Who are you playing for?

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Personally, I think a big part of an athletes mental health is based off, who they are on the field for. When we are little we start a sport because we think it's fun. As we grow up we keep playing because our parents want us to, as well as we want to for ourselves. By the time we get to high school the love for the game begins to dwindle and we feel almost forced to keep playing. 
As I grew up I learned that you can't let a coach ruin the game for you. An athlete's love for the game has to be dictated by themselves and cannot let uncontrollable factors ruin it. When I came to college I began to play for coach. I tried to change my game and do everything the exact way she wanted, lost confidence, and felt forced to be doing what I used to love. What I loved to do became what I had to do. 
After freshman year I decided I wasn't going to let a coach dictate how my college lacrosse career went. I began to workout for myself, to make myself feel good, not because we had mandatory lifts. I began to practice on my own because I wanted to do more of what I loved, not because I felt forced to practice more than 3 hours a day. I began to go to practice as an escape from school and everything else going on, not because it was my "job". 
The point I am trying to make here is so: never play the game you love for anyone except yourself. Your athletic career will be so much more worth the hard work you have put in your whole life if you're playing because you want to, not because you have to. Keep yourself happy before keeping any one else happy.

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I am a sophomore at Stevenson University. I am a Digital Marketing major and play on the women's lacrosse team. I am from New Jersey and come from a family of 5. My parents, my older sister, younger brother, and myself. I wrote this blog with a classmate to help give tips to collegiate athletes like myself to help mental health.

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