When I think about what it means to have a support system, I used to only think about it as just having family and friends who have your back and support you during your best moments. Little did I know that last year was going to shift my whole perspective about what a support system really was. 

Last year I went to a school in New Jersey to play lacrosse. I knew the distance was going to be hard but I never thought the sport itself would be the hardest part. The first semester of last year was going great, I loved the girls and the school and even loved lacrosse. Never did I think that coming back from Christmas break things were going to change that drastically. Lacrosse began to be a chore that I would have to wake up and do every single day, my teammates no longer felt like teammates, and deep down I wanted to go home every day. I realized at that moment I had felt so alone even though I was surrounded by my whole entire team. 

When thinking about mental health, I never realized it could affect me because I felt like the happiest girl ever. I was always known to be pretty mentally tough all throughout high school since I dealt with the recruiting process. I always thought the recruiting process was going to be the hardest thing I dealt with for lacrosse. Never did I think my freshman year of college would be the hardest time for me with lacrosse and my mental health. That second semester of school made me realize I too could be affected by depression. I never wanted to get out of bed, going to class was difficult, I couldn’t even go hangout with my teammates because even when I was with them I was still feeling alone and felt like I didn’t belong there anymore. I would call my mom everyday in tears because I didn’t know what to do or how to make the pain stop. I realized right then and there my support system was the most important thing I had. I didn’t just rely on them when I was happy to keep me uplifted but also in those hard times where I felt so alone and helpless. 

I then decided to transfer after all of that and could have never been more happy with myself. I met so many girls here right away and realized they were true authentic people who only wanted what was best for me. I started to lean on my roommates who are my biggest hype crowd and even the other girls on my team. My support system started to become the people who cared and checked up on me even in my darkest times. My support system became girls who didn’t know me last year but immediately became my best friends. 

I know how hard mental health can be especially when you don’t feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel, but when I found people who I could lean on in the tough times and good times I knew I found my place. I wholeheartedly believe it’s not how great the place is, but how great the people are in that place.

-Aubree

Women's Lacrosse 

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