Mental Health, Athletics, and the Holistic Approach
What happens when your sense of identity and self-worth becomes tied to athletic performance?
In these episodes of Finding Your Balance, Tiffani Fritzsche and Kirk Fasshauer talk with licensed clinical social worker, competitive athlete, and founder of Willow’s Path Counseling, Jessica Dobbertin-Borruso, LCSW, about mental health, athletics, and the importance of a holistic approach.
Jessica shares her experiences as a competitive water skier and discusses the pressures athletes face, from performance expectations and team responsibilities to the challenge of separating who you are from how you perform. The conversation explores practical tools for managing stress, building a support system, and finding mental health balance.
Part 1
Part 2
In part 2, they explore what happens when the season ends, an athlete experiences an injury, or their identity becomes too closely tied to performance. Jessica shares practical ways athletes can find balance through the offseason, strengthen their support systems, recognize warning signs that they may need additional help, and navigate challenges with nutrition, recovery, self-image, and negative self-talk. The conversation offers an important reminder that athletes are people first—and that being kind to yourself, having fun, nurturing relationships, and knowing when to ask for support are all part of finding balance.
Transcript
(May contain errors)
Tiffani: Welcome to Finding Your Balance, a mental health podcast. My name is Tiffani Fritzsche. I'm a licensed mental health counselor. I'm joined with my friend, Kirk Fasshauer, licensed clinical social worker. If this is your first time joining us, we're so happy you're here. Welcome. If this is your second time or your third or fourth or fifth, welcome back. We're so happy you're here. Absolutely. And today we have a very special guest. Joining us in our studio is Jessica Dobbertin-Brusso. She's a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Willow's Path Counseling. Jessica, we are so happy to have you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So first of all, please tell us, Willow's Path, what is it named after?
Jessica: It's named after my cat, Willow.
Tiffani: That is my favorite thing.
Jessica: It's, you know, it's got a little unique twist to it. But yeah, so with Willow, I thought you could go with... You know, our pets are very special to us. They have a lot of meaning and connection, which you could also connect with counseling as well and pet therapy. And then also like willow trees symbolize growth and the changes and seasons in our lives and shedding of leaves and rebirth and growth and all that cool stuff. So that was kind of the inspiration behind the name.
Tiffani: So I've known you for a long time. And one of my favorite things about you and Kirk, I hope you will agree, or maybe you have a different favorite thing, is I love how you really approach mental health in a holistic way. So I've watched you through the years, just as you've grown you know in your career and in your practice with mental health, and you walk the walk And so I've seen you from afar and up close, and I've definitely seen you're consistently focused on how do you holistically create a balanced life. And so we'd love for you to just kind of jump in and talk to us about what are some of the practical ways that you practice mental health in a holistic fashion? And how is that something that we can do like day to day?
Jessica: That's a great question. Well, I think that... of that was inspired from being in the mental health field and seeing the impact on ourselves as what we carry during the day, trying to hold space for other people. And then with being an athlete, wanting to figure out the best ways or the best ways for myself and my body and my lifestyle to continue to sustain what I wanted to be able to do. What were the specific questions?
Tiffani: So many questions that I've already forgotten. Let's reset. That's called rapid fire questioning. What brought you to Florida? Why don't you jump into there? Because I think that leads into our next question. How did you get here?
Jessica: So I was recruited for the Florida Southern College water ski team. So I went to college there and competed on the team all four years. But I was recruited. I competed there. You know, looked into different master's programs. I always knew I wanted to be a therapist. So I kind of stuck around and have wanted to stay in the water ski community. And I've continued to become a competitor. So it was really fun to be realistic.
Kirk: Yeah, that was an exciting bit of you that I learned about when you joined us. And it was like, oh, that's cool. We've had conversations about that. What's it like? Is it hard competing? Things like this. But do you utilize that as a release? Is that for your mental health? Yeah. Or was it something else that drew you into skiing?
