Life as a student-athlete often taught me to push harder, do more, and never stop working. But over time, I realized that constant striving took a slow, quiet, and dormant toll on my mental health. Through mindfulness and meditation practices, I began to see rest not as weakness but as strength. Balance, knowing when to push and when to pause, has become the heart of my journey. True resilience isn’t about carrying everything all the time. It’s about having the courage to set things down and breathe.
Balance, Compassion, and Courage
For much of my life as both a student and an athlete, I believed success was about pushing harder, doing more, and never letting up. Wrestling instilled in me a deep sense of discipline and resilience, but it also fostered a mindset that rest equated to weakness. If I wasn’t training, studying, or working toward a goal, I felt guilty like I was falling behind. What I didn’t realize was how much that constant drive was weighing on my ability to be content and grateful.
The turning point came when I began exploring mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation taught me that slowing down wasn’t “lost time,” but rather an investment in my well-being. Learning the true value of rest and “doing nothing” has been one of the most powerful shifts in my well-being journey.
Balance, I’ve discovered, doesn’t mean doing everything perfectly (which I believe a lot of high-achieving students strive to be). It means listening to my body and mind, recognizing when it’s time to push and when it’s time to pause. On some days, that balance looks like a hard output followed by journaling and early sleep. On others, it means giving myself permission to say no, be spontaneous, or spend time with friends without an agenda. Each of these choices builds a healthier relationship with myself.
What I’ve come to appreciate is that resilience isn’t measured solely by how much you can endure, but also measured by your willingness to be flexible and take a step back when necessary. Strength is not just the ability to carry heavy loads, but the wisdom to set them down when needed.
If you’re navigating your own mental health journey, especially in a high-pressure Stanford environment, I encourage you to rethink how you define strength and success. Flourishing doesn’t come from constant striving. It comes from balance, compassion, and the courage to put yourself first.
Written by: Jaden Abas, Class of 2025
Resources
Stanford Resources
- Stanford Health Care Mindfulness + Meditation Resources: Stanford Health offers a collection of guided meditations and educational materials designed to support relaxation, stress reduction, and emotional well-being. This page features practices like guided imagery for sleep, meditations to ease stress, grief, and anxiety, and wellness exercises to complement medical and mental health care.
- Mental Health Resources at Stanford: This is a centralized hub for students to access mental health, well-being, and peer support services. Whether you're seeking advice on self-care routines, help managing stress or challenging symptoms, want to support a friend, or just want to connect, this site guides students to confidential resources, peer support, crisis lines, and campus-wide mental health initiatives.