Ben F.
Photography done by Colleen Charchut
IfYou’reReadingThis.org at Northwestern is proud to host this series featuring NU student-athletes. We understand that mental health is something that impacts everyone, including athletes. We are highlighting the student-athlete experience by sharing directly from NCAA Division I student-athletes at Northwestern. This series of letters comes from a group of athletes who volunteered to speak about their journeys with mental health, as well as the particular pressures of being both student and athlete in the Big Ten Conference. We hope to bring attention to the idea that despite the strength of athletes, they too have to build and cultivate emotional wellness. To our student-athlete authors, thank you for your willingness to share your experience with our community. Whatever the particular pressures you’re facing right now might be, from athletics to academics, we hope this letter resonates with you. The impacts and challenges of mental health are universal.
If you are reading this, tomorrow is a new day.
I often find myself entrenched in the present. My whole world centers around a to-do list, what I have to get done in order to feel somewhat at peace. Being a Division-1 athlete, graduate student, son, boyfriend, and brother takes a lot, and making a list is a coping mechanism for my busy schedule.
But I don’t always do too well when things disrupt my to-do list. When things change, my anxiety skyrockets, and often I feel stuck and helpless. This feeling sucks and I haven’t always dealt with it in a helpful manner. Eventually I realized my actions weren’t sustainable, and I was prompted to see sports psychology to find more healthy ways of dealing with this stuck feeling.
I found that what works for me is an adage from sport: control the controllables. This motto reminds me that there are some things in life that I can’t control like swimming a bad race, biking through a puddle, or missing my friends. Acknowledge those feelings and let them pass.
Tomorrow is always a new day. A day I want to be a part of.
Ben F., Northwestern University
Men’s Swimming & Diving
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