How to Keep the Student-Athlete Balance
By Brian Shane
College athletes face athletic and academic stress that can have prominent effects on their mental and physical health.
According to an NCAA Student-Athlete Well-Being Study released in 2022, the number of student-athletes reporting mental health concerns is 1.5 to 2 times higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Athletes are expected to manage their academics full-time while also going to practices and games. This puts a lot of stress on them physically and mentally, so it’s important to take care of your body when you get the chance.
As a college athlete myself, I want to recommend some tips on how to help your mind and body be ready for on and off the field stress.
A big part of getting ready for any form of physical activity is to stretch and get your body warmed up.
My favorite way to stretch and get my body prepared is to do some light yoga or stretching in the morning. This helps with that morning stiffness you feel when you first wake up. Stretching in the morning will get your blood and oxygen circulating to your muscles and will help give you a boost in the morning that will help you feel more refreshed.
Another important way of keeping your body in tip-top shape, is to also take care of your mental well-being.
My favorite way of doing this is with some mindful meditation. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes, it can help reduce stress and anxiety and increase memory. When I do it before I start my day, I feel more alert and ready to go to class, so I highly recommend mindful meditation if you’ve never tried it before.
A big factor in stress for many athletes is balancing the academics while also being committed to your sport. Work can pile up quickly, so I want to talk about strategies that help me manage my workload while I am in season.
A great resource offered by Susquehanna is the Center for Academic Sucess (CAS). They have helped me time and time again with their tutoring programs and around the clock support. They are always there to assist you with staying on top of your academics, which can really help if you are feeling overwhelmed, have trouble with time management or are behind in a class.
Another way I like to manage my workload to make sure I don’t get behind or overwhelmed is to make a schedule or list of the work I must do that week. Having a to-do list written down helps me visualize the amount of work I have to do, and it helps me prioritize my work so I can better plan my week.
Although every college athlete’s experience will be different and not everyone handles stress the same way, these are some tips that have helped me throughout college, and I hope they help you too.