I saw a sign in a locker room at a wrestling tournament that read “Nobody cares; work harder.” And though I saw the good intention in that, I thought it was a dangerous message as well.

This is literally me except I'm already feeling it and I'm in high school what the actual heck

I ended up having to quit gymnastics, my favorite sport in the world, for the exact same reasons as stated in this video. Everyday I would think about how if I were to get murdered or hit by a car and die, that I wouldn't be upset. That's incredibly dangerous. I was having mental breakdowns everyday and I would spend 30 minutes almost daily in my schools bathroom just crying bc of how much I had to handle. The worst part for me was the adults around me saying things like "when I was your age i had straight As all throughout high school and i was playing _____ sport AND i worked two jobs. You should be working harder." hearing that from my parents and other adults in my life was life destroying. It made me feel worthless, like I wasn't trying hard enough. And because of that I ended up working myself to a point of constant stress injury. It got to a point where I was lying about being sick just so I could miss one day of practice out of my 6 day a week schedule. It's mentally impossible to handle nearly 24 hours a week of practice and have 5 hours of homework a night. I wouldn't finish my homework until 3 am and then I would cry myself to sleep, only to wake up two hours later for school, just to repeat the whole thing again the next day

She is so amazing. I’ve never had a Ted Talk make me cry.

This describes EXACTLY how I feel wow

The whole system is sick in some ways. Student-athletes lose their love for sport while the media celebrates the stars (who may also be depressed). The expression "mental health disorder" has a certain stigmatizing, clinical feel to it even as it exposes the issue, shared by so many. Maybe the "disorder" is society's.

I never comment on KZfaq videos, but I’m in high school right now and I am on at least two different teams in overlapping seasons. I go from one practice to another after school and sometimes don’t get home until 10:00 at night. The feelings she described are exactly what I’m feeling right now, burnt out and depleted. Being a student athlete with a very high academic and athletic record is so exhausting. I respect her for bringing this to peoples attention.

"When the archer shoots for no particular prize, he has all his skills; when he shoots to win a brass buckle, he is already nervous; when he shoots for a gold prize, he goes blind, sees two targets, and is out of his mind. His skill has not changed, but the prize divides him. He cares! He thinks more of winning than of shooting, and the need to win drains him of power." Isn't that an image of what most people are? When you're living for nothing, you've got all your skills, you've got all your energy, you're relaxed, you don't care, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose.

hey, i'm a student at USC and i totally understand how you feel. I admire your courage to speak up about this topic, because it's often ignored and so hard to talk about.

I have suffered with depression, panic attacks, and anxiety since 8th grade, and I am now going into my Junior year in high school. I played volleyball for my school in all those three years, I also ran track and cross country, and did marathons on the side at home. I was always a "perfect" student, I never struggled with schoolwork it all just came naturally to me, it was like I was so good in everything my sports and school that all the teachers would talk about me on how "perfect" I was. I also volunteered because I knew it was good for college, my teachers started preparing for me for college since 2nd grade they all saw the potential in me and just pushed. Everything was going as planned I had the biggest support team, my family, friends, teachers, even my principal from elementary was supporting me throughout all the years. It was until 8th grade, I got the stomach flu and couldn't go to school for weeks cause I couldn't stop throwing up. As soon as I got back to school of course there was so much work to do, I missed MANY assignments, tests, projects, and in general class time, that I was so overwhelmed after the first day back. That night I cried myself to sleep, the next morning I didn't want to go to school I would cry and fight with my parents, this lasted for weeks it was consistent, for the next month I separated myself from my family, friends, and school I never went back. This is when my counselor contacted my parents and said that they would recommend me seeing a therapist. And so I did, I knew I needed help, I couldn't leave the house every time I would leave or step out I would have a panic attack. Just driving by the school I would have a major panic attack, I would always worry that a teacher or classmate would see me and ask me what's wrong. I was finally diagnosed and it was a breath of fresh air for me cause I'm like maybe this can be treated maybe I don't have to feel this way anymore. But nope my parents are old school there is no such thing as mental illness. Up until now every morning I am in a fight with either/both of my parents TRYING to get them to see what I'm going through is real and that with what they are doing to me is not making it any better. Of course since I didn't attend school I was kicked off all the teams, my gpa's went down. To pass 8th and 9th grade I had to go through credit recovery just to barely pass and move on to the next grade. The sad part is I lost everything, sports was everything to me, school was everything to me and I lost it all to mental illness. My life revolved around school and I loved it, I just loved it and it all was taken from me and I couldn't fight it.I didn't't have anything worth fighting for, my dream of becoming a valedictorian was crushed, playing on my schools varsity volleyball team crushed. And my parents had the nerve to tell me I am causing it all, acting like I am doing all of this on purpose. And because they don't think what I'm going through is real they strongly refuse me going on medications and they think it is funny when they joke about it. There was a post in my life where I would think "if I ran in front of that car all my problems would go away I wouldn't have to feel all this pain, I wouldn't have to cry anymore, I would't have to do anything. Luckily I was able to get out of that stage but its still rough it has gotten quite better from 2 years ago but I'm still working on it. If only they could change the school system, many students would not be suffering, mental illness is at an all time high, and it's because of social media, but most importantly school. When our parents were in school they went came back home and played there was not a lot of homework that they had to stay up until 2-3 in the morning to finish. They didn't have to worry about keeping up with their image on social media and in school. They didn't have to worry about college until they got to junior or senior year. Nowadays they're stating them in elementary, way too young in my opinion cause when they grow up they will be walking balls of stress and depression. Kids nowadays are stripped from childhood and are matured way too early. I know this is long but it's like it's so hard to talk about it with my family that it's so much easier to express my feelings/story to people who don't know me.

