goals,” Junior caption Aidan Furgeson explained. “This is something we talk about a lot, not just angles but process goals; and goals that will help us reach like results that we want to achieve, so I think she was huge in that piece.”

Felt overwhelmed by all you had to do

felt mentally exhausted

felt sad

felt very lonely

felt things were hopeless

felt overwhelming anxiety

felt overwhelming anger

felt so depressed that it was difficult to function