Jessica: Some of both. I mean, the passion, just like the adrenaline, the excitement of being involved in a sport and competing, all of that was definitely what drew me to it. But what's kept me in it was how much fun I had, the sense of community I got within the sport. It was a family sport. I grew up all, my whole family was competing. Okay. So we'd always travel to tournaments together. All family style, kind of fun, competitive vibes there. So coming into college, it was already easy to transition to that team environment of that's my new competitive family. Training together, practicing together, competing together, cheering each other on. So that kind of piece is…
Kirk: What was it about water skiing, though? I mean... When you think of… going into sports, people think, oh, baseball, softball, track, field, you know, those kinds of things. But water skiing is, wow, all right, yes. It's very different, right?
Jessica: It's different, yeah. So I was very fortunate to grow up on a public lake in upstate New York. And my dad and my mom, they both water skied. My dad used to manage a water ski team way before I was born that would do show skiing and things like that of that nature. And when we were growing up, we all got involved and connected to the right people to do competitive skiing and learn about. Nice. slalom skiing and kind of the fire just kind of kept going in our family. So that's kind of what continued the passion.
Tiffani: So the question that I've had while you've been talking about this is going from New York water skiing to Florida water skiing. There probably aren't alligators in New York. And so did you have to learn special skills water skiing in Florida?
Jessica: Yeah, you definitely keep your head on a swivel down here. You also learn at the times of the day where the fellow other lake occupants like to spend their time. They have like a morning and an evening routine. So they'll just pass by and you just let them go and then you wait and then you carry on. Sometimes you got to nudge them a little bit because we don't want to be their lunchtime snack. But usually they keep to themselves. It's kind of just all share the water time. Works out pretty good.
Tiffani: Wow. So you talked about becoming an athlete. Well, you've been an athlete for a while, but whenever you came down to college, I would imagine there's a lot of pressure on not wanting to disappoint your team. A hundred percent. Or not wanting to disappoint your school group and your family. That sounds like a lot.
Jessica: Yeah. So with having like a scholarship, you have that kind of pressure, right? Because if you don't perform, you could lose that funding, which could be detrimental to your education. Your ability to be at that school. So that was one piece. Another piece is, of course, your family's worked hard to help you get to this spot. And everyone's proud of you talking about, oh, Jessie's over at school, right? So that's another layer of competing and being an athlete. And then you have your team. You don't want to let them down. So you want to perform well enough to carry the score for the team. And then on campus, everyone identifies you as an athlete. So that becomes your identity. And a lot of college athletes struggle with that being like their purpose, like that is the main core of who they are. So then a lot of weight gets put into performance, your output, your scores, like how you're performing, that kind of thing.
Tiffani: So hearing you talk, I think a lot of times people equate their sense of value or their self-worth in how they perform or what they do. And I can imagine whenever it's going well, it goes really well. And when it's not going so well, it can hit really hard. Yes. Tell me, like, as an athlete, what are some ways that you have found to find that balance when maybe it's not going well? How do you not lose yourself in that?
Jessica: It's an ongoing journey, for the record. But a lot of it is learning your support system, who can help you navigate those moments. Because sometimes when you're in it so deep, you don't see that it's just a Tuesday. And you're on the water. You know what I mean? Like you don't see the bigger picture. Like, okay, I didn't get injured today. Okay, exercise today. Okay, it was a beautiful day. I was outside. I'm with my friends. Like all the positive things you don't think about in that moment. In that moment, you think about I failed. I let myself down. I didn't accomplish my goal. I've invested time, money, resources, whatever, to get to this spot. Like you think about all the negative things. So some of the things that I've found that have helped me is creating that support system of the people that know. how to kind of guide you when you're stuck in it and you can't pull yourself out. And then also we all have our own little coping skills that help us with that. So for me, it'd be music is one thing because sometimes some tournaments you have multiple rounds a day. So even if you did terribly the first round, you still have to figure out how to clear your head and give it another go later in the afternoon. So music is really good. I love yoga, breath work, just to kind of notice how your nervous system is responding to how you're feeling. That has been very... it kind of keeps you more connected to like okay this is bothering me more than I thought it did or how can I let this go how can I best prepare for my next next round that kind of thing.
