The Mental Game: Stress Skills Every Student Athlete Needs

By The Redeemer Sports

A student athlete lives two seasons at once. There is the season on the schedule, with practices and games, and the one in the classroom, with quizzes, deadlines, and exams. Both produce pressure, and both reward the same thing: a trained mind.

The National Institute of Mental Health defines stress as the physical or mental response to an external cause, such as having a lot of homework or an illness. A stressor can be a one-time event or something that repeats over a long time. For student athletes, the stressors stack up from both directions, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics says young athletes need specific mental skills, not just physical ones.

The encouraging news is that these skills can be practiced like free throws or footwork. Here is what the research-backed guidance says to train.

Key takeaways

• Name it correctly: Stress is the body’s response to an external cause. Anxiety is the body’s reaction to stress, and it can occur even when there is no current threat.
• Train three mental skills: The AAP names emotional regulation, positive self-esteem, and self-motivation as the mental skills young athletes need.
• Use the coping toolkit: NIMH lists journaling, relaxation exercises, mindfulness, regular meals and exercise, a steady sleep routine, limited caffeine, challenging negative thoughts, and reaching out to people who help.
• Know the warning signs: Stress that interferes with everyday life or causes avoidance is a signal to get more help, not to push harder.

First, name it correctly: stress or anxiety?

NIMH draws a clean line between the two. Stress is the physical or mental response to an external cause: the exam tomorrow, the starting spot on the line, the injury that will not heal. Anxiety is your body’s reaction to stress, and it can occur even if there is no current threat.

That distinction matters because it tells you what you are working with. Stress usually has an address; you can point to the cause. Anxiety can hang around after the cause is gone, or show up with no cause at all. NIMH notes that anxiety that does not go away and begins to interfere with your life can affect your health, including sleep and the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems, and can raise the risk of developing a mental illness such as an anxiety disorder or depression.

Three mental skills worth training

The American Academy of Pediatrics, through its Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, names three mental skills children need for sports. They apply just as well to the classroom.

Emotional regulation

Competition brings difficult emotions: frustration, anger, anxiety, and sadness, before, during, or after a game or an exam. The skill is learning to recognize those emotions and manage them without causing harm to yourself or others. The player who can name what they are feeling is already halfway to handling it.

Positive self-esteem

Sports can build a strong sense of identity, but the AAP is clear that a child’s identity should not rest solely on being an athlete. A bad game does not make a bad person, and a bad grade does not either. This matters most when sports are taken away by injury or circumstance. Students whose self-worth includes, but is not limited to, their performance bounce back faster from both.

Self-motivation

Wins and losses are both guaranteed. The AAP says young people need to set goals for themselves and stay motivated toward them even when outcomes disappoint. Youth sports should not focus solely on winning, and effort, helping teammates, and progress toward goals all deserve recognition, from coaches, parents, and the player themselves.

The coping toolkit

NIMH publishes a practical list of ways to cope with stress, and most of it fits in a backpack:

• Keep a journal. Writing down what is weighing on you makes it specific enough to address.
• Try relaxation exercises. Apps and simple routines for deep breathing or visualization count, as does practicing mindfulness: actively paying attention to the present moment.
• Exercise and eat regular, healthy meals. Student athletes have the exercise part covered; the regular meals part takes more planning than most expect.
• Protect the sleep routine. A steady sleep schedule is stress management, not a luxury. We covered the performance case for sleep in The Student Athlete’s Edge.
• Go easy on caffeine. NIMH advises avoiding excess caffeine from soft drinks or coffee.
• Challenge negative thoughts. Identify unhelpful thoughts and test them against the evidence.
• Reach out. Friends and family who help you cope in a positive way are part of the toolkit, not a last resort.

When pressure becomes something more

The AAP notes that some parts of competitive athletics, including perfectionism, external pressures to perform, and severe injuries, may increase the risk of mental illness in young athletes. So watch for the shift from ordinary pressure to persistent symptoms.

Signs of anxiety can include significant worries about things before they happen and constant worries about family, school, friends, or activities. Signs of depression can include feeling or appearing sad, tearful, or irritable, and losing interest in friends, academics, or activities. NIMH adds the functional test: stress that interferes with everyday life or causes you to avoid doing things is a reason to get more help.

Getting help is a strength play, and it works: NIMH notes psychotherapy and medication are the two main treatments for anxiety, and many people benefit from a combination. For parents reading this, the AAP says the single most important thing you can do is create a safe environment for ongoing conversations about mental health. We wrote more for parents in The Sports Parent’s Playbook. If you or someone you know is in immediate distress or thinking about self-harm, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org.

The bottom line

Pressure is part of the deal for student athletes, but suffering through it unprepared is not. Name what you are feeling, train the mental skills, use the coping toolkit daily, and treat persistent symptoms the way you would treat a lingering injury: as something that deserves attention from a professional. The complete player we described in The Complete Player takes care of the person, not just the stat line.

A clinician’s note: Everyone experiences stress, and most game-day and exam-week nerves resolve on their own. What deserves professional attention is the pattern that persists: symptoms that will not go away, interfere with daily life, or lead to avoidance. If you see that pattern in yourself or your child, a pediatrician, school counselor, or mental health professional is the right next step, and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available around the clock for immediate distress.

Frequently asked questions

Is some stress actually normal for a student athlete?

Yes. NIMH is direct that everyone experiences stress, and stress is simply the physical or mental response to an external cause, like homework or competition. It becomes a concern when anxiety does not go away and starts to interfere with your life, at which point it can affect sleep, immunity, and other body systems.

How do I know if it is nerves or an anxiety problem?

Use the functional tests from the sources above. Anxiety that persists without a current threat, symptoms that interfere with everyday life, or stress that causes you to avoid doing things are the patterns NIMH flags as reasons to seek more help. Pre-game jitters that fade after kickoff are ordinary; constant worry about family, school, friends, and activities is worth a conversation with a professional.

Does caffeine really make a difference?

NIMH includes avoiding excess caffeine, such as soft drinks or coffee, in its stress-coping guidance. Energy drinks are a separate concern for young athletes: the AAP does not recommend them for children at all, as we covered in our sports nutrition guide for parents.

What should I do if a teammate seems to be struggling?

Start with connection: reaching out to people who help us cope in a positive way is on NIMH’s own coping list, and it works in both directions. If a teammate shows signs like losing interest in activities or appearing persistently sad or irritable, encourage them to talk to a trusted adult or professional, and tell a coach, parent, or counselor yourself if you are worried about their safety. In immediate distress, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline takes calls and texts at 988.

Sources

• National Institute of Mental Health, I’m So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet (definitions of stress and anxiety; health effects of persistent anxiety; coping strategies list; when to seek more help; treatments for anxiety; 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline): https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/so-stressed-out-fact-sheet
• American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, 3 Mental Skills Children Need for Sports (emotional regulation; positive self-esteem beyond athletic identity; self-motivation and goal setting; checking in with your child): https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sports/Pages/Mental-Skills-Needed-for-Sports.aspx
• American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org, Mental Health in Teen Athletes (perfectionism, external pressure, and injury as risk factors; anxiety and depression symptom lists; safe environment for conversation): https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/sports/Pages/mental-health-in-teen-athletes.aspx

Source pages retrieved November 6, 2026.

This article is for education only and is not medical or mental health advice. It summarizes guidance from the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics for a general audience. If you or your child is struggling, talk with a qualified clinician or counselor. For immediate distress or thoughts of self-harm, call or text 988 any time.