If you feel you cant share your personal issues with your team mates, coaches and support staff then seek the assistance from outside.
Don’t suffer in silence.
The sporting environment can be a tough place to be yourself. The sporting world can be set up perfectly as a place to hide the true YOU due to fears surrounding selection, being the best, fitting in and meeting expectations.
Being more connected to who you are outside of being an athlete can actually strengthen your performance. The more connected and balanced we are as human beings, the better our performance will be. this is easier said than done, especially in the world of sport which is still lagging behind in terms of acceptance and “mindfulness”.
It is normal in the sporting world to be reluctant to share thoughts and feelings surrounding fears you may have or personal issues you might be dealing with.
The importance of dealing with human issues whilst being an elite performer is often overlooked.
Millions of dollars are spent each year on helping athletes reach the pinnacle. Most of the time and money is spent on physiology, sports psychology, equipment and sports science. it is amazing to see the progression year on year in these fields.
However, a major piece of the puzzle and the most basic one is often overlooked; the mental and emotional wellbeing of the HUMAN BEING behind the athlete. A simple chat about YOU as a HUMAN and not as an athlete with somebody outside of the elite set up can be worth its weight in gold.
Many athletes carry around the burden of their personal issues without knowing that they are subconsciously affecting their performances as athletes. Have a read of the Athlete Backpack Theory for a full explanation.
If you create habits around solving your personal issues whilst being an athlete then it will benefit your performance, it will mean you are generally happier and it will benefit you massively when the time comes to retire when your human identity comes to the fore and your athlete identity disappears over the horizon.
Lifestyle, Performance and Mental Health – raising awareness around mental health issues in sport
Click here to get the full explanation of the ATHLETE BACKPACK THEORY and discover the power of vulnerability in a video of Brene Brown’s amazing keynote.