I can't thank you enough for your speech. My niece was a D1 athlete with a full scholarship. Senior year year she had enough and quit. Thank God her parents were understanding and put her through her senior year. It's now five years later and she suffers from self worth issues.

I cried watching this. It speaks deeply to me and I want everyone to hear this

I have watched and admired you since you came in as a freshman. I have sat near your parents and your brother and enjoyed their pride in watching you on court. What I didn't know was how much you were like me beyond volleyball. I have never been more proud of you then I am now after watching this TED Talk. I fell into an incredibly deep and dark depression ten or eleven years ago and what I learned was how to make sure that no one knew I was depressed. I couldn't keep that masquerade going and tried to take my life 3-1/2 years ago, and luckily I failed. I spent eight days in a hospital and then went back home and the pressure began all over and I ran out of my home screaming. What happened after that was a miracle and I started my way back to a real and authentic life. I went back to church, I hired a weekly therapist, I joined a men's team, and I discovered women's volleyball at USC when I went with a friend to watch his granddaughter play you guys your freshman year. Bless you for having the courage and the skill to make this video!

Me: *watching this after working out for an hour and before volleyball practice in an hour*

As a swimmer u do 7-9 practices a week each lasting 2-3 hours in high school. A lot of age group swimmers experience the depression in sport while they are in high school before even going to university. It’s sad how sports can be so negative to many individuals.

HaiKyuu homies support her!

Exactly how I felt for 3 years running D1 track

I just watched this video and realized it’s Victoria! Wow she did a great job with this ted talk and I’ve always been inspired by her as a volleyball player now I respect and idolize her even more! 🏐😌💛

This is so accurate. I'm a volleyball player and this is how I feel almost 24/7

I'm a freshman in high school running cross country and just clicking on this video gave me anxiety because this is how I feel all the time. I always doubt myself and constantly try to push while balancing honor classes, social life, and everything expected out of me from my parents. It is one of the hardest thing ever to be a student athlete. Sometimes I just want a break but then I tell myself that im not working hard of enough or that I dont deserve it and that ill never get anywhere. :(

