Lauren Cox’s Learned the Strength of Her Mindset
Lauren Cox was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 7, and worried the condition would crush her dreams of being a high-level athlete.
But she didn’t let her diabetes hold her back…
Now 24, Cox led Baylor University to a national championship in 2019 and then played in the WNBA for the Indiana Fever and LA Sparks. She now plays in Spain, but has a training contract with a WNBA team for this summer.
Cox has accomplished these feats in spite of her diabetes because she has honed her mental game skills over the years, she says. Young athletes with chronic conditions like diabetes can learn from Cox’s experience and mental game skills.
At first, the hardest thing about playing at a high level was keeping her blood sugar in check, Cox says. She often was distracted by worries over whether her blood sugar numbers were in the right range.
A big help was an insulin pump that automatically adjusts Cox’s insulin levels, keeping her blood sugar within the proper range. “Before I got the pump, I couldn’t focus as well.
The pump helps me take my mind off my blood sugar. I can relax and play the game,” Cox told us during a recent interview with our Ultimate Sports Parent podcast.
It’s important for young athletes to take advantage of available tools and medications that allow them to keep chronic conditions under control and decrease their worries about their health.
When Cox is feeling anxious or worried, she “takes a step back,” breathes and reminds herself that she’s in control. “You control your diabetes,” she says. “You don’t let it control you.”
If she has a bad game, she tells herself that it’s just one game; it doesn’t affect the kind of person she is, she says. She tries to focus on the bigger picture.
“It’s a game and there will always be a next time. You need to forget about the mistakes you’ve made in the past and focus on what’s coming next,” Cox says.
Cox had to learn how to be less hard on herself, she says. As a college freshman, she had very high expectations and often felt frustrated if she didn’t meet them.
“After my freshman year, I had to take a step back and say, ‘This is what you chose to do. You play this game because you love it and have fun with it. That’s what you need to do,’” she says.
Cox also focuses on what she can control and tries to let go of what she can’t control.
She eats meals that help control her blood sugar, uses her insulin pump the way she’s directed to use it and is sure to eat well before a game.
When she played in the WNBA, she and many of the other players experienced physical and mental game challenges associated with playing so many games and traveling so much, she says.
She learned that, from a mental game perspective, she needed to be aware of when she was worn out and needed to focus on recovering.
Her advice to any athletes who struggle with health or other issues, “Control what you can control,” Cox says.
You can listen to the entire podcast with Cox on Spotify or your favorite podcast platform:
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