Kirk: So how would you you gave some ideas as to what what you did but how would you help somebody who's maybe just starting out some of our listeners or with colleges just breaking out on their own there they might be involved in sports and I Yeah, I totally see that. It's a big value piece for folks and a lot of pressure. How do you help them start to build a support network?
Jessica: So leaning on your teammates, the ones that you feel you really connect well with. Because, I mean, when you're on some soccer teams, there are like 20, 30 kids, right? It's really hard to connect with everyone. But usually you're able to kind of navigate and find a buddy that kind of thinks similarly to you. Or maybe it's a coach. Maybe it's a mentor. Maybe it's an assistant coach. Maybe it's another person in the sport that isn't necessarily at your college. Maybe it's your buddy from your hometown soccer team or whatever. That is still a very, very good support network. Some of my closest supporters, besides my close family and husband and coach, are... People that are in different states that support me that are also professional water skiers. So we kind of connect with each other. Even though they don't do the same discipline that I do, they might be jumpers. But I won't hold that against you if you're watching. But we're able to kind of have that understanding and support. So that's one way is leaning on your teammates, kind of finding how you connect with them. Another way is just kind of learning your body, learning what things set you off. And trying to identify like those. I mean, for lack of a better word, trigger. What triggers you into that downward spiral of thought processes? Is it that fear of failure? Is it that who's watching me and I'm failing? Is it, you know, kind of navigating those thought processes?
Kirk: Yeah, so is that something you just sat down and wrote out, or is it something you talked with your connection, your social network?
Jessica: Yeah, some of it was that. Some of it was social network. Over the years, I have hired a sports psychologist as well, and I saw them regularly for a bit to kind of help better understand the process. But as a beginner in the sport or as a college athlete, or maybe that isn't an accessible resource, yeah, like journaling, reflecting. Why am I doing this? What's your why? Why are you here? Why do you like to do this sport? What brings you to the water or to the court every day? Just remembering. And grounding in those things, like I said earlier, like, I'm at the lake. It's sunny out. I get to ski. I'm with my friends. It's beautiful. I got to exercise. I got to move my body. That's still something to be grateful for. So kind of having your gratitude list, for lack of a better word, can kind of help with that, too. Did I answer that question?
Kirk: You did. You did. I think, well, because I think there's two sides to being involved in sports. It's one Physically involved, it helps with our mental health, keeps our head clear, things like that. But then there's also, like you said, the pressure of performance and finding ways to overcome some of those pressures, to have a little release valve because some pressure is good.
Jessica: Yes.
Kirk: Overwhelming pressure is not good. Correct. So that can debilitate you in your performance. You mentioned music. So how did music play a role in either moving you forward or slowing you down?
Jessica: So I have a certain playlist for my warm-up. Which has a variety of different genres. Depending on what mood I'm in, I'll select certain songs. And then in between rounds, if I need to kind of chill out, if I hear my mind is going a million miles a minute. Adding more pump-up music is not going to help that energy. It's going to make it worse than shifting into something a little bit more calming. But I like all different genres, just depending on my mood. So learning what kind of music makes you more motivated, gets you focused, gets you, you know. Allowing you to be in that headspace to move your body the way you need to, whether that is calming down, whether that's warming up, whether that's getting fired up.
Kirk: Right. So when I've done a stress management workshop, I talk about music being – and people look at me and go, how's music? Well, it can stress you or it can de-stress you depending on what you pick. And I said – because I do talk about it as a – utilizing anxiety and stress for performative issues. There's a certain level that you want to be anxious and stressed at that's like your peak performance. You don't want to go over that line. You don't want to go under that line. And I talk about a lot of athletes. They strive for this and often visualization being one of those things. We can talk about that in a minute. But music. And then I looked at my audience and I say, so what is your theme song? And they all look at me kind of funny. So I'm going to ask you, what is your theme song? Do you have one?
Jessica: It depends on the day.
Kirk: Does it?
