Self-care is about identifying one’s own needs and taking necessary steps to meet them. Self-care is something that is necessary for every thriving adult to practice in order to maintain a healthy mental and physical well-being. It is something that serves as a constant in our lives that we’re able to fall back on when stressful times start to take a toll on our minds and bodies.
Self-care isn’t always an elaborate process, but rather can be found in simple, yet intentional acts. This could be reading a book, watching a movie, taking a walk or even merely spending some alone time playing video games or listening to music.
Simply put, self-care is the time one spends focusing on themselves, not worrying about other things such as the following day’s tasks or how much money is left in their bank account. We are so easily consumed by daily tasks and stressors that we forget to take time to do things for ourselves.
The college students with the busiest, most stressful schedules lack the time and resources to practice self-care. According to the NCAA, student athletes are at a higher risk for mental health issues and burnout.
The U.S. has a very prominent sports culture, and this has molded large universities into factories for producing top-tier athletes. Don’t get me wrong. I’m as much of a sports fan as the next Badger, yet I worry that student-athletes are portrayed as invincible athletic machines rather than everyday human beings.
They are embedded in a culture that leaves no room for vulnerability, that sees weakness as a detriment to the player. This may hurt their self-image of being a colossal, indomitable athlete. No fear, no weakness, no emotions are what we teach athletes, and sadly this has been the message that many athletes have received since they started playing.
Human emotion and mental wellness are things that need attention and must be nursed when they are not well. Due to the factory culture of college athletics, student-athletes are viewed more as machines even by themselves sometimes, allowing their basic common needs as humans to frequently be unmet.
Succeeding academically at a rigorous university such as UW-Madison comes with a large amount of stressors which is exacerbated by the demands of being a Division I athlete. This is more reason why adequate self-care opportunities and recognition of mental health needs are essential for student-athletes to process the demands of their dual identities.
A common outcome from the lack of self-care includes self medicating and coping through alcohol and other drugs. Furthermore, the inability to find healthy ways to cope with stress can lead to a host of mental illnesses such as depression or severe anxiety, according to Psychology Today. These conditions are extremely debilitating and easy to mask, causing them to persist and worsen—especially when ignored or left undiagnosed.
Every human being deserves to experience joy and the current culture of college athletics is not modeled in favor of student-athletes experiencing true joy. Due to both their own self-image and the extreme expectations from these athletes that have been deemed acceptable, I gather that mental wellness is not as much of an area of focus within college athletics as it should be. This deprivation is caused and perpetuated by both the dominant sports culture and, in part, the athletes themselves focusing mainly on their athlete role and not tending enough to their basic human needs.
Not too long ago, Montee Ball, a former Denver Broncos player, opened up about his alcohol abuse during his college years and NFL rookie season. This made me wonder—is this a common way to deal with stress and pressure among college athletes?
While pondering this issue, I came to the same conclusion that my own struggles with mental wellness helped me reach not long ago: Addressing mental wellness head-on is the most effective way to deal with stress.
Since I am not an athlete, I am able to freely control my schedule in order to ensure that I incorporate self-care activities into my daily schedule. I am also able to embrace vulnerability to most effectively deal with my problems without confronting criticism from the culture I am surrounded by.
However, for student-athletes, this isn’t the case. They are given a strict schedule that they must obey, and they cannot manipulate the schedule even if that’s what is best for them. How, then, are student-athletes supposed to cope with daily stressors when they are absorbed in a sports culture that looks down upon vulnerability and don’t have sufficient time to practice self-care?
I believe that within the athletic departments of all universities, there must be ongoing conversations and embedded support structures emphasizing the importance of self-care and mental wellness; the simple verbal acknowledgment of these topics is not sufficient. In addition, I suggest student-athletes be consistently given more time to practice self-care activities.
Just as stretching is vital for any athlete’s body, practicing self-care is a way for one’s mind and body to decompress and wind down. In order for a lasting change to be made, I believe that the dominant sports culture must become more focused on the overall well being of athletes, not just how they are performing when it comes to game time.
In beginning to break down the hypermasculine wall built around athletes that shuns vulnerability, ongoing support structures that emphasize overall wellness of student-athletes may be effective. I think that this will begin to chip away at the much larger issue of mental wellness deficits among college athletes, but many additional measures must be taken in the future to eliminate this issue.
Student-athletes are humans and must be able to practice self-care, a necessary step in ensuring full mental and physical well-being. Let’s not just make “get your head in the game” a slogan during game day, let’s make it a life motto rooted in genuine care for student-athletes’ well being.
What are your thoughts on self-care, specifically for college athletes? Send questions and comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
