Southern Scribes: Inside the Mind of a Collegiate Athlete
6/14/2023 11:37:00 AM | General, Sport Performance, Mental Performance
The feelings of stress and anxiety can potentially be overwhelming to some
Caleb Cook is a rising redshirt-sophomore multimedia journalism major from Brunswick, Georgia, who competes on the Eagle football team as an offensive lineman. He is part of the Southern Scribes, which consists of Georgia Southern student-athletes writing about their department.
STATESBORO - The double-edged sword of being a student-athlete is often recognized for what it can do for someone instead of what it can do to that person.
Being a student-athlete brings about situations that complicate and exacerbate feelings of stress and anxiety which can potentially be overwhelming. Performance anxiety, a compounded schedule, and the sheer weight of balancing both the duties of a student and the responsibilities of an athlete are some of the issues that a student-athlete must deal with.
The time that a student-athlete has to do work and socialize is severely shortened due to things such as practice, workouts, and meetings. If they are not focused, they will end up with an abundance of missed assignments and zeroes.
They are working a full-time job while going to school. Parts of their lives such as friend groups, relationships, and other obligations are constantly sacrificed and ignored. The nature of athletics led to a lot of athletes' mental health being put second behind their performance.
"When I was a freshman, people did not care about it (mental health)," said Logan Langemeier, a former football player for Georgia Southern. "Playing football took a massive mental toll on me and there were times where I had to suck it up and play through it."
Langemeier described his connection with football as a love-hate relationship. It gave him some of the best moments of his life, but the process was still a struggle.
"I think being a collegiate athlete in a very supportive environment where you are gonna be purposely put through stressful situations allows you to figure out your process through those," said Langemeier.
Mental health is a topic that a lot of people shy away from due to preconceived notions of how others would react and think about them.
Will I lose playing time? Will my teammates think there is something wrong with me? Will they think less of me?
These are the questions a lot of student-athletes ask themselves when it comes to opening up about the mental struggles within their head. This causes a lot of them to withdraw into a shell and bury their problems within themselves.
All this does is increase those feelings of anxiety and stress.
Dr. Brandonn Harris is the Program Director and Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at Georgia Southern. He is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Mental Performance Consultant who is involved with organizations such as the American Psychological Association and Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Harris is also a part of Georgia Southern Athletics' Mental Performance Team that includes representatives from the counseling center and sports medicine staff who oversee the mental training and mental health services for the University's student-athletes and athletic programs.
His job involves mentoring and supervising graduate students who are going into the profession of sport psychology. Harris also consults with student-athletes regarding their mental health and mental training.
"When they actually come in for sessions and give it a shot, they realize it is actually pretty normal," said Harris. "It is just two people sitting down chatting about things that are important to the student-athlete, and that is really it."
Harris spoke about how some data have suggested that outside of concerns about mood (anxiety and depression) certain even sports with a heavy focus on aesthetics or weight such as figure skating, diving, wrestling, and gymnastics have been shown to have more cases of eating disorders.
Over the years the perception of an athlete's mental health has changed. Instead of being a topic that is ignored, many institutions and people who work with athletes have prioritized a player's mental health.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association recently mandated that every institution must have a professional that oversees the mental health services or support for student-athletes on campus.
"It does not mean that they are the ones providing all the services, but act as the point person to ensure care is available and accessible to all student-athletes," said Harris.
Several athletes have noted the change in the way their mental well-being is being treated. It is easier for them to communicate these types of problems to their coaches.
There is now a specific network of people who are here to help them.
"The difference between how it was a few years ago and how it is now is night and day," said Aaron Pyron, a current Georgia Southern football player. "We have people who are here specifically to help us deal with the mental side of playing sports. Back then, the physical aspect was a lot more emphasized and openly talked about than the mental aspect."
There has been more and more acceptance of student-athletes seeking out help. Professional athletes such as Paul George, Naomi Osaka, and Michael Phelps have all spoken out about their own mental health journeys and the stops they had to make.
The Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787 can answer your questions confidentially and free of charge.
STATESBORO - The double-edged sword of being a student-athlete is often recognized for what it can do for someone instead of what it can do to that person.
Being a student-athlete brings about situations that complicate and exacerbate feelings of stress and anxiety which can potentially be overwhelming. Performance anxiety, a compounded schedule, and the sheer weight of balancing both the duties of a student and the responsibilities of an athlete are some of the issues that a student-athlete must deal with.
The time that a student-athlete has to do work and socialize is severely shortened due to things such as practice, workouts, and meetings. If they are not focused, they will end up with an abundance of missed assignments and zeroes.
They are working a full-time job while going to school. Parts of their lives such as friend groups, relationships, and other obligations are constantly sacrificed and ignored. The nature of athletics led to a lot of athletes' mental health being put second behind their performance.
"When I was a freshman, people did not care about it (mental health)," said Logan Langemeier, a former football player for Georgia Southern. "Playing football took a massive mental toll on me and there were times where I had to suck it up and play through it."
Langemeier described his connection with football as a love-hate relationship. It gave him some of the best moments of his life, but the process was still a struggle.
"I think being a collegiate athlete in a very supportive environment where you are gonna be purposely put through stressful situations allows you to figure out your process through those," said Langemeier.
Mental health is a topic that a lot of people shy away from due to preconceived notions of how others would react and think about them.
Will I lose playing time? Will my teammates think there is something wrong with me? Will they think less of me?
These are the questions a lot of student-athletes ask themselves when it comes to opening up about the mental struggles within their head. This causes a lot of them to withdraw into a shell and bury their problems within themselves.
All this does is increase those feelings of anxiety and stress.
Dr. Brandonn Harris is the Program Director and Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at Georgia Southern. He is also a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Mental Performance Consultant who is involved with organizations such as the American Psychological Association and Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Harris is also a part of Georgia Southern Athletics' Mental Performance Team that includes representatives from the counseling center and sports medicine staff who oversee the mental training and mental health services for the University's student-athletes and athletic programs.
His job involves mentoring and supervising graduate students who are going into the profession of sport psychology. Harris also consults with student-athletes regarding their mental health and mental training.
"When they actually come in for sessions and give it a shot, they realize it is actually pretty normal," said Harris. "It is just two people sitting down chatting about things that are important to the student-athlete, and that is really it."
Harris spoke about how some data have suggested that outside of concerns about mood (anxiety and depression) certain even sports with a heavy focus on aesthetics or weight such as figure skating, diving, wrestling, and gymnastics have been shown to have more cases of eating disorders.
Over the years the perception of an athlete's mental health has changed. Instead of being a topic that is ignored, many institutions and people who work with athletes have prioritized a player's mental health.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association recently mandated that every institution must have a professional that oversees the mental health services or support for student-athletes on campus.
"It does not mean that they are the ones providing all the services, but act as the point person to ensure care is available and accessible to all student-athletes," said Harris.
Several athletes have noted the change in the way their mental well-being is being treated. It is easier for them to communicate these types of problems to their coaches.
There is now a specific network of people who are here to help them.
"The difference between how it was a few years ago and how it is now is night and day," said Aaron Pyron, a current Georgia Southern football player. "We have people who are here specifically to help us deal with the mental side of playing sports. Back then, the physical aspect was a lot more emphasized and openly talked about than the mental aspect."
There has been more and more acceptance of student-athletes seeking out help. Professional athletes such as Paul George, Naomi Osaka, and Michael Phelps have all spoken out about their own mental health journeys and the stops they had to make.
The Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787 can answer your questions confidentially and free of charge.
Players Mentioned
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