School. Sport. Sleep. Repeat.
It is easy to get caught up in the endless cycle of being a student athlete. Having too much on one’s plate can lead to a common illness in student athletes: Burnout. Burnout Burnout is caused by too much training stress coupled with too little recovery. Training stress can come from a variety of sources on and off the field, such as demands on an individual’s physical, travel, time, academic or social health.
Student athletes are at a higher risk to find themselves under an overwhelming amount of pressure compared to their peers. The demand from coaches and teammates to practice and compete at a high level can be intense and, when handled the wrong way, will lead to burnout. It is the athletes choice how they will deal with that external stress.
Senior Caleb Howe is a swimming state qualifier, individual school record holder and the captain for the boys swim and dive team. He often finds himself distressed under the pressure of others, however, he has found a way to deal with the anxiety.
“I mostly try to ignore [the stress,] I found I have a lot of pressure put on me most of the time to win and succeed in a lot of ways,” Howe said. “I am always able to tell myself that it doesn’t really matter if I win or lose and I am still the same person.”
It is important to realize that at the end of the day, how students perform as an athlete does not define them as an individual. Burnout will have different effects on each individual athlete, but it all comes with the same spiraling feeling. Senior Nathan Lindower, captain of the varsity football team, has experienced burnout in his athletic career.
“During my sophomore year, I was playing basketball, football and baseball, it was kind of too much, I didn’t get a break,” Lindower said. “I felt like I was getting stuck behind especially in school I just always felt like I was catching up, could never get ahead, made me not want to do those sports anymore and it ended up with me playing only football.”
Having an even balance of sports, school and free time is key. But when school and work piles up, it is easy to get caught up in a busy schedule and fall behind. A sport might be what pushes one over the edge even, when it is meant to be a positive activity. Senior Mady Jessee, captain for the varsity volleyball team, actively works to prevent burnout within herself throughout the season.
“I feel the effects of burnout a lot. I would say mostly towards the end of a season or if school is getting really busy, a lot of homework,” Jesse said. “I focus more on myself and not trying to fill up my days as much, taking things slower, not trying to do a bunch of things.”
When working to prevent burnout, it is important for athletes to understand themselves and know what they need, whether that be rest days, setting aside time for school work, or spending the afternoon with friends. At the end of the day, a sport is meant to be a fun activity even though intensity may vary for different athletes.
“It was kind of just all in my head, I just needed to start having fun again and realize that it’s not that serious,” Lindower said. “I just started having fun at practice instead of treating it kinda like a job so it made me like practice and games so I didn’t feel as burnt out when I did it.”
While athletes should set goals and work hard, it is important to work to prevent burnout to decrease the risk of getting drained and tired of a sport.
Athletic trainer for the high school, Sydney Foster, shares tips on how student-athletes should prevent burnout.
“At the high school age specifically, sleep is huge, sleep is one of the biggest things that you need to help with burnout,” Foster said. “Lots of water and hydration [and] eating healthy are all important.”
Foster stresses the importance of eating healthy, and regularly. Although she doesn’t recommend diet planning, she believes that balance, in all things, is key.
“One thing that I think high schoolers are trying to figure out is daily organization,” Foster said. “Taking time to just relax, not even doing homework or focusing on school work and just chilling out is huge. Just turn your brain off for a little bit.”
