Mental Health: Start The Conversation
Lizzie Oleary
3/10/2021
My mental health is something I put off talking about until I got to college. I was familiar with what mental health was, and I had personal experiences growing up that made it something very important to me.
There wasn’t a specific event that affected me, I’ve just always had anxious tendencies. I was terrified to call anyone on the phone, I always assumed the worst possible outcome for every situation, and my head was, and sometimes still is, full of “what if”s. I also, so badly, wanted to be good at everything I did. But I didn’t believe I needed to talk about what I was feeling or going through because it didn’t seem serious enough to be addressed.
It was also something that I never saw brought up whenever I watched sports on TV. The most common term I heard associated with sports and anything mental was “mental toughness."
It’s probably easy for someone on the outside to tell you to be mentally tough, but no one ever really knows what’s going on inside your mind but you. A lot of times, the outside noise can make things worse, even the smallest comment or remark.
When I committed to the University of Delaware, so many people told me how great it was for me to get a full scholarship and go to a great university. I am grateful for all of the opportunities, and college has been a great experience, but I still faced a severe amount of stress and anxiety.
My excuse for pushing any conversation back was that I have nothing to worry about. I am doing something that will open so many doors for me, and my college education is being paid for, so why even bring it up? Well, bottling everything up eventually caught up to me.
Unless you have done it, you can’t understand what being a student-athlete is like. Practices, weights, meetings about anything and everything, and then staying on top of your schoolwork is not easy, which is why not everyone does it. As all of these things piled up on me, I reached a breaking point. Fortunately for me, I was able to get the help I needed because of my school’s resources. In the beginning, however, I tried everything in my power to make sure nobody knew I was talking to someone about my problems. I am so willing to help others talk through their issues and want them to get help, but why couldn’t I want that for myself?
Something that really helped me get through a very hard point in my struggle was reading through Kevin Love and Kayla McBride’s stories about their mental health. It made me realize that I am not the only person feeling this way, but also not the only basketball player feeling this way.
For so long, athletics has just been about playing the game, but there’s so much more that can be done. With everything that has been going on in the world for the past year, I wanted to address this topic that is very important to me. I know there are a lot of other athletes who are struggling, and that’s okay. We all have different experiences at different times, and often for different reasons.
I know there are a lot of other athletes who are struggling, and that's okay. We all have different experiences at different times, and often for different reasons.Senior forward Lizzie Oleary
I want to encourage everyone to get the help they need, it doesn’t matter how anyone else feels but you. Mental health affects everyone differently; and it’s important to remember that, and remember to just be kind. You truly never know what someone is going through, but there are so many ways you can help.
