_{Photo Credit: David Gaustad Photography}

By Jessica Bodin

When the weight of the world seems to fall on Emma Jaskaniec, the UW-Madison women’s soccer star midfielder, all it takes is five seconds for her to ground herself. She focuses on her feet, then her hands, she relaxes her jaw, and concentrates on her breathing. She asks herself, “Step-by-step, what can you do right here and right now?”

Student-athletes are under an incredible amount of pressure to perform, and it’s those fleeting seconds of self-attentiveness during crunch time that could be the difference between winning and losing. It’s even the difference between being a good athlete versus an elite athlete. To get their student-athletes to be the best, the Badger athletic department believes there shouldn’t be a difference between training your body and your mind. 

But Jaskaniec didn’t always have that same mindset. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she found herself struggling more with anxiety and needing to find new tools to handle stressors. She was referred to Chad McGehee, the Director of Meditation Training for Wisconsin Athletics, and this kick-started her mindfulness journey. She spent the next two years practicing meditation and learning that taking care of one’s mind is key to being present and thriving in intense conditions.

McGehee’s position within the athletic department is the first of its kind. He’s focused on teaching athletes the skills to work with what happens in their minds and with their emotions. “In the work that I do, at least initially, we’re training the mind to be more focused, more resilient, and a better teammate,” said McGehee, “We’re not just leaving those things to chance.” McGehee has shown Jaskaniec and countless other athletes the art of prioritizing mental health to perform on the field. 

McGehee taught Jaskaniec the most fundamental rule of meditation the first time they had a session: having your mind wander off is normal. Meditation is about attention regulation and athletes learn to handle racing thoughts and emotions as they come in order to bring their minds back to the present. Taking the time to focus on the mental health aspects of sports teaches players to maintain poise during high-pressure moments. 

Jaskaniec has seen the benefits of her meditation journey both on and off the field. “I’ve been happier since I started doing it,” said Jaskaniec, “And I don’t know if it’s happier because I feel like I’m more myself or if it’s actually just making me happier.” Plus, she takes the time to meditate before big matches and attributes that routine as a part of her success during some of the most significant moments and games, like scoring the winning goal in the Big 10 tournament semi-finals in 2021. 

“Talking about mental health should be like talking about our bodies.” said Jaskaniec, “But people don’t do the same thing with their mental health. So with me, with meditation, I try to do it every single day because it’s five minutes…and it can benefit you so much.” Having sports psychology departments at universities is the norm, yet having a meditation trainer on hand is overlooked. 

In recent years, superstar athletes have brought extreme media attention to mental health in athletics. For example, Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open to care for her mental health as did Simone Biles in the 2021 Olympic Games. But that doesn’t mean the stigma and confusion have been erased. “People think going to therapy is for going from bad to good, but nobody ever talks about going from good to great,” said Jaskaniec. 

As the negative connotations surrounding mental health remain, Jaskaniec is working to switch the narrative. Meditation, and therapy in general, aren’t just for those with a mental health condition. They provide tools for whoever desires to better themselves. “I’ve seen therapists multiple times. And I just know that sometimes it’s uncomfortable to get the conversation started” said Jaskaniec, “Because whether people know it or not, just talking about [mental health] de-stigmatizes it, which is what needs to happen.”

Since practicing meditation in most collegiate athletic settings isn’t routine, there is a great deal of confusion about what the method is and how it can be used to support athletes. Clarifying misconceptions about these mental health resources works to demystify the practice, and thus de-stigmatize seeking out support. “Meditation is training the mind, and think about it as strength and conditioning for the mind,” said McGehee, “I think those frames can be really helpful for people to de-stigmatize.”

Jaskaniec plans to use her passion for meditation to start important conversations. She was a panelist for Uncut Madison’s “Tackle the Stigma” event, which aimed to begin casual discussions on serious issues surrounding mental health in the community, where Jaskaniec shared her meditation journey. “People are realizing that [mental health] is such a big issue,” said Jaskaniec, “For people to become the best performer on the field or the best student, they need to have a good mind and they need to be healthy with who they are.”

Mindsets and habits don’t change overnight, but it’s never too early to seek out mental health resources and utilize new tools to de-stress. “There’s so much more out there,” said Jaskaniec, “And even though what you may be feeling right now seems like it’s awful, people want to help you. And even though it’s hard to make the first step or talk to somebody about it, just go out of your comfort zone because it’s going to help in the end.”