Depression, anxiety and stress are on the rise in high schools across America. Adolescents are carrying more on their shoulders than ever before, and reports from NFHS show that nearly 32% of teens now struggle with anxiety disorders.
Heavy workloads, lack of sleep and academic pressure can all incite mental health issues in high schoolers. However, there is no doubt that student-athletes have it especially hard: balancing weekday practices, high-stress games and piles of school work is no joke. Luckily for Oak Park High School Students, the Breaking the Stigma club addresses these issues and provides athletes a space to share their struggles.
“Our purpose is to spread awareness about the stigma around mental health, performance anxiety, stress and student-athlete balance within the athletics world,” senior president Natalia Galstain said.
According to a study done by the National Library of Medicine, younger athletes are affected the most by “fear of negative evaluation.” This is just one obstacle that students who participate in high-intensity sports have to face. The Breaking the Stigma club brings athletes together and encourages members to share their experiences with others.
“Breaking the Stigma is special because it offers such a positive environment for athletes to come learn about mental health and how it takes a toll on students on a day-to-day basis,” vice president Nina Gerty said.
Galstian and Gerty are both varsity student-athletes themselves; they were encouraged to get involved with Breaking the Stigma to inspire their teammates and other athletes at OPHS.
“One of the problems I face is balancing time for self-care,” Gerty said. “Breaking the Stigma addresses this by giving some advice about what you can do to manage your time and incorporate self-care within your day.”
The club focuses on spreading awareness while bringing in speakers and activities for club members. This allows other athletes to hear from others who may have faced similar challenges..
“We have guest speakers from organizations speaking to our athletes, organizations like Katie’s Save and the Sarah Schulze Foundation, and then also we had former Breaking the Stigma members talk to our athletes,” Galstian said. “We also do mini-activities in meetings, and we’re planning on doing some school-wide mental health activities.”
Aside from educating club members, Breaking the Stigma hopes to expand its reach both schoolwide and to the greater Oak Park community.
“This year we want to do awareness games for the community. At Oak Park, it would look like an event for a certain sport where various mental-health organizations speak about their goals,” Gerty said.
Breaking the Stigma organized similar campus projects in the 2023-2024 school year, working together to make an impact at the high school.
“Last year, we partnered with the Yellow Tulip Foundation to put flowers in the planters,” Galstian said. “The yellow tulip flowers symbolize cheer and hope, so we wanted to plant those in the quad area and open it up to the school.”
Together, Breaking the Stigma creates a community school-wide and with other organizations. Join them at their monthly meetings in the Wellness Center or Mrs. Leggett’s room to break the stigma about mental health.
