Balancing Performance and Peace: Supporting the Mental Health of College Student Athletes

Balancing Performance and Peace: Supporting the Mental Health of College Student-Athletes

 by Lily Kerr, MSW 

College-aged student-athletes are often seen as models of strength, discipline, and endurance. They juggle demanding academic schedules, intense training regimens, social pressures, and the expectations of coaches, teammates, and family. Beneath the surface of their achievements, however, lies a growing concern: the unique mental health challenges student-athletes are faced with.

Mental wellness is just as critical as physical health and in many ways, the two are deeply interconnected. However, this is often difficult to recognize for any individual, let alone student-athletes. Rigorous schedules and strenuous training make it difficult to notice changes in physical and emotional health. For example, a collegiate athlete may feel exhausted during the day, and even when able to increase rest, fatigue does not improve. This can be a warning sign of factors outside of the physical aspect of training contributing to burnout, meaning emotional health may be the culprit for a hindrance in athletic performance.  

Becoming aware of emotional/mental health can be the first step to acknowledging the need for support outside of the classroom, court, weight room, arena, field, rink, pool, or stadium. Therapists can be the guide to help student-athletes navigate their emotional health while continuing to pursue their passion for sports and academics. 

Understanding the Mental Health Challenges Facing College Student-Athletes:

The demands placed on college athletes are intense and often relentless. These challenges can negatively affect their mental well-being in several key areas:

1. Time Management & Burnout

Student-athletes juggle early morning workouts, travel for competitions, and a full class load. This nonstop schedule often leads to chronic fatigue and emotional exhaustion. Having the ability to notice burnout before it begins to take control of physical and mental health is key to preventing patterns of lethargy. Being able to ask for help from a coach, fellow teammate, professor, or academic advisor could be the first place to start in seeking assistance for how to locate therapeutic services to address emotional well-being. 

2. Performance Anxiety

Many student-athletes experience high levels of stress related to their performance on the field, court, etc. The fear of failure, letting teammates down, or losing a scholarship can create significant mental strain. Increased anxiety related to performance may cause racing thoughts to appear. For example, thought patterns of “What if I fail?”, “What if I let my team down?”, “Am I going to meet the coach’s expectations?”, “What if I get hurt?”, etc. When negative circulating thoughts occur, it can be a challenge to rid them from your cognition. A trained clinician can help you to determine why/when these thought patterns occur and how to successfully combat the cyclic pattern.

3. Injuries & Identity Crisis

An injury can bench more than just your body, it can bench your sense of self. Many college athletes struggle with identity loss when they are no longer able to participate in their sport. Physical ailments related to sports are often unexpected, impeding on ability to accept the abrupt change in ability to perform athletically. When an unforeseen injury occurs, changes in emotions may include shock, sadness, frustration, guilt, irritability, anxiousness, fear, etc. Therapy can be a tool to maneuver through a change in role/identity due to injury and move forward through the process of healing by addressing the emotional toll that may present itself following a sudden change in physical health. 

4. Stigma Around Seeking Help

There is often a cultural stigma in athletics that equates vulnerability with weakness. This can prevent student-athletes from seeking the mental health support they need. Many sports or coaches are known for utilizing the saying “When you fall you get right back up and keep playing”. However, this statement may never have been put into the context of how the additional factor of mental health can affect sports performance. Showing up no matter how exhausted, overwhelmed, or distraught one maybe is ingrained into the brain of athletes. Displaying any instability on or off the field tends to be seen as “slacking off” or “lacking work ethic”. When combated with emotional health struggles,  student-athletes could feel isolated or unworthy of standing up for themselves. Clinical providers can work with athletes to work through the negative connotations surrounding putting attention on taking time to focus on emotional health, even if this means taking a step back from athletic activities for a certain period. 

5. Transitioning Out of Sports

Whether due to graduation or injury, leaving a sport can cause grief, uncertainty, and anxiety about the future. Student-athletes may have been participating in a sport for 16 to 18 years before reaching their final athletic performance. The sport can be considered a “full-time job” for most athletes and when an athletic career ends, collegiate athletes can experience a similar loss to what an adult may feel during a change of employment (job loss, unemployment, etc.). These individuals may lose a sense of purpose, no longer pursuing the only lifestyle they have ever known. Common questions which may arise include, “What do I do next?”, “How do I know where I will belong?”, “What am I going to do with all of this free time?”. Learning to discuss and give attention to these questions can be a part of the therapeutic journey a qualified clinician might be able to assist a retired athlete with through services. 

How Therapy Can Help:

At CAWB, our clinicians create safe, confidential spaces where student-athletes can explore their thoughts and emotions without judgment. Therapy can support athletes by:

– Learning healthy stress management and time-balancing strategies

– Developing tools to manage performance-related anxiety

– Processing grief and loss after injury or athletic transitions

– Building confidence and self-worth beyond athletic identity

– Navigating interpersonal and academic pressures

We work collaboratively, often incorporating mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and other therapeutic techniques to support the whole person – not just the athlete.

Signs a Student-Athlete Might Need Mental Health Support:

If you are a coach, professor, academic advisor, fellow teammate, parent, or friend, be on the lookout for these warning signs of mental health issues in student-athletes:

– Sudden drop in academic or athletic performance

– Social withdrawal or irritability

– Trouble sleeping or changes in eating habits

– Loss of motivation or interest in their sport

– Expressing hopelessness or feeling overwhelmed

Encouraging therapy early on can make a major difference in both their emotional health and athletic success. It can be intimidating to take the first step to ask for help or seek assistance from a mental health clinician. Nevertheless, just as coaches are there to help train athletes to improve or excel in athletics, therapists are available to do the same yet for emotional and mental health to enable success in personal goals. 

***Lily Kerr, LCSW , former collegiate Swimmer, — Offering Therapy for Student-Athletes Across Arkansas, Florida, and South Carolina via Telehealth:

Lily Kerr, MSW, Telehealth in SC, FL, and AR , Adults and Couples 18+

Counseling Associates for Well-Being provides therapy for college athletes via telehealth. We offer flexible scheduling and a compassionate, non-judgmental space to talk about what is going on.

If you or someone you care about is a college athlete struggling with mental health, we are here to help.