Jessica: I mean, I have that like that core playlist. Like those are probably like I could pick one on that playlist depending on the day, how I was feeling. But it's definitely on that playlist. So it depends on the day, what headspace I'm in. If I need a little more energy, maybe a little more techno, maybe. This is totally aging myself, but Avicii's Levels is a really good millennial song. But it's a techno vibe for the most part, just not focusing on exact words. And then there's days where you need that motivational kind of message through music. So I love a lot of reggae for that purpose. Roots music, a lot more grounding, connecting to believing in yourself and believing in community and that kind of thing.
Kirk: Nice, nice. I've got two that really get me going. Okay. One is My Sunrise. It's by Audrey Napoleon. And then Unstoppable.
Jessica: Oh, that's a good one. Sia. Oh, I have several of her songs on my pump-up playlist, to be honest.
Tiffani: That's the one that's like, yeah. So listen, I don't know my theme song right now because… I can't say my brain is blank, but I vividly remember during college, for better or for worse, the listeners, please do not age me with this response. But I was an RA at my college, actually at this college, and I would open up the doors and I would start singing the song Good Morning Baltimore from the Hairspray musical. Right. I can see that. And let's be clear, no one asked for this. I'm sure someone did. And let's be clear. No one was grateful or thankful for this. And I got many requests to stop. But you just filter out the noise, right? And so Good Morning, Baltimore. I would sing it every morning to my residents.
Jessica: I'm picturing. the clip of the movie right now.
Tiffani: Yeah that was me.
Jessica: Did you skip along the halls too?
Tiffani: that would be maybe some spinning. I think that we both know my vibe. Just listening to you kind of talk through this one thing that makes me really curious is what what would you say has been like the biggest um i guess noticeable like factor like how your mental health influences how you play the game or how you play the sport, which like water skiing, I guess, is it like a game? It's a sport. But how do you see your mental health influencing how you do? How do you guard that? You know what I mean?
Jessica: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Very good question. So with skiing, you can kind of compare it to a lot of other sports as well. But with skiing, it's kind of like. You're working really hard for like 17 seconds and then you're resting. And then you're working really hard for 17 seconds and then you're resting. So in that 17 seconds, your brain is working in overdrive. If you are distracted thinking about what you're having for lunch, what you have to do later that day, that 17 seconds is going to be very, very difficult. So some of my warm-up prep and meditation and music and things I try to do off the water to prepare for that transition onto the water is to help calm down the mind, to limit that extra noise and chatter in the mind.
Tiffani: Kind of limit what comes in so you can know what to focus on?
Jessica: Correct.
Tiffani: I would imagine that takes a lot of discipline.
Jessica: It's a learning process. It's an ongoing experience, right? There are better days than others. That's just how it goes. That's the reality.
Tiffani: Yeah, absolutely. So talk to me about sleep and nutrition.
Jessica: Oh, my gosh. Those have been two really, really big factors in helping with focus and your attention span and your physical output in the sport as well. I noticed as I tracked my sleep and kind of kept an eye on it, when I felt the best was eight, eight and a half hours of sleep is what my body needed. And I've learned the better ways to wind down and prepare for sleep to get more restful sleep. Sometimes I'd be like, oh, I was in bed for 20 hours or whatever, and then I'd still wake up exhausted. Well, what was I doing? Did I have sugar right before bed? Did I watch TV in bed? You know, all the different things to kind of keep your mind going and the sugar affects your sleep as well. So different things like that to kind of help.
Kirk: So people have heard the term holistic approach. Yeah. What does that mean to you? What does that look like?
Jessica: To me, it means that you're looking at the whole body and the whole experience of how things interact and affect each other. So, for example, like nutrition, that's your input and your performance would be your output. But you need to fuel your body with the right things to help get what you want out of it. And sleep is recovery. If you don't have the right recovery, you're not going to be able to continue to grow and build muscle and to give your mind a break to then enhance the focus and all of that stuff. So to me, that all goes, all plays a huge part in each other.
