Being an athlete in high school is really hard for teens these days. The stress of making it to all the practices and games while also dealing with classes and managing time for homework can be overwhelming. Recent studies have shown that 95% of male and 85% of female high school athletes have higher stress levels than non-athlete students.
No matter how much the young athlete enjoys the sport the stress is still there. The pressure to win and do their best all the time from coaches, parents, and even the athletes themselves can ruin their mental health. One of the biggest stressors of high school athletes is not sport games and practices, but keeping up with the school work. After a long day of learning your mind is tired, it can be fun to take your mind off the stress of school by going to the gym and having your practice. But once the practice is over you go back to the reality of your life. Having to get home, do chores, help mom and dad and do your school work all while being tired from this long day you just had.
Some ways of managing your stress could be, deep breathing, mindfulness, routine and so much more. The best way to help your body and mind is to find what works best for you and stick to that. Keeping a routine throughout your day can help you to manage all the things you need to do, while also prioritizing the things that need to be done that night can prevent you from getting too overwhelmed. Along with all this work and planning, keeping your body healthy by a good diet and getting a good amount of sleep each night can also help you with your day to day life.
I personally deal with the crazy stress from being a high school student involved in many sports. I am a freshman who plays volleyball, basketball and softball all year round. I also am a big procrastinator and have to stick to prioritizing my tasks each day. Staying organized and not getting behind in school is what works best for me daily. Having school until three and practicing till six-thirty everyday can be really stressful and challenging, but I have a great love for each one of my sports so I choose to use these ways to manage my stress.