TRACE YOUNG

"I never truly understood the importance of my MENtal health until I was a freshman in college. I grew up with a very loving and supportive family that I am very close with. Despite this, I still remember having moments of anxiousness that I was unsure of how to deal with. I turned towards basketball, music, and my photography/videography to try and get me out of the feelings, and it worked for a while. I used my sport as an outlet to disappear from these feelings and played hours of piano to divert my mind from what it was truly going through. However, I could never truly conquer this anxious shadow that kept following me. It took me multiple years of this cycle to understand that my value and importance isn’t based on my performance, but in Jesus Christ.

My freshman year of college at Colorado State University was one of the most challenging years of my life but I didn’t understand why. I enjoyed my teammates, the school I was at, and was excited about the new experiences. So I was confused as to why I couldn’t sleep at night and would have multiple panic attacks a week. I realized that basketball and music weren’t strong enough to pull me out of this hole. I was exhausted with the temporary cure to this feeling and knew that it needed to be fixed at the root. I started really talking to God and getting in his word consistently. I began to understand that Jesus has all things under control and even my biggest worries have already been solved through Him. Cold showers, meditation on the Bible, and a lot of research on how to properly breathe, helped me in addition to this.

People often just see what face you post on social media and how you act in your day to day conversations, but there is so much more that is going on beneath the surface. This is something that I now try to remember about everyone. I had no idea how important MENtal health was until college but I encourage everyone to talk to God and He will get you through whatever you are going through."

COLORADO STATE BASKETBALL