My name is Tanner Walos, a freshman, men’s ice hockey player at the University of Dubuque. I attend UD from Hartland, WI and am triple majoring in Economics, Business, and Accounting. Prior to UD, I have been blessed to have played five years of junior hockey both in the United States Hockey League and also in the British Columbia Hockey League. Playing at these high levels comes with a high level of expectations and pressure. I personally have dealt with sports anxiety, especially through the 62 game seasons we would play at the junior hockey level. I struggled with staying focused before games with brain fog, my heart racing, and performance anxiety. Once I had my first panic attack, I realized that I had been pushing down these feelings for too long and it was time to get help. I am fortunate to have my Mom, as she has her PhD in psychology, specializing in OCD and anxiety. Over Christmas break, I began working with my mom for an hour a day and chipping away at what I had been holding deep down. Little did I know there was more than I realized. I had been putting more pressure onto myself than I needed, and ultimately, it was holding my performance and consistency back. Looking back, I can’t imagine where I would be without the help from my Mom. The faith side of me believes that God put me through that hard time in order to get the most out of myself in the sport he blessed me with. I believe that mental health is one of the most forgotten and underappreciated things in our world today, but I am pleased to see how supported and talked about it has become. I encourage everyone to take the necessary steps to take care of their mental health, and to ask yourself, “Am I really OK?”.
