Before quarterback J.J. McCarthy leads Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship — the biggest game of his life — you’ll find him seated cross-legged in front of one of the goal posts with his eyes closed and hands clasped, wearing a pair of Beats headphones as he meditates.
The 20-year-old junior has become an advocate for the mental health benefits of meditation, which he has incorporated into his pregame routine.
Why does J.J. McCarthy meditate before games?
McCarthy starts game days with a 30- to 45-minute meditation after waking up and then meditates again for 10 minutes in front of the goal post in what he describes as a “tune-up,” he told reporters at last season’s Fiesta Bowl media days.
During those 10 minutes, McCarthy, who has gone 26-1 in his collegiate career, is focusing on his breathing and heartbeat to center himself and slow down before the game.
“I feel like that 10-minute one is most important because it just locks me in right before (the) time’s needed,” he said, per MLive.com.
McCarthy chooses to meditate on the field to raise awareness of the benefits of meditation, he told the Big 10 Network in November.
“To be honest with you, I want to just kind of spread the awareness of the practice and let, you know, other kids out there that are struggling with mental health or looking to improve themselves in any way, they could try it out,” he said. “It’s a practice in the West that isn’t, you know, very popular, so I was just trying to, you know, put it out there and, you know, hopefully inspire others.”
In October, McCarthy opened up about his mental health journey and how meditation has helped him in the University of Michigan’s “Our Voices” video series.
“When you focus on the present moment and you really dive into it and sulk into it, there’s nothing that can be wrong,” he said. “Meditation is just a way that helps promote that longevity of that present moment that I feel. When I feel like I’m not in the right headspace or I’m thinking too far into the future (or) I’m thinking too far in the past, I really just focus on my breath and that starts to connect me to the present moment a heck of a lot faster.”
When did J.J. McCarthy start meditating?
As a senior in high school in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, McCarthy started feeling depressed while attending IMG Academy’s boarding school in Florida. A thousands miles away from his hometown in Illinois, he originally thought he was homesick, he told ESPN.
But when he couldn’t shake it, he began researching things he could do to help his depression and one method that kept popping up was meditation. He is now grateful for the pandemic and his depression leading him to the mindfulness practice.
“Senior year (of high school) I went through a big depression stage, and a lot of things in life in the moment could be, you know, awful. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me,” he said in the “Our Voices” video. “I was always trying to be somebody else. I was always trying to be Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, all these great athletes that came before me. And at the end of the day, I fell into that depression because I was in a deep rest from myself. I wasn’t myself.”
The Big Ten Quarterback of the Year knows adversity is a natural part of life, so he uses his consistent practice of meditation to put himself in the best position to handle those moments.
“I know that in life, storms are inevitable,” he said. “They’re going to come no matter what. Nobody goes through life just smooth sailing, so I do whatever I can throughout the day to prepare myself for those storms, whether that’s my meditation (or) how I treat my diet.”
Using that mindset, he encourages people to focus only on the things in their lives that they can control.
“There’s a lot of things we can’t control,” he said. “And if you really focus on the things you can’t control, you’re going to be in a loop of insanity, and you just can’t do anything about it. So I really just emphasize focus on what you can control and optimize every situation that comes your way because it’s a situation that you can never get back, so enjoy every single one.”
The national championship could potentially be the last time McCarthy meditates before a game in Michigan gear. He has yet to announce if he will declare for the 2024 NFL draft or return to Ann Arbor for his senior season.
McCarthy will attempt to lead the Michigan Wolverines to their first national championship since 1997 when they face the Washington Huskies on Monday, Jan. 8, at 5:30 p.m. MST.
What are the benefits of meditation?
Meditation is a practice beneficial to one’s overall health and emotional well-being that “can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance” and be used as a coping method for stress, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“(Meditation) will affect not just your performance on the field, but your performance through life,” McCarthy said.
The Mayo Clinic agrees with McCarthy, claiming that the effects of meditation can last long after you finish your session and “can help take you more calmly through your day.”
Meditation can also help with depression and anxiety, something McCarthy has previously struggled with, as well as the 81% of college students who reported symptoms of depression or anxiety disorders in the 2021-2022 academic year.
In 2018, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that “mindfulness-based approaches were better than no treatment at all, and they worked as well as the evidence-based therapies” for individuals with diagnosed psychiatric disorders, including anxiety and depression.