The worst nightmare for any athlete is when they are told that they can no longer play or practice due to an injury. As an athlete, I have suffered many injuries and reasons to not be able to continue to play sports, practice or work out. As someone who stays active, it’s hard to sit still. I along with many  others when injured feel lazy, worthless, and that they will fall behind. The drive of wanting to practice and play when injured messes with the mind. You believe that because you are injured it makes you a bad teammate, lazy person, and that you have no use. 

  The hardest thing to go through when injured is watching your teammates play without you. You think to yourself “What could I do to make an influence?” and it causes you to feel more worthless than you already felt. In the 2020 Olympics, Simone Biles walked out of the competition due to a bad case of the “twisties.” Many did not believe that this was an actual thing, and that Biles was simply shared and not prepared. After facing this mental block, Biles had to stop training and watch her teammate go on without her. Social media caused Biles to feel worse about herself, and she had to take a step back because her mental health was not there. Biles and many athletes had a hard time hearing the backlash of people calling them fakers, and quitters. 

  If any professional athlete was asked if they used any type of therapy they would say yes. Whether it is talking to their teammates and coaches, or going to a professional therapist, athletes find someone to express their mental thoughts to. Many would say sports are mostly mental. That is true. Athletes have to think so much during action that if they have one mental block, it can screw up their entire performance. 

  If any athlete is asked how their body is feeling they will respond with anything but “It hurts.” An athlete that is dedicated to their sport will forever push themselves until the breaking point. In my opinion both athletes and others need to pay more attention to the mental health of an athlete. The influence of the outside world, pressure from parents and teammates, and dealing with injuries cause players to lose hope in themselves, and put them into a depressive mindset. This mindset can cause athletes to lack in their performance physically and even mess with their heads more.