I don’t know whether I should quite football right now. I wake up everyday at 5 am to take a shower eat breakfast and head to a workout at 6 which if you are a minute to, like she said you would be running. After that I go to my four different classes (I’m a sophomore in high school) which mostly are either college or AP classes depending on the day, with only a 32 minute lunch, which if you forget to pack you have to spend 10 minutes in a line to get a lunch with 0 nutritional value. After that I head to my practice which is supposed to last from 3 to 5 but usually goes till 6. When I get home I usually spend the rest of my time doing homework for either the class that I had the day before or the one that I had that day. When I wake up in the morning sometimes I just go 30 miles over the speed limit and hope that something will hit me out of the corner of my eye just to get a break. I’m pretty sure I’m depressed and don’t know what to do about it because my family doesn’t have enough money for me to talk to a person, so instead I try to talk to my friends to cope with my internal pain, but some stuff is left unshared for I am scared no one will be my friend. I feel alone and can barely make friends outside my sport because I don’t have time to go out. I have been constantly put under pressure and I am overwhelmingly anxious 24/7. Some days I wish it would end but my family basically depends on me to get a good paying job and getting a scholarship. I love to play my guitar and it’s what really gets me through the day, sometimes I’ll just sit down and strum up and down sitting between a g and a c chord until I start crying. Most of the time I cry for about 10 minutes, but sometimes I cry for over an hour maybe 2. I know theirs something wrong with my brain, but I don’t know how to fix it. If you have read this far thank you for listening, I feel writing this has helped in some way and makes me realize I should quite football, but I don’t know how to communicate that to my coaches because they are like family to me. Thank you for your time. :)

HOW AM I IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THIS IS HOW I FEEL I keep almost crying in class the stress almost hurts and it makes me wanna quit

I think that 1 in 4 statistic is probably even too low. It’s based on data from people who have been *identified* as having a mental illness. Many people will never be diagnosed, especially if their symptoms are mild or if they are unwilling to admit that something is wrong (due to stigma, etc)

Wow. You couldn’t have described those feelings any better.

I just started to play volleyball and I'm dealing with depression and eating disorders. And I'm also scared to show my body but this inspired me and i decided to go even if I'm scared. So thank you for this speech. It helped a lot. ❤️

this is so needed thank you so much!

Is it weird that this hits harder because I feel closer to her since watchingher Haikyuu reactions. Love you Vic!

Everything she said is 100% what I have felt as a D1 athlete...thank you Victoria for using this platform

thank you so much, this was outstanding, bless you

I am a libero for my club team and we have struggled with mental health. Thank you for bringing attention to this subject. I'm sharing this video with my team.

Victoria, so proud of you to speak up on a difficult subject. You are an over-achiever and can stand tall when considering your accomplishments. It does come at a cost and this is something as you move on in your life that you will always have to measure. Achievement versus personal and familial health. I am a person that many thought would achieve more in life than I have. I made choices for the health of myself and my family and yes they have cost me accomplishments, but instead I have joy, peace, and love that have carried me through the hard times. Know that your friend Emily O and I will always support you and pray for you. You are kind and courageous and these are fantastic qualities for a young woman who has achieved so much in life. Fight On!

Very well said! Thank you for this! As a former player and now coach I can totally relate!

This was so powerful. Brought me to tears. Lot of respect 💗

i’m definitely feeling this rn. i’m in my junior year and currently in club volleyball. thankfully the practices are not as frequent or demanding than school volleyball. but i think my depression if caused by the combination of: playing club volleyball, having a back injury that isn’t going away, coaching middle school volleyball, being in all honors/AP classes, being in multiple clubs, and trying to manage all the colleges i’m emailing and deciding if i want to take an offer from a d2 school. i’ve had several thoughts of just ending it all. just to be surprised at myself saying “what’s wrong with me? why would i think that?” and sobbing for hours. it’s so hard to talk about depression because it seems to always reflect bad on the person with it. like they could have done something to prevent it. when in reality everyone is different and sometimes people get depression from seemingly no reason at all. like she said: we need to end the stigma because the constant judgement of mental illness only worsens the issue.

That was the most amazing speech i have EVER heard. Im a volleyball player and feel this way. This was such an uplifting message. Thank you so much.

thank you for making this video because this is exactly how I feel. I play golf and it is the best and worst thing in my life. I have had some great memories playing this sport but it has made me break down and have panic attacks too many times. I am afraid of failure and golf is a game of making the least mistakes so that is inevitable. It is hard for me to be positive when I think about an upcoming tournament. I wish I had the confidence to believe in my abilities as a talented athlete but I don't think that will ever happen. Someday I hope I can overcome this overwhelming anxiety over this sport because I truly love the game.

