The day that saves my week

Ehh. Ehh. Ehh. Ehh. Ehh.

My alarm goes off at 5:20 a.m. and the internal bargaining begins. Five more minutes of sleep, one voice begs. There is too much to do – get up! The more assertive voice responds. The more I stall, the louder and stronger my alarm becomes.

EHH. EHH. EHH. EHH. EHH

I swing my feet onto the floor and launch into my day. I struggle to get my bearings, grab a quick smoothie and head to weight training.

As a student athlete, the physical and mental demands can often feel insurmountable. While most of my peers are still sleeping, I lift weights from 6 to 7am five days a week. While on the bench, my mind is already running through the precalculus formulas I’ll need for my test in the next 2 hours. I train before the sun comes up because I know if I leave it for later, I won’t have time for my schoolwork. My school day, a rigorous double curriculum in secular and religious studies, starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. My lunch break is less than one hour, during which I’m usually studying or getting a headstart on homework. As the day goes on, my energy gets increasingly depleted. By the end of the school day, my brain has gone mushy but my day is not over: homework lasts well into the evening hours, followed by basketball practice for another two hours. I get home around 9pm, to be greeted with the pile of homework and studying I have yet to complete. My mind aches for sleep as I start to drift off. But I shake myself awake. Still more work to do. Rinse. Repeat.

And that’s just a typical Tuesday.

High school athletes are living a crash course in efficiency and optimization, always trying to achieve the most they can in a day. While it’s true that this imparts some good habits, like dedication and the value of hard work, the question is at what cost? What are the risks of glorifying the constant grind?

According to a 2022 study by the National Collegiate Athletic Association on student wellbeing, 35 percent of student-athletes reported feeling mentally exhausted constantly or most days. Almost one in three female athletes and one in five male athletes reported feeling sad or hopeless for two weeks or more, the primary symptoms of depression. It is evident that the constant expectation to perform is taking a toll on student mental health. Each day, the student athletes are asked to complete their schoolwork while excelling in their sport of choice. The worry is constant: Will I be good enough on both ends of my life? Am I striking the appropriate balance? Do I need to sacrifice sleep to gain more time? Is it supposed to be this hard?

As I’ve tried to figure out this impossible balance, one thing became clear: dedicating time to rest and rejuvenateu is essential. For me, that comes in the form of a weekly Sabbath I observe on Saturdays. On my Sabbath, I put away my phone, laptop and all electronic devices. My basketball sneakers go in the closet and my jersey is put away. I spend the day going to synagogue, sitting down to meals with friends and families, and letting the stress of the preceding week slip away.

From Sunday to Friday I am in an infinite sprint, running around and trying to accomplish as much as I can. When I reach Friday, I am emotionally, mentally, and physically drained. Saturday is my recharge day. My day to gain some perspective and hold the stresses of the week – from that missed layup on the court to the pre-calc assignment I didn’t finish – at arms length. It is my day to recover and gain back motivation.

Although It may look impressive to stay in nonstop sprint mode and to keep working until you crash, everyone needs a day to step away and take a break. Student athletes are told to stay hard working and never give up. But, in order to do that, they need a break to recharge. If you don’t let yourself recharge then ultimately you are going to burnout and it’s going to be counterproductive to your progress.

Yes, it might seem like the righteous thing to keep moving and keep working hard but, in reality, everyone needs time to let themselves recover. For me, that’s my weekly Sabbath. For others, it could be a day or even a few hours to focus on spiritual practice, relationships or family. It may seem counterintuitive, but, somehow, it’s time off that makes the impossible balancing act of being a student athlete possible.