My name is Samantha McDonald. I am a junior on the University of Dubuque Women’s Basketball Team. I attended high school at Dubuque Senior and have spent the past three years at the University of Dubuque. I am majoring in Criminal Justice, Sociology, and a minor in Psychology. Being a student athlete can be overwhelming at some times, especially at the college level. That is one of the reasons why your mental health is so important to keep in check and take care of. It can be easy to ignore when you feel as if you have been pushing yourself to your limits, but sometimes you must take a step back and put yourself first. You are not able to give it your all when you can’t think clearly and give 100%. Luckily there are many ways to take care of your mental health. Some ways I like to get back to feeling like myself when I’m having a difficult time handling stress is to lean on my teammates, friends, coaches, or go to the gym. Even if it’s just stretching or rolling out, it can give me and my mind a break. There are times that basketball has been the most stressful thing I have going on, and others that it is one of the most amazing things. I have made so many lifetime friendships and learned so much from playing basketball. There are so many ups and downs in life and in sports, with being in basketball I feel that I have gotten better at handling adversity, hardships and responsibility. I am so grateful to have such a supportive community at UD that pushes me to become a better me and to put my mental health first.