Kirk: Okay. Because a lot of what you're saying, I look back and think, okay, that's... Also how you can study well, get through life pretty well. Work. Work. Relationships. Relationships. I mean, it covers a lot. Yes. It covers a lot if you do those things. Cool.
Jessica: Yeah. Some nutrition, focusing on what kind of foods your body agrees with, what kind of foods your body doesn't agree with, what makes you more sleepy. Don't eat those before you're about to perform. That's not going to be productive.
Kirk: Right, right. So just kind of learning those things. No, there's not one. Well, I guess you could go to the Internet and have people tell you this stuff, but really it's individualistic. I mean, what's going to work for you isn't necessarily going to work for me or for Tiffani. Correct. So would you say it's much more of an exploratory process?
Jessica: Yes. Trial and error.
Kirk: Trial and error.
Jessica: You know, it's common. You'll probably see athletes that'll be like, oh, I'm not going to drink coffee before I perform or before I, you know, exercise or whatever, because I'll be too jittery and I won't be able to think. And then some people are like, well, I need to wake my mind up. So it really just depends on the person. A lot of it's trial and error. There are some like foundational pieces. You don't want anything with, you know, excessive sugar or extremely processed foods because that's going to cause extra inflammation in the body. So it's going to be much harder for your body to recover. And it's also going to affect how your brain functions with focus as well. Okay.
Tiffani: I'm so interested in you talking about just the pressures that you don't even think about as an athlete. I clearly was not a college athlete because I don't like to exercise. And also, I exercise sometimes, but it was never like a passion of mine. It was never like on my radar, the stressors that athletes face because I wasn't a student-athlete. You know what I mean? And so one thing that I have noticed on my children are pretty athletic and I'll go to these games and I'm talking about. middle school games and there's so much pressure. The parents are yelling in the stands or um one thing that i'd like to do and I think Kirk I think maybe you'd like to do this as well when i'm in public places i like to just like watch people and see how they react which i'm sure somebody's watching me but um i noticed very um just very keenly at one of the games i was at recently One of the teams did not do well, and these are middle school kids. They did not do well, and the coach was so just hard at them, yelling. And you got the kids just, they look so defeated. And you look at the parents, and the parents are frustrated and disappointed. And I'm thinking, It's just a game. Now, I know I'm not the one playing, and I know there's a lot of other factors involved, but I feel like for so many of us, we forget that the kids or the college athletes, they're people, and they have feelings, and they have emotions. And sometimes I think that the spectators want to be entertained, and they don't remember that there are real people out there playing. And so I love hearing your perspective as a student athlete. All the pressures that you're carrying, and even the weight of disappointing other people. That's a lot. And so for people who are maybe not the athlete, that maybe they're the friend or maybe they're the parent or the classmate, what can we do to support that athlete and help hold their feelings when there's a lot of pressure going on?
Jessica: I think one of the biggest things that's helped me from my support system is validating. I can see you're really upset about how you skied today or how you performed today or today wasn't a good day. You know, just validating that experience. Because sometimes when we try to be super uplifting and motivating and inspiring, we're not in that thought process yet. Hopefully we shift quickly. But in that moment, it's just like you're trying to argue that the sky is purple. Like it's just not. Your brain is not computing that because you're in that headspace of being so upset or so focused on that failure piece. So the biggest thing is validating being with them. I know that sucks. I know. I know you worked really hard. I know. Well, what can you do better? What can you learn from this? Are some of the thought process shifts that people have asked me and that I've learned things that I need to kind of ask myself in that experience as well. It's like, how can I, what's one takeaway? that I can do from learn from this experience? What's one thing I can do better next time? And just treating it as like it's another opportunity to grow and to get better instead of I didn't meet my goal. It's a way to kind of reframe it.
Tiffani: Well, and you've said multiple times throughout this episode that it's a process or, you know, we're still working on this. I really love to hear just that sense of grace and understanding that we're imperfect people. And for the most part, we're doing the best we can do. And we're not going to get it right every time. And sometimes we do and we celebrate and rejoice. And some days we don't. It's okay to feel sad. It's okay to sit in it for a minute. And like you said, acknowledge how I feel. Yeah. And then you take a breath and you get to work.
