My name is Riley Trudeau, and I am currently a Sophomore at UD on the Women’s Soccer and Hockey Teams. I am double majoring in Physical Education and health (K-12), minoring in Coaching, and am a personal trainer as well. I am from Cumberland, Rhode Island, and graduated from Cumberland High School in 2022. Mental health is just as important as physical health as they correlate to each other. Because mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, it affects how we think, feel, and act on an everyday basis. Additionally, it influences how we respond to stress, interact with others, and make healthy decisions. When it comes to athletic performance and being at a healthy weight, reaching your target can bring a confidence boost but it is immensely important to acknowledge the psychological pitfalls that can come along the way. People do not realize the impact on our mental health every single day, especially with student athletes. This includes team lifts, attending all classes, finding time to see the athletic trainers, homework, practice, and finding time to relax. I suffer from a GI disease that affects me every day, so my focus on physical health has enabled me to persevere through difficult challenges. Creating a specific mentality that will motivate you on an everyday basis will guide you through tough times. For me, a mentality that nothing will work unless you do, and success only comes after you stop making excuses. I have created lifting and time in the gym into my everyday routine, which allows me to “escape stress” and purely focus on something that brings me happiness in my life. Lifting along with staying busy allows me to improve not only physically but mentally in all aspects of my life. Allow yourself to explore to find what you are motivated to do, but also have the heart and desire for. Find your escape, something that will make you grow as an individual. My goal is to help raise mental and emotional health awareness because it can help one understand symptoms, to find professional treatment if needed, and of course, break the mental health stigma that leaves so many people and athletes suffering in secret. I want athletes to understand that there are so many outlets and ways of helping people such as talking to a friend, coach, mentor, or health center. It might be difficult to discuss and cope with mental health issues. However, because athletes are natural leaders and brave self-starters, we can be the key to the problems and stigma surrounding mental health. We can generate meaningful change in the way we think and communicate about mental health if we collaborate to bring it up in daily conversation. Gigi Buffon, a famous professional Italian soccer goalkeeper, in sharing his experience with depression, explains that “many times people are afraid of putting themselves out and by talking to someone, showing your weakness, but knowing that from the weakness, you can become so much stronger… What I recommend is to not be afraid to show who you really are. This is the only real cure that first makes you accept yourself.” You are not a failure if you need help… It’s okay to be struggling but it is how you respond to it and move forward to become successful. Create a support system around you to be there if needed. At UD my support system includes my coaches, friends, teammates, and athletic trainers. I couldn’t be more thankful for them.