Powerful conversation. Thank you for sharing.

I’m not an athlete but I can say this, I am extremely stressed from school. I have depression and anxiety if I get a good grade, or completed my assignments. I’m only in 6th grade, but sometimes I just wonder if I die my pain can end. Sometimes I tell myself, “the best thing you can do is hide your pain”. So that’s what I did, I hid it from everyone around me. No one knew that I had anxiety or depression because I didn’t even have anyone to talk to. School gives me projects on top of projects and so many assignments over that. No one is realizing the stress that is caused from school. I find this video relatable.

Thank you for sharing your story! 💖🙏💖

This is the best video I have ever seen and you explain it so well!! Thank you 🙏

It feels good to know that others have felt the way I have felt with sports sometimes! I just want to say thank you!!

a powerful talk which is so relevant today. thank you victoria and TEDx for posting this talk on youtube

Loved this!! Thankyou for sharing your story!

Thank you Victoria!

i don’t think i’ve ever seen something more relatable than this video

this is the best ted talk i have heard in a while. love you Victoria!!!!

I started crying when I watched this

Great contribution. For your team, for society and mankind. Excellent theme, research, and presentation. Well done Ms. Garrick.

Truly amazing! I never thought I could relate so heavily with a video

Div II Pitcher here, Went through the same thing this year in the beginning of my season. Had an amazing Fall and then I came back after Christmas with a completely different mindset. Parents were confused and thought I was being ungrateful even though there was more too it. I knew I wasn't alone, but it's comforting to see someone else in my shoes.

Preparing for my TEDx talk next week, and watching this for inspiration. Victoria, you are an inspiration!

I am a rower and I relate to this so much. I am so glad I am not alone in this.

This is literally my senior year in a video.

Wow! What an incredible and important message! Thanks for your courage to share and the work you put it to make it a compelling story. I'm on board and will share further.

Great presentation. Well done.

Shoutout to all the new haikyuu homies that'll have this video recommended to them🏐

This depresses me but it really hits you.

I’m from Buffalo. I was 9 years old when the skate incident happened. My father was watching it live on TV. It’s remarkable Clint survived. So glad he did!

Wow! Such a powerful message. I wish I had role model when I was younger. Love her! What an intelligent young lady. Love the research!

Practice for collegiate XC started 3 days ago. Class doesnt start for another week and a half. But I missed preseason because of injury. And I have underlying conditions as well as mental illnesses and this video meant so much for me. I'm so far behind, and scholarship is the only way I can afford school. I genuinely love my sport but it is so overwhelming and the only advice I've gotten so far is "You have to want it." If I didnt want it, I wouldnt have signed a D1 scholarship after only one year of competing. I wouldnt have come back after a concussion and rehabbed for 8 months only to be told that I'll never make a full recovery. I wouldnt get up at 3 am every day to make time for practice, work, and normal life. Thank you so much for addressing it. So much.

Amazing talk and incredible courage to speak her truth. I look forward to the day when that doesn't seem "courageous".

Here in 2021 watching this, as a former student athlete at the collegiate level it is so important to check your mental health. Schools lack that aspect of a sports psychologist for teams

Totally agree. Sometimes it just feels too much on the body And brain and you just can’t preform but you have to push through because you want playing time. I’ve never REALLY took in what she said into consideration till now. I honestly understand

Thank you. That’s all I can say. Thank you❤️

the opening was so powerful

Very insightful and sad at the same time. Perceptions and the reality of perception are often misaligned due to the unrealistic expectations people put on themselves. But there is a solution. There is always a solution but some people can't see it. Reaching out for help isn't a weakness, it's a strength

Thank you

Love her KZfaq channel and the message

This is utterly brilliant and invaluable, it is such an overlooked area, I am absolutely going to try and Victoria Garrick on my podcast. Well done Victoria!

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT

Go Victoria! Awesome talk very relatable.