Jessica: Yeah, exactly.
Kirk: So that's really helpful information. Thanks. Yeah. Yeah, I really appreciate you being here. Thank you for joining us today on our podcast.
Jessica:Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
Kirk: Wonderful. Thanks.
Transcript of Part 2
(May contain errors.)
Tiffani: Welcome to Finding Your Balance, a mental health podcast. My name is Tiffani Fritzsche. I'm a licensed mental health counselor. I'm joined here with Kirk Fasshauer, licensed clinical social worker. Hello. If this is your first time, welcome, welcome. If this is your second time or again, welcome back. We are joined again with our dear friend, Jessica Dobbertin-Brusso, licensed clinical social worker and founder of Willow's Path Counseling. Jessica, welcome back. Hello. Thank you. So we've talked before in our earlier episode with you about really the challenges of being a student athlete. And one thing that we didn't hit on at the last episode was what do you do in the offseason when you don't have the big stressors of competition and games? But also we've talked before about, you know, everyone has good days. Everybody has bad days. And we're all trying to figure out mental health. And there's a difference in mental health and mental illness. So as an athlete specifically. What are the things that you look for to kind of indicate, all right, this is maybe past what I can handle on my own, and maybe should I reach out for some support?
Jessica: Absolutely. Where do you want me to go first?
Tiffani: You decide.
Jessica: Okay. We'll go with off-season training. There you go. Yeah. So on the time of the year when you're not on the court, not competing, not on the... water, whatever sport you're doing, it's good to give yourself a mind mental break as well as a physical break. That doesn't mean you're on the couch binge watching Netflix. It means you're doing something totally different. Maybe all of a sudden you're kayaking or you're running or doing yoga. You know, being active and moving in some other kind of way to give your body and brain a break from what we call like the grind gives you a shake up. It's kind of refreshing because when you're training very seriously, you're training multiple times a day. Like college athletes will have like, you know, personal training workout sessions. They'll have a regular workout. They'll have maybe smaller workouts if they have like an offensive or defensive coach. They'll have certain practices for that, too. So it feels like you're always doing something for that sport. So the offseason is great time to focus on your friends focus on your support system and stay active in different ways.
Tiffani: So that's so helpful that you mentioned staying active because um i'm not an athlete so my thought would be we'll just stop all together but that's not the best thing right
Jessica: no you go crazy because you're so used to doing all the things all of a sudden you're like What do I do now? I have no purpose. What do I do?
Kirk: I was just thinking that all of a sudden it stops and I've got no meaning right now. There's no value. So it would make sense that you would have to, okay, find something to somewhat replace it. Because even though there's pressure and there's stress there, there must be some good stress coming out of that. It's good for our mental health to have that. But then it's gone.
Jessica: Yeah. So you get all the adrenaline and all the healthy hormones you get from being active that help with regulating our nervous system and moving our body. So it's good to find other ways that you can get that from. And of course, you know, in offseason, people are still doing their sport in different ways. Maybe they're just shooting hoops. They're not actually playing in games or maybe they're playing backyard games or, you know, skiing. You're just out there having fun. But your goals are different for your time when you're doing your sport. So that shift helps mentally.
Kirk: And I like the fact that you brought up. start to nurture your social support network because some of us like to be adrenaline junkies and we like it in that high area and like that high stress. And that's what the sport does for a lot of folks is, you know, and there's other jobs and professions that keep people in that high-stress area. And when they start to get down into that more normal kind of level, it's like, this is boring. Yeah. Well, you mentioned something. So they do things, sorry. They do things too. get back to that high level not always healthy things though.
Tiffani: you mentioned something earlier about when we were kind of talking about just stopping on together um what's my purpose and it makes me wonder um what about for the athletes that um have an injury and maybe a lot of their identity is tied into how they perform or what they do what position you know they play right and now that's all gone maybe for the whole season. So, how does an athlete handle redefining what is my purpose, what is my identity, when that big part of it is gone?
