Every race ends with a medal around their neck. Their footwork is impeccable, their forehand swing unmatched. The final shot, making the winning pass – it’s what the coach expects.
They are a hopeful freshman or sophomore, a seasoned JV teammate. They are the varsity leaders who cheer and scream from the sidelines and offer a fist-bump with the best advice. They train early mornings and run late under the lights. Under the blazing sun or in sheets of rain, they push themselves, and then they push themselves again.
But off the court, course or field, away from the triumph or tough loss of the previous night, student-athletes are among the most vulnerable when it comes to their mental health. According to a 2023 study by the National Library of Medicine, young athletes who must balance achievement in their sport with school, grades and other aspects of their life are at an increased risk of “depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.”
“From my own experience, I didn’t give myself nearly enough sleep or mental rest or any of the tools that I really could have used,” sports psychologist Dr. Carrie Hastings said. “And self-care? That is so taken for granted.”
Hastings spoke about the importance of compassion and support for athletes, students-athletes in particular, at a community event hosted by the Sarah Shulze and Katie’s Save foundations on Sept. 20 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.
For the respective foundations, hosting “Together for Mental Health” was about spreading awareness, providing resources and ending suicide and the stigmas surrounding it. They strive to honor the legacies of Sarah Shulze and Katie Meyer, two collegiate athletes out of Ventura County who died by suicide in the spring of 2022. The foundations’ hope is to prevent future tragedies by expanding access to mental health support.
Amidst what the CDC has designated a “teen mental health crisis,” Hastings offered her insight and experiences as a mental health clinician for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. She, along with other advocates and professionals, identified the problems that arise when perfectionism meets new, overwhelming or high-pressure situations. Hastings also outlined the next step: speaking up and seeking help.
Nonprofit CEO Victoria Garrick-Browne shared with the audience that she never anticipated the reality of her college experience playing volleyball for USC, and because of that, was at a loss for how to navigate through it.
“I couldn’t admit I was really stressed or that I wasn’t able to sleep at night or that I was shaking all the way to the gym before practice,” Garrick-Browne said. “I had this feeling like I couldn’t say anything because then maybe my coach won’t play me or my teammates will think they shouldn’t trust me on the court.”
Ultimately, Garrick-Browne attributes that fear to the internalization of long-standing stigmas surrounding mental health, stigmas that may be more prevalent in athletes. From a young age, Garrick-Browne recalls the messaging she constantly received: to tough it out, play through the pain and win, at all costs. The constant insistence that she must want it, as an elite athlete.
“I never ever thought I could have anxiety because I had stigmatized it as something that happens to other people,” Garrick-Browne said. “I put it in that mental box as weakness.”
When Garrick-Browne reached out to an older, trusted teammate, she was made aware of free therapy services provided to her through USC. She attributes making that peer connection, and then setting up an appointment, to what began to make a difference in her mindset.
“I was finally able to open up and talk about my triggers and my emotions and my mental health,” Garrick-Browne said. “I realized 99% of people in similar situations felt the same way.”
Garrick-Browne acknowledges, though, that having free therapy appointments through her university was a privilege, one that isn’t granted to every school or individual. This realization led her to deliver a TED Talk viewed by millions, which kickstarted “The Hidden Opponent,” her nonprofit initiative, and her podcast.
“We have over 1,000 campus captains who are student-athlete ambassadors for the organization,” Garrick-Browne said. “We want to empower them so that they can then represent others and become first-hand advocates. We want to give them accessible resources, for all and for free.”
No matter what, Garrick-Browne encourages student-athletes to reach out for support, whether it’s from peers or family members, teammates, coaches or trained professionals. In the meantime, she and countless others are working to build a world where mental health matters just as much as any athletic performance or personal achievement.
“There is more for you outside of the current stress and if you don’t know how to get there and you don’t believe it to be true, let someone in,” Garrick-Browne said. “They can help carry you the rest of the way until you start to see the light.”
