“I’m so stressed!”
It’s a common phrase to hear amongst students, and especially student athletes. With papers due and tests to take, with practice and game schedule on top of it, college is stressful. However, it has been said that stress can be used as a motivator. So, a little bit of stress might actually be a good thing.
Stress can help student athletes to prioritise
Being under stress usually means that there are a lot of things to get done and a small frame of time to do them in. However, that same stress could motivate us to face the facts and figure out what needs to get done. Instead of stopping and letting worries and anxieties get the best of you, it simply makes more sense to buckle down and start checking things off the list. Completing the most pressing items to begin with, and then moving so on from there.
Stress can help student athletes get to work
Once we’ve been pushed to get our priorities in line, stress provides a sense of urgency to begin actually getting things done. While it’s no fun to feel ’stressed out’, the way it makes us apply ourselves in actually pretty profound.
Take some time to think about why you’re stressed, and begin to set a determination that’s not going to get the best of you. Let’s say you have a rapidly approaching deadline. Try turning a negative thought: “How will I ever get this done?”, into a positive thought: “I’ll use the next three hours in the library to finish this paper.”
Stress can help athletes connect with friends, family and teammates
If you are feeling stressed out by college, your sport, your job, or even friends and family, there is a silver lining to remember. It means that you are getting an education, have the ability to play a sport that you love, have a job that brings you income, or have people surrounding you that want to be in your life.
Being stressed is a great reminder of all that we should be appreciative for. And asking for help, or even taking a moment to commiserate with a friend or teammate, will bring you closer and can even form a connection of bond.
So, next time you’re ‘completely stressing out’, don’t let it shut you down. Harness that emotion. Let it take you to greater heights.
