Mental illness is real and so many of our loved ones deal with it every day. However, now more than ever, we're seeing more pro athletes open up about the disease to help raise awareness. Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark opened up about his struggles with anxiety.
The third year wide receiver, who is the Jaguars No. 1 wide out, emerged as the team's top receiver in 2019. Chark made the Pro Bowl that same year, catching more than 70 passes, for 1,008 yards and 8 touchdowns. But he battles anxiety. Chark says it started in high school and got progressively worse during his time at LSU.
“It's something that I've dealt with my whole life. It was something that I didn’t realize I was dealing with until some light was shined on it. I went inward -- also performance-based anxiety. Just wondering if I was good enough to do it, this game. Wondering if I can do it again. Wondering about things I had no control of,” Chark said.
In a recent conversation, Chark also discussed what triggers his anxiety.
“For me, it's not being good enough. Whether that's in life or football -- or assuming that, if things are going good, it's only going good for so long until something happens, Because you get to the point that you feel like you don't deserve happiness,” he said.
Originally, Chark did not know he was dealing with anxiety. In fact, it was not until his sophomore year at LSU that he spoke with the Tigers sports trainers who referred him to a therapist. But he admits even then he still tried to fix it on his own.
“I realized there are some things you have to be able to work through. I was able to talk through my problems and get prescribed medicine to help me.”
Now Chark speaks openly about his battle with anxiety.
“I do know there are a lot of people who deal with this, so I feel like I’m in a good spot for whomever wants to listen, I’m willing to be there to help. You're not alone. When I do speak on these topics, people come out of nowhere and say thank you. It makes you feel good that you did it. But also, I feel like they're not enough people speaking on it. I feel like we all should open up more about it. No matter what level of anxiety or depression you're experiencing. We all should show that we are human."
D.J. Chark also credits his wife and his faith for helping him to deal with anxiety. Chark says because of the coronavirus pandemic, he isn't able to get out in the community as much and help.