Dear Student Athlete,

Hi darling, I'm so happy you chimed in 𑣲⋆

 Ah the inevitable 'back-to-school' sense of doom is hitting. I can see why with 6 sports weighing on your shoulders (and schedule)!! 

Let me start by saying how impressed I am that you are able to do 6 sports! Doing 3+ is already so cool but 6?? Wow. 

Anyway moving on...how do we navigate this?

Firstly, do you enjoy all 6 sports? Is this for you. 

I too used to do 2 sports on top of instruments and other extracurriculars. I will say I was very fortunate to be able to indulge in my interests and have those opportunities, that being said, I found myself growing overworked and tired. Juggling so many extracurriculars on top of just everyday life quickly burnt me out. I noticed I started to prefer other activities more than the other, yet I still stayed in all of them because it was routine, habit, who I was.

Take into account what causes the stress in each sport. Is it practice, a teammate, coach, etc? Try to narrow down a cause and communicate it. You don't have to carry this "burden" alone! Talk to your family, teammates, coaches, teachers, and friends. Get different perspectives. Definitely make sure your coaches know about your 6 sports (still amazes me wow). 

Make a note and rank them on importance (i.e., varsity, recreational, etc). If you had to let go of something, which one(s) would it be? 

If your overall stress is due to balancing 6 sports in your schedule.....I hate to say it....but consider taking a break from the last 3 on your importance list, or at least the last one ranked. 

Think of it as a gap year. No cut-through commitment or final goodbyes, but a temporary leave. See how you feel after a few weeks. Do you really miss how you felt playing that sport? Do you feel a sense of relief and freedom? It may feel like such a huge leap of faith, but what you don't want is to continue to push yourself and end up resenting the sports that used to bring you joy! Remember, these activities are meant to satisfy you, not the other way around.

If you are sure that leaving any of them is impossible, and I mean truly come to the conclusion after thorough review and thought, then we move onto the 2nd step. 

Try to dedicate one day or a few hours where you do nothing too physical but keeps you busy. Having a polished schedule is very important in keeping you organized and on track with your time, but it also allows you to allocate specific time to rest and relax. Let your mind and body relax as you aimlessly repeat a task. I recommend coloring (simple but effective) or crafting. Let go of your worries and let your hands just move. I highly recommend working with clay! It is very calming and a therapeutic sensory experience. You can have fun with it. Make trinkets, figurines, or just play around. 

3rd: SLEEP. It is soo important you rejuvenate yourself and energy with good rest. You'll need it for your body to recover, energy, and brainpower! It may be tempting to doom scroll, but avoid looking at screens an hour before bed. I recommend reading or listening to calming music.

Lastly, I'm sure you've heard the "you are a student 1st, athlete 2nd". Very true, but harder said then done. Even though sports are meant to be a fun activity, I know how demanding it can be. When you (+ others) are invested, it's more than a hobby. It's how you think, feel, show up for yourself (and others), all of it. So I get it. On top of that, you have to apply yourself in school. 

Clearly I am getting flashbacks hahaha. 

Sometimes sports stress bleed into school stress, building an overall feeling of anxiety. Make sure you separate your worlds. If you didn't perform as well in a sport, or didn't score as well on a test, it's okay. Managing that many commitments is hard to always give 100% all at once. 

You're human. The fact that you've been doing this shows how capable and ambitious you are already. 

I hope this was helpful! 

If you have any more concerns or questions you know where to find me ;).

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

with love,

fleurjacque at your service ｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡

p.s. i recommend watching 'ice princess' on disney. a very fun & sporty movie to lighten the mood!