By: Tom Klemick
ANNVILLE, Pa. - As part of Lebanon Valley College Athletics' ongoing effort to take responsibility in promoting a safe and beneficial campus environment, LVC will highlight aspects of its Step UP! program each Tuesday on GoDutchmen.com. The latest installment comes in conjunction with the NCAA's annual Division III Week and the athletic department's goal of spreading mental health awareness through this endeavor.
This week, we share the contribution of one of the most familiar and friendly faces on campus in women's soccer player and women's track & field athlete
Teanna Shutt. The senior earned a MAC Commonwealth Honorable Mention nod following her final soccer season last fall before earning a bronze medal as a member of LVC's 4x800m relay team at the Middle Atlantic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships in February. She won gold as part of the 4x800m relay team at the MAC Outdoor Championships last spring to go along with a silver medal in the pole vault. Shutt was also voted LVC's 2017 Homecoming Queen earlier this year after winning the school's 2017 Sportsmanship Award.
In her reflection, Shutt shares her experience battling depression and her subsequent methods of facing and combating it, while encouraging her peers who also suffer from depression to be honest with themselves and seek support in finding inner strength and happiness.
Ask yourself, "what is your why?" Why are you here? Division III isn't binding us to stay on our teams, wake up at 6 a.m., go running, get in the gym to lift weights throughout the week, etc. So what is your why? When you are overwhelmed with school, family life, social life, so on and so forth, sports can have such a positive impact as stress relief but only if your passion and drive are there.
But what if the energy and passion you once had no longer existed? Ask yourself again, why do you play? It shouldn't be for your parents, friends, coaches, siblings, or anyone else. It should be for you and your love of the sport. You have put in all this time and effort to get to this point and it should make you feel whole. What happens when it becomes a burden? What then?
A quote by Charles R. Swindoll has had significant meaning in my life. It is as follows, "10 percent in life is what happens to you and 90 percent is how you react to it." Along those same lines, I believe that athletics are "90 percent mental and 10 percent physical."
You practice day in and day out; attacking that extra run, rep, hit, throw, pass, or kick. You wake up early for class and stay up late to finish school work. You practice, practice, and practice to get better but where is the focus on mental health? Why don't you practice being mindful of your mental state? Why is that the last thing athletes think to prioritize?
The one thing I've learned is in order to be the best athlete you can be you have to place emphasis on the mental side just as much as the physical side.
What follows is my story.
I am a three-sport athlete here at LVC and I have struggled with depression. I felt like the weight of the world was on top of me and there was no way out. I would go for runs and had to stop a couple of minutes in because I was crying so hard. I couldn't find the energy to get out of bed. I dreaded going to practice and classes because it meant I had to wear a smile and pretend everything was okay.
You ever feel this way? Getting help was the absolute last item on my list. I tried every tactic that I had grown to know and utilize in my life, yet reaching out and going to counseling was the actual best thing I could have done for myself. Was it a simple, quick, or easy fix? Heck no. Was it worth it? Beyond belief.
Fight the stigma! There's fear in admitting weakness, especially as an athlete because it is the last thing you want people to see you as – weak. You build up toughness by practicing every day and perfecting the sport you love, so portraying that you need help is inconceivable.
Positive mental health will yield the best results; enjoyment, no burn out, and optimal performance. While you are trying to get A's academically, manage competition, family, and friends you often forget about the most important piece to yourself - YOU.
The demands of competing don't make it easy. Staying up late to feel prepared for a test, taking a hard exam, and running to catch the bus for a game that you are starting in with more cups of coffee than hours of sleep is not easy. So why do we turn a blind eye and pretend it is? We place so much of our identity into sports, which is understandable to a degree since, on average, 30 hours of our week goes into it. Which is why it's so easy to become consumed by our specific athletic identity instead of ourselves as an entire person.
When you are injured and can't practice, it is acceptable to take the day off to not make it worse. But what about feeling depressed and knowing you won't make it through practice without crying? Rarely anything worthwhile in life is easy, but if you let your mind control your actions without trying to fight for your well-being, then how will you truly get to where you need to go?
If you find yourself in this mental state here are some things you should realize:
It is okay to not be okay. If you think everyone around you has it all together and figured out, you're wrong. It is not a sign of weakness and should be taken as seriously as any physical injury. Getting help will most likely improve, not damage, your self-confidence because everyone is going through their own things. Not talking about it and acting like things are fine leads to internalizing and, eventually, exploding. Don't assume just because it seems like someone may be doing well academically and athletically that they are "okay". Teammates and coaches are your direct source of support away from home so talk to them about what is going on. If someone cannot help you because they have not been through the same thing, sometimes just talking it out can get you started on the road to feeling better.
You cannot help others if you do not help yourself first. Athletes have this stigma that they need to have it all together so they don't let anyone down, whether it be coaches, family, friends, or teammates. But if you are struggling and are not the best version of yourself, you cannot help anyone else. How can you pour yourself into others when you yourself are not full? Put yourself first and you will be able to amplify your impact both on and off the court/field/track. Utilize the resources on campus. They are here to help you. All athletes want to perform the best they can and not being at your best can only add more stress. These resources can help you put together a great game plan on how to handle all the stresses of being a student-athlete and create a positive outlook resulting in great performance in all aspects of your life. And what athlete doesn't want that?
It costs zero dollars to be a great person and teammate. Take a few minutes out of your day to send an encouraging text if you know a friend has had a rough week academically. Find time to grab coffee or sit together at lunch and sincerely ask how they are. Smile and be thankful for the opportunity that you have that so many young adults would kill for. The opportunity to play the game you love surrounded by incredible teammates working to accomplish incredible feats, together. In my opinion, it literally doesn't get any better than that.
College will be the fastest four years of your life so don't waste them by not being the best version of yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally. Utilize the resources on campus, surround yourself with a positive network that will be there for you in the highs and lows of life, and go that extra mile to be there for the people you care about. There are 24 hours in a day, dedicate one of them to becoming a stronger, better version of you.
In conjunction with the school's bystander prevention initiative, Lebanon Valley will present one of its 26 athletic programs with the first-ever Step UP! Team of the Year award at the College's annual All-Sports Reception in the spring. Student-athletes are encouraged to share their Step UP! stories on social media using the hashtag #DutchmenStepUp.
Be sure to check back each Tuesday for more LVC Step UP! features and information regarding the great work being done by Flying Dutchmen student-athletes and teams.
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