About 7.8 Billion people are in the world and about 33 percent of the world plays sports to lose stress or have less anxiety. Stress can destroy a lot of things in your body including your brain your health, your weight and much more. Having a little bit of stress can also be a good thing!

Journalism interviewed multiple students at Buena park high, asking them about how important sports are to them and if they lose stress while playing. Starting with Yadira Rosario she is on the soccer team and is currently a senior. Yadira states her mom put her on a soccer team when she was younger and then fell in love with the sport after that. Isaias Valdes he is a senior playing soccer. Isaias says “I didn’t choose soccer, soccer chose me”. Sydnie Lendsey is a freshman on varsity girls basketball says “Growing up I played almost every sport, basketball was the one sport I have never played so I decided to try it and it just stuck with me”. Jeremy Loreto he is a junior playing for the varsity boys basketball, Jeremy says “ I started playing basketball because I got bored of soccer and wanted to try something new. A friend of mine invited me to play with his basketball team and my love for the game just grew from there” 

One of the most common reasons why people are so into sports as they get older is because their parents put them in sports as they get older. “I  continue to play sports because most of my friends are on sports teams, it keeps me in shape, and keeps me out of trouble,” Yadira says. “The passion I have for the sport keeps me going” Isaias states. “The fact that I want to be known for being a very good basketball player, and also getting scholarships to multiple colleges,” Sydnie says. “A big motivation factor that has kept me going is my peers my parents have invested lots of time and money into my passion and I do not want to let that go to waste also, it helps knowing I have friends who want to take time out of their day just to watch me play,” Jeremy says.

Being in shape can impact your mental health a lot of people become depressed sad not wanting to do anything get out their bed and so much more. Some people are so stressed they can’t control their eating that they overeat or even eat for fun. We asked our students how sports help them mentally and Yadira says “I can release a lot of stress and anxiety at practice and games” Isaias says “all the stress and personal problems I have go away once my foot touches the ball” Sydnie says,” For me, It helps with stress. If I’m having a bad day, the thought of just being able to play makes my day better”. lots of time, it helps me take my mind off other things that may be bothering me. Whenever I step on the court, my mind clears and I can allow myself to become immersed in the game. 

Playing sports can help you lose a lot of stress, and just having people up and not just ruing their life because they’re bored. We asked these fantastic students one last question, Yadira says her way of gaining confidence on the field is “Listening to music and getting in my zone helps me gain some confidence before a game”. Isaias says “Performing well in practice will boost my confidence in a game”. Sydnie says,” I would say the practice helps me boost my confidence, work on my game, study my opponents, and prepare my mind. My confidence is increased when I’ve hit tons of shots and know I could do it again in the game. Jeremy states”  I think the main thing with confidence is believing in yourself and the work you put in. If you can allow yourself to block out all the outside noise and just have fun on the court, all the training and practice you put in will show”.

As you can see everyone has their own way of losing stress and their way of handling it. Journalism is glad and thankful they had the opportunity to talk to each and every one of these amazing students.