How Stanford Basketball Star Haley Jones Prioritizes Her Mental Health

Jones stated that it is a reality of athletes’ lives that the pressure “is always there.” Jones said that younger athletes should know it is okay to feel the pressure. However, you shouldn’t let it overwhelm you because it’s something you love. It’s something you have been doing for many years.

So when she’s facing a challenge such as a Final Four game, she reminds herself, “‘Haley, this is basketball. You grew up dribbling in the gym as your parents were coaching, dribbling around the house… This is something that you love to do. So why are you turning this passion that you have into a ball of stress and a ball of pressure, when this is something that’s supposed to be your escape, your happy place? “You’re supposed go out there and just hooper, right?”

People are going to say what they want about you, especially on social media, but “I’m not listening to @troll1234 commenting, ‘Oh, get in the kitchen,'” Jones quipped. When I see my mom in the stands, “I listen to her thoughts. Listening to my dad and friends about how my play is going, as well as my attitude out there.

Again, it’s not always easy to drown out the noise, but, she advised, “Have confidence in what you do and what you’re capable of, and just remember, Why are you here? It doesn’t matter if you like basketball or if you enjoy whatever it is that you do. So just go do it.”