I recently found myself wondering how student athletes in our direct community are really feeling when it comes to stress and mental health, especially the amount of support they receive. Mental health is often discussed in general terms, but when it is connected to student’s real life experiences, it becomes clear how important it truly is in our daily lives. To better understand this, I created a survey and collected responses from 41 Roosevelt student athletes. The results revealed clear patterns of overwhelm, pressure from both school and sports, and limited discussion of mental health resources. 

One of the biggest takeaways was how rarely mental health resources are discussed. 68.3% of students said resources were never or rarely offered in the past month, with the other 26.8% being suggested only sometimes, suggesting many athletes are handling stress alone, without regular support from coaches or school staff. 

In an open-ended question, the most common challenge students described about being a student athlete was balance — the time pressure, and trying to manage everything at once, rather than one single issue like injury or teammates. Stress related to schoolwork and sports performance was nearly identical. In both cases, 65.8% of students said they feel stressed often or always, showing that athletes are dealing with strong pressure from two demanding areas at the same time.

Because this data came directly from students, it gives valuable guidance for the kind of support that may actually help. Increased communication about mental health resources, regular emotional check-ins, intentional time for rest, or even just giving athletes a reminder that their mental health matters, could go such a long way. 

Mental health can’t just be a thing we preach every now and then. We must exercise these values into our everyday life if we want to see real change and help our students. Mental health is so important, and we value it greatly here at Roosevelt. You matter.