MOON TOWNSHIP — On Monday night, Hope Happens Here hosted a student-athlete wellness seminar in the Nicholson Center’s Hopwood Hall. While the seminar was short and sweet, it shed light on a problem many student-athletes face: the state of their mental health.

The panel featured seven current and former RMU athletes. It consisted of Taylor Lewand (former women’s lacrosse defender), Lacee Collins (current softball pitcher), Caleb Lewis (current football quarterback), Adam Wollet (current football linebacker), Kendall Noel (former women’s lacrosse defender), Maggie LaGue (current women’s hockey defender) and Sean Giles (current men’s hockey defender).

One of the main points that was talked about was the mental burn-out that can affect many. After a slew of tests, games, and other extracurricular activities, the panelists stated that burn-out is a definite problem and has happened to them. Adam Wollet was quick to say, “life does not stop for you when you have games.” The athletes also recounted some of their stories, and showed how burn-out affected them.

While mental burn-out is a problem, it can be overcome or minimized in many ways. The panelists went over many self-care strategies they used to cope with the burn-out, such as calling their parents and having a conversation, doing everything to a tee to get rid of stress, and getting sleep. It is also important to know that your teammates are there to support you, and not talking to someone about it will not help.

If you, or anyone you know, is dealing with mental health issues, you can contact the RMU counseling center at 412-397-5900 or go to their office at the lower level at Patrick Henry. For more information, head to their website.