Jessica: I think that the cool thing about being a student athlete is you have multiple parts to yourself, whether or not you pay attention to it. You are still a student. So maybe that season you focus on strengthening other parts of your game or other parts of your body. Maybe you're focusing more on your mental health, you know, giving breaks, trying to understand where the healthy level of having an identity in sport is. You're building connections. Connections, putting energy into your community helps you as well because when you need them, they'll be there. If you don't feed into that and don't connect with those people, you're never going to have that support system or at least not a strong one.
Tiffani: Is that something that you think is challenging a lot of times for students?
Jessica: I think so because you're around the same people a lot typically when you're on a team. So your support system is pretty small. But if you expand to like your roommates or your hallmates or your suite mates or, you know, whoever you see at the gym, like you can have other people that kind of also challenge your thinking too. It's not just the same people. So that really is helpful. That's good. And then when you have that good strength support system with your community, you can then they'll probably be the ones that will nudge you and say, hey, I think you might need additional support. And that's when you can kind of start to notice, too, when you need to seek, whether it's a counselor, a therapist, whether it's a nutrition counselor, nutritionist, registered dietitian. If you need to see a physical therapist, all different kinds of specialists to help you with becoming healthier.
Kirk: Now, I've got a question about nutrition. So when you're in season and you're getting ready for a competition, is your diet different than when it's off season?
Jessica: I try really, really hard to keep it very similar. I am human. I'm going to want to eat the things that cause more inflammation when I'm not in a tournament season, right? Consuming alcohol is another thing. High sugar, alcohol, caffeine, having too much, all those things can affect your focus, can affect your recovery process. So you'll see a lot of athletes really limit that in season and then in off season that might indulge a little bit more.
Kirk: Okay. Because, you know, I knew somebody who was into bodybuilding and they said, well, just before competition. their diet changed dramatically. It's more high in protein, chicken, and they stayed away from certain things. And I'm thinking, that cannot be good for the body. But it helped. And that was that particular competition.
Jessica: If it's that shocking to the body, is that, I don't know, I'm not a bodybuilder, so I can't really speak on that. I'm also not a nutritionist, so I can't speak on that. But I can speak on what my body feels good, and that's when I have a relatively consistent, healthy diet. Yeah. OK, good. And then, of course, I don't drink before tournaments, typically, just and don't have extra sugar before tournaments, typically, because you want your body to not have that inflammation because you will feel it. You will feel achy. You'll feel heavier. You won't be able to move as quickly or think as clearly. So there are certain things that I definitely don't eat before tournaments or really try not to. Within reason, of course.
Tiffani: So what are some things that might cause inflammation? I'm thinking about all the things that I've eaten for breakfast or lunch or dinner. So what are the things that you typically find for athletes that you really do want to stay away because of the inflammation?
Jessica: Alcohol, sugar, processed foods, sometimes gluten. sometimes certain dairy, but it's really just learning your body. Like some people, they're not affected by dairy at all. They actually love having that as a protein source. Some people, gluten makes them feel fuller. They have more energy. Other people, it makes them feel foggy. They can't think. They have digestion issues. So a lot of it is just your own interpretation and how that food is sourced. It's really good to try to have whole foods. The less number of ingredients, the better, because then you're getting the true actual vitamins and minerals. From my understanding, the food loses their nutritional value when they're in that process period, like through heat and pressure and all this stuff. You're losing the vitamins and minerals that your body needs.
Tiffani: So a lot of mindfulness, it sounds like a lot of just being aware of your body and what you need. You mentioned something earlier about maybe if you have that community, other people can check in and say, hey, I think maybe we might try to get you some extra support or reaching out. I know for a lot of us, you know, in the profession, we talk about things called warning signs. Sometimes we're very aware of our own warning signs and sometimes we're not because when you're in it, especially that fight, flight or freeze, it's hard sometimes to see. What's going on? You kind of get lost in it. What are some warning signs that you have seen kind of consistently for athletes, student-athletes who might benefit from additional support?
