As the captain of her soccer team, Lauren Miller gets past obstacles of overthinking with impressive methods.

Senior Lauren Miller, even as the team captain of the soccer team, struggles with the same issue many athletes face—overthinking.

Even in a leadership role, she relates to the plethora of athletes who feel pressure during their games. Internal questions make this overthinking even worse, and getting out of that headspace can be difficult, especially as the role model for the group.

“I definitely overthink in soccer like, ‘What if I mess up?’ since I’m the defender,” Lauren said. “So I feel like it’s my responsibility when [the ball] gets back to [our side of the field]. I definitely panic and think, ‘What if I was the reason why we lose?’”

It’s easy for this pressure to begin to build, especially for those who already experience anxiety around sports. This overthinking is difficult to overcome, but possible to get past. Using logical reasoning when in these negative headspaces is her method of getting out of it; rationalizing with herself when on the field.

“Teams go through ten other people besides me on the field,” Lauren said. “So, it shouldn’t always be my fault [if we lose a point], there are other people that make mistakes too, and that’s totally fine if it happens.”

Along with rationalizing, she tries to keep herself down to earth to bring her best to the field.

“I calm myself down and think about what I can do on the field, and just play my best,” Lauren said. “I try not to think about what I will mess up on and think about how this is a game, to just play like how I would in any other.”

Not only this, but being around her team members helps her immensely. The atmosphere of being a group bound together is a special part of being an athlete. This connection was built on many experiences and activities as a team. At first, they were strangers with one common goal: to win. Now, they have the opportunity to win while having fun with each other in the meantime. Plus, as a senior, it was amazing for Lauren to build bonds with underclassmen.

“I didn’t know that many people when I came onto [the team],” Lauren said. “I would say I definitely got closer to the underclassmen and created a [bond with them]. In some of the team bonding experiences, too, we had fun because I think it strengthened our relationships on the team.”

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I would say that team stuff is [my favorite part]. It’s the feeling of playing. I feel free in a way of being able to just play. [Being with] your teammates and just taking people on, I enjoy that.

— Lauren Miller

Soccer, like many other sports, can be an outlet for the people who play it. Having the ability to show off skills that you might not see in an everyday classroom is important. Connecting with others and getting to know people is all a part of this experience, too.

For Lauren, it’s a way to just be herself. Though it can sometimes have its pressures, it’s extremely refreshing to do something she loves. Being around other people while she does that—it’s freeing.

“I would say that team stuff is [my favorite part],” Lauren said. “It’s the feeling of playing. I feel free in a way of being able to just play. [Being with] your teammates and just taking people on, I enjoy that.”

Lauren brings herself to hang around plenty of people. Seeing others and being with others hold high importance in her life. Being kind to anyone, no matter who, is her biggest goal. As a team captain, she hopes to achieve this, and the members who follow her hopefully will remember her graceful attitude.

“I want to be remembered as someone who’s always there for other people and prioritizing them over myself,” Lauren said. “I want to be a pretty independent person that is very efficient and gets her work done—and to be the bigger person in situations, even if that person doesn’t like me.”