Swim and dance were the two sports in which I have always strived to push myself. This was not just to make my parents proud, but also to prove something to myself. The one thing I did not realize was how the pressure of performing in two demanding sports at once would slowly impact my mental health, leaving me both physically and mentally drained.
Throughout high school, I have always been on the move. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I went from swim practice from 3:30-6 p.m. straight into dance from 6-8:30 p.m. Every other day of the week, I had swim practice, a swim meet, or a halftime dance performance.
I was starting homework or studying around 9:30 p.m. every night, barely sleeping and always sick. By the time it came to sophomore year, I had become burnt out. The constant running back and forth between practices caused the sports I once did for enjoyment to feel more like a job.
According to the National Library of Medicine, young athletes today have to put in as much time into their sports as athletes in college. For them, their sport is the equivalent of a full-time job. This kind of pressure and expectations from coaches or parents can lead to anxiety, burnout and depression.
During junior year, I was just on the swim team, which I hoped would help. Unfortunately, the damage from being in two sports had already been done, and my anxiety continued to be constant. My self-worth became more focused on how I performed in swimming, causing me not to feel satisfied when my times did not drop to what I hoped.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, many young athletes have struggled with balancing sports with academics, hobbies and their social life, which often leads to stress.
When senior year rolled around, I decided to take a break from sports altogether, which was the hardest choice I had to make. By giving myself time to step back, I started rediscovering myself. For the first time in a while, I could take a deep breath and focus more on school and the people I care about the most.
My experience is not just something I have gone through. According to the National Library of Medicine, research has also shown how too much pressure from coaches and parents can lower mental health. Youth athletes cannot thrive in their sports if their brains are not doing well.
They should be supported and allowed to make mistakes as long as they try learning from them. Your worth is not determined by how successful you are in a sport.
Many people may say that overcoming hardships helps you build character and enhance your social skills. And yes, sports can most definitely help develop these traits. For me, I learned determination.
However, there is a distinct line between having a challenge and pushing yourself at the expense of your health. No medal or trophy you get is worth sacrificing your mental health.
People often think that finding balance is what is going to solve all their problems, but when you constantly have to attend all practices, meets and keep up with school, balance becomes nearly impossible. As it was said in the National Library of Medicine, being highly involved with sports can have an effect on normal developmental milestones, leaving less time to form a more stable identity outside of athletics.
I truly am grateful for having the opportunity to be a part of both of those teams, as it gave me lifelong friendships and a sense of belonging. Of course, I still miss it, but if there is one thing I learned, your mental health comes first always.
As a society, we need to stop comparing athletic success with self-worth. Coaches and parents should focus more on reflecting and resting, not on how perfectly we may do something. Young athletes should have the opportunity to explore who they truly are because their worth does not come from how fast they are or how great they are at their sport; it comes from them being human.
