Student athletes find their sport to improve their mental health

From Saturday night lights to the classroom, student-athletes feel the pressure. They are up at the early hours of the morning, training for their sport, and have high expectations of themselves.

“My alarm goes off around 6:30 a.m., every day I usually start with weights before class, and I have at least 2 classes every day,” Kenadee Coyle, a volleyball player at WKU said.

“Being a student-athlete has challenged me mentally more than anything in my life, it is extremely exhausting, but with the help of my teammates, I have been able to find a good place mentally here at WKU,” Coyle said.

Even with the expectations of being a student athlete, some have found their sport to positively affect their mental health. “There have been many times when I am in a bad mood or having a bad day, and then go to practice and by the time I leave, my mood has completely shifted,” Zackery Martinez, a track and field team member at WKU said.

“Yes, there are off days, but they never last. Overall, my mental health is best when I am doing what I love,” Martinez said.

Some student athletes have found it hard to talk about the mental health issues that can come up.

“There is a stigma that, you know, struggling with your mental health is not cool. At the end of the day, I realized that I do not care if it’s cool or not, I just knew I did not want to be in a place that was so low and feel out of control with my emotions,” said Taylor Davis, a WKU softball team member.

“Ultimately, it’s not always as bad as it seems, and you realize that everyone is going through something hard, but my hard looks a little different, but it is manageable,” Davis said.

When it comes to current student athletes giving future student athletes advice, they have a lot of support to offer.

“Everyone wants the big names across their chest but you won’t truly enjoy it if you are not fully invested in every single part of the school,” Coyle said.

“Never be afraid to chase your passion, you do not have to be here, but you get to be. Embrace challenges,” Martinez said.