“I seem to have no energy left. Right now I can't even muster up the energy to drink a glass of water, I feel hollow inside. We have a long time to prepare for glory. And expend energy, but now that I'm living with him, I just feel weak and helpless.”
ContentsThe anonymous athlete weeks after competing within the Olympic Games.
Every player builds their self-image through it. Experiences, values ​​and perceptions related to the intensity of their training and their level of achievement. The value they attach to their expectations, efforts, and suffering significantly affects their behavior, motivation, memories, and well-being.
But at the tip of the 2024 Olympic Games, a lot of them can be struggling to seek out meaning outside the confines of competition, with serious mental health consequences for some.
Mental dedication: A full-time job
According to data published by International Olympic Committee in 202333.6% of elite athletes suffer from anxiety and depression and 26.4% experience serious mental health problems when their profession ends.
Athletes discover so strongly with their work and goals (whether or not they achieve them or not), and devote a lot effort to training that they often ignore or justify negative facets. are: Detachment from loved ones and close friends, difficulty maintaining a social lifeand Constant pressure to perform at the highest level.
When competitions end, or when athletes retire, they often feel lost: theirs Doing mental work daily No longer governed or guided by immediate, ambitious challenges.
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The tragic case of American athlete Torey Bowie is value recalling. A triple Olympic medalist and multiple world champion at Rio 2016, she faced Multiple mental health issues while living off trackand died At age 32 from complications in childbirth.
There is one other tragic example. Jesus Rollanda double Olympic water polo champion who died after his retirement after falling from a roof, in what many believed was a suicide.
Mental Health: Harder than medal fights
As a contest ends, it's common for an athlete (whether or not they've won a medal or not) to say “what's next”, “give a little more”, or what they may have done higher. Listening is normal. It seems that their achievements and what it took to get there are usually not worthy of the slightest praise.
Oh Psychic accident So they wait for the moment that made them precious. Many people experience a big decrease in well-being, mood swings and feelings of emptiness, which result in tougher challenges than the pursuit of medals.
When they stop, a player's routine, perspective and environment completely change, and The immediate goal driving their performance disappears.. Moreover, the media attention or recognition that usually gives intending to their suffering evaporates.
This is the trap of success, which is throughout the reach of only a select few. If not faced with a transparent head, it could actually wear the player down and create Unilateral dependence on expected or awaited reward.
It's like feeling just like the pillars that support them are slowly falling apart, when the truth is they're being put back together. The athlete thought that the one fight was on the track, the sphere, the race course, or the ring or the swimming pool, but now they face every day struggles, which also require labor and dedication.
Time to reinvent yourself
This is the moment when the actual person emerges, incorporating (or emphasizing) the values ​​which have driven their sporting success, reminiscent of humility or responsibility.
Despite the non-public and emotional pain that follows a contest, the means of change (and it's a rare change in life) is a fantastic opportunity for the athlete to grow and discover a greater version of themselves. This is a moment of adjustment during which They recover from the vulnerability that comes from being completely focused on their goals..
It can be a time Focus on their health. (having fun with food, sleeping, doing therapeutic exercise, being bored), feeling near family members (loving and being loved without having praise), knowing the worth of whatever they do ( Creating routines at home and away, taking over recent activities (hobbies), connecting with nature, experiencing recent cultures and ways of living, etc.
Finally, for sports professionals, retirement could be a fantastic opportunity. Explore different ways to watch the game. Outside of high-level competition: to know how children play, to look at how hard amateur athletes work, or how people recuperate from illness or injury.
“When all the noise goes away, you realize you're fighting for more than medals: you're pushing yourself to do something that sometimes feels like you've done it. Not even decided, nor do you know why you wanted it?”
The anonymous athlete weeks after competing within the Olympic Games.