This is one of the best things I’ve ever listen to!

even though i am only in high school i have been constantly on the verge of breaking down this year. i play volleyball representatively as well as for school and a local club. i train 4 times a week and play once a week. on top of this i am training for track and field season in which i am training 3 times a week. i also have to find time to manage my schoolwork as for those of you in Asutralia i am doing ATAR and am trying to go to university. last month i tore my hamstring and all of this work that i was putting in, all of these struggles to perform under the weight of not only school but sport seemed to be stripped away from me. the motivation this video gave me and the reassurance that i know i needed has left me feeling less stressed and has helped me now focus on what i need to do to care for myself

I took a week off training despite feeling like a terrible person because my depression and anxiety was out of control. And in the end, I only managed to justify it to myself because my depression was manifesting as severe irritability and I felt like I was going to hurt someone. Not because it was hurting me. I essentially put myself in time out. Fortunately, that time out gave me the space to breathe and find compassion for myself as well. I’ve come back to training now feeling a lot better - I have motivation again, a better attitude towards mistakes and other people, fewer physical symptoms of anxiety - but I hope in the future I’ll remember this and be able to bring myself to take the time off that I need, even if that means having those difficult conversations with my coaches.

Real Video about the trials of sports! There is a need for sports psychologist. Thanks, Dr. Herriott

Thank you for breaking down your story

I absolutely love her intro. The rapid fire delivery truly expresses the 'always late', 'never good enough', 'my feelings dont matter' energy that high performance jobs require. And elite high schoolers and college athletes are high performance jobs.

this is so meaningful!!!!

I feel this. That’s why I ended up not playing in college even tho I could’ve walked on schools.

wow. love this passion

As a swimmer, waking up at 4:30 am, having double session, and with school...it’s really killing me

i am crying becoz that's exactly same that happened to me but even if i show this vedio to anyone ,they will not take it seriously. this is underrated topic but really necessary for athletes

This is how I feel EVERY DAY even as a D2 athlete

Wow!! What can I say you are absolutely AMAZING! Beat talk iv ever heard I love you ❤️❤️

I was so afread to play and make mistakes... I can so relate

Fight On, Victoria, from this 1997 USC alum. ✌️✌️ Though I wasn’t a varsity athlete, I can totally empathise with anxiety issues, as I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (G.A.D.) as an Air Force officer in 2005, and my Dad (God rest his soul), a WWII Marine, was bipolar.

I needed to see this.

i’ve fundamentally mastered the physical components of my sport (lacrosse). but the toughest thing that kills me is going in with a clear mind. life at home is nothing short of verbally and physically abusive. from this, i’ve gained severe anxiety and depression. going to practice is the only time i feel at home and happy. it seriously hurts when my brain starts scrambling like a runaway train. i feel like i let down my coach and my teammates because i cannot handle my anxiety. people think i’m struggling with a physical aspect of the game while i’m actually at war with myself in my head. i’m lost. being on that field should be the only time i’m able to escape from reality.

This hit me hard. There are days where i wake up and didnt have the energy to even get up the bed. I just finished my Collegiate Athletic Career and I feel like i'm lost right now. Everything i used to do that included sport, i dont get to do them now. I'm so lost. Help me.

This is exactly how I've felt for the past 4 years.

Imagine being talented and good at volleyball, a true icon🤩🤩

Good job! Thank you❤️

Great job!

I had anxiety but as i grew older i just didnt care anymore about what people think about me and now im a bit more calm

Thanks

Spiritual experience Works 12 steps designed in 1936 . Still works today

mental health is important. athletics has caused me so many mental issues. in one game i had a run of 8 points on my serve and because the refs messed up we got called out of rotation they made me stop serving and messed up our whole rotation. That one day made me have a panic attack. It’s so hard mentally because of the amount of pressure athletes put on themselves. Athletes please i’m begging you reach out about your mental health. i still haven’t but this year i will.

Finally watching this after watching her KZfaq channel for probably 2 years

I am a freshman in high school. I am a swimmer, I started varsity this year and am on a USA team where I have three hour practices after my one and 1/2 hour practice for high school. I’m in honors/ap classes with a learning disability, I have model un and band. I’ve also been battling an eating disorder and stress anxiety disorders and no one knows. I don’t get home until 9:30 or 10 at night where I have to start my homework and study to keep myself on the highest honor roll or I will not be able to look myself in the mirror. I’m spiraling and I’m all alone

I mean, I'm not even an athlete but I have always been competitive in school and this hit so hard.