RECOVER - Managing Stress
Jump higher, run faster, perform better, strive for greatness, always compete; common themes that prevail in the world of sport (along with school, career, general life, etc). Is it possible that our desire to always want more actually hinders our path to a healthy athletic career and more importantly, to becoming happy humans? Where is the boundary between being competitive and an unhealthy body state?
I can only speak to my experience, but I tend to be a person that burns hot. At times, my desire to perform a at a high level and stay busy leads to burn out, sickness, injury, and struggles with my own mental health. From a physiological perspective, it has been demonstrated that intensive training loads can shift individuals towards a sympathetic predominance (Iellamo et. al, 2002). Athletes in this state may experience poor recovery, decreased immune system function, challenges sleeping, and mood changes.
From a mental health perspective, the inability pull oneself out of a sympathetic predominance has been correlated with chronic anxiety (Hoen-Saric, 1988) and catastrophic thinking (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020).
So what can we do as coaches, parents, and athletes to help our bodies adapt to the stresses of high-performance?
Try to re-establish “play” within sport. Athletes who enjoy practice and feel safe to learn in their environment tend to perform more consistently in competition.
Establish a daily breathing practice. Nose inhale for 3 seconds, mouth exhale for four seconds. Focus on relaxing your entire body during this practice.
Set aside at least one day a week with no activities or exercise planned.
Practice sleep hygiene. Focus on a consistent bedtime/wake-up time. Youth athletes should aim for 9 hours of sleep EVERY NIGHT.
Integrate activities into your life that inspire creativity and personal fulfillment. In my downtime I enjoy reading, playing guitar, walking my dog, and exploring new music. Other ideas include video games (for a reasonable amount of time), cooking/baking, journaling, arts, creative writing, coding, and spending time outdoors with friends.