Jessica: Athletes that are extremely hyper-focused on their diet. They might be very, very, very strict, and they're not eating enough spectrum of things, and maybe they're losing weight. And maybe they're so calorie deficient that they're actually not fueling their body enough to recover the way they need to or to perform the way they need to. So significant weight loss can also, I mean, overexercising is a form of an eating disorder, right? So being mindful of where that is on the spectrum. And if you're noticing I'm more fatigued, I'm not getting the output that I need in my sport like I need to, I'm not sleeping great, I'm noticing my body changing. Those are definitely warning signs for seeking that kind of help.
Tiffani: One thing that I remember, I used to work in a tutoring center in a higher education campus, and I remember professors talking about they would be worried about their students when they weren't coming to classes. Or if they were turning in assignments late. Or if they just kind of seemed checked out. Or whenever they felt like the game was the most important thing. And so they weren't worried about their academics. They weren't worried about anything other than just the game. And so you talked a lot about balance and holistic care. Whenever someone's so focused on their diet or so focused on one thing, they start to forget to manage the other details of their life. Correct. Have you seen relationships struggle and suffer there?
Jessica: Yes. Yeah. I mean, in the athlete world, it's hard to pour into all aspects of yourself all the time. So that's why we say in certain seasons, you probably put more energy in certain areas than others. Paying attention to what I've learned is called all the pieces of the pie is one that my sports psychologist taught me. So there's different pieces of the pie, nutrition, sleep, recovery, coaching, support, community, all that good stuff, the gym, all that. So noticing which pieces you're lacking in and need to put more attention to to have the results that you want.
Kirk: Sweet. That's so good. So what would you say to our listeners who might be, they're freshmen in college and they're, They maybe did some high school sports, but not super heavy, but they're thinking of getting into sports in college. What would be some things you would recommend for them?
Jessica: Try to have fun with the process. Focus on connecting relationships with your teammates. Learn what you can. If you aren't feeling like you're getting the support you need, don't be afraid to ask your coach for other resources, whether that's with a therapist, a sports psychologist, a nutritionist, additional time and support on certain skills. And also, I forgot my other train of thought, but yeah, focusing on the fun and the whole aspect and experience of being a student athlete. You are a student athlete so you are also a human like you said Tiffani so enjoying the process having fun and yes there are times when it's good to be serious and to push yourself and see what your body is capable of and then there's also times to you know relax and enjoy it.
Tiffani: Well and as the student athlete um i know there's a lot of negative self-talk in your head sometimes whenever maybe you don't perform as well as you should or as well as you think that you should um what would what would you say to students who are struggling with their self-image or their sense of purpose after experiencing a disappointment?
Jessica: I would say it's time to really lean into your support system. What are other things? Maybe asking them, what are some things that you thought I did well today in my game? Because I'm not finding any. And then I can kind of start that seed and nurturing that seed of having that positive self-talk because as an athlete, you need to be confident in yourself. You need to be confident in your abilities and to have that strength and that self-esteem. So nurturing that and paying attention to what things fuel you and what things are making that relationship with yourself more negative.
Kirk: Cool. Cool.
Jessica: I think that was all.
Kirk: Good. That was everything. Thank you for being here again.
Jessica: Absolutely. Thank you for having me. This is awesome.
Kirk: Some more stuff about, you know, student-athletes. And it can be very rewarding to be a student-athlete. You mentioned the pressure of, you know, if you're there on a scholarship, you have to perform at a certain level and things like that. So the big message you've. I'm at least taken away from what you're telling us is, you know, be kind to yourself. Have some fun with the sports. Don't always take it too seriously. But, you know, find that balance in yourself as you go through this process of when to be really serious and when to lighten up a little bit. But more importantly, work on your social supports on in-season and off-season. You have more time in your off-season than you do in-season to do that, but there are important pieces. So thank you for sharing all of that.
Tiffani: Jessica, if listeners want to learn more about your practice, Willows Path Counseling, how do they find out more?
Jessica: Well, they can go on my Instagram page or my Facebook page, or there is also a website, willowspathcounseling.com.
Kirk: Thank you so much for being with us.
