I have written a few times about my feelings when my involvement in sports as a coach was winding down. You can access these past posts via these two links.
when-the-final-whistle-blows-for-the-last-time.html an-open-letter-the-final-whistle-has-blown.html However, today I wanted to write from the the point of view of an athlete. Sooner or later, every athlete's playing days will come to a close. For most, there will not be the chance to earn a living as a professional athlete and experience all the glory and benefits that come with it. Some will stop playing after youth sport, or maybe, high school or university.. .but the fact remains, for every athlete there will be an end. It is often said that a sports star will die twice, the first time at retirement. For elite athletes who have dedicated their lives to sport, what happens when your time comes to an end, if you aren’t an athlete, then who are you? Elite athletes train extensively for years, in many cases, consuming the majority of their young lives, often making extensive personal sacrifices in order to pursue their dreams of glory. These may include making huge financial sacrifices, moving away from family to train full-time in academies, calling time on their academic studies and sacrificing personal or romantic relationships. For many athletes, retirement is a concept that they do not wish to think about in great detail. However, whether they have achieved Olympic glory or failed to reach the pinnacle in their sport that they had aspired to, all athletes’ careers will eventually come to a close, whether this is through age, injury or exhaustion. However, what happens to these athletes once they leave the days filled with rigorous training, the extensive time spent traveling and the buzz and adrenaline of competing? The first and most obvious answer is that all of a sudden there is a huge hole in one's schedule. All the time spent training, preparing and competing is now gone and the athlete has to find something to fill that void. I can tell you from experience, I went through that my first fall when all of a sudden I had tons of time of my hands and no idea what to do to fill it up. Of course, for some athletes, when they can end their sporting careers on their terms, they can't wait to go on to new ventures in their lives and can find themselves much happier now that the pressure of competing is no longer a burden. However, not all athletes will enter retirement with such ease and willingness, many will struggle with adapting to a “regular life” where they are no longer in the limelight and perhaps in their eyes, become forgotten members of society. Sport career termination induces dramatic changes in athletes’ personal, social and occupational lives, this can in turn potentially affect individuals cognitively, emotionally and behaviorally. The transition that is made by professional or simply top caliber amateur athletes from a full-time athletic career to that of retirement has received considerable comments in the sports media, however, it only in recent years that it has warranted formal academic study. There is more and more evidence indicating that the transition is often found to be difficult because of the sudden cessation of intense demands of elite athletic performance, compounded by the sudden loss of the athlete’s intense devotion to athletic competition and its attendant rewards. This is the time in their lives where they may be susceptible to some level of depression. For many athletes, the situation is simply, a combination of an significant increase of free time, a sense of unfinished business and perhaps not being able to find anything in their day to lives which matches the intensity and send of accomplishment of training and competing has athletes searching for the "next thing". The longer it takes them to fill the void, the bigger the impact it can have on their well being. What exactly is it that often leads retired professional athletes to spiral into depression once they leave the days filled with rigorous training, the pressure of competition and the glory days behind them? There are a few factors in my humble opinion..... Loss of Identity An individual’s identity may contain numerous dimensions, however, it is possible for one in particular to become dominant or preferred and a lens through which the others are viewed. Athletic identity is described as the degree to which an individual identifies with the athlete role and looks to others for acknowledgement of that role. The neglect of other roles as a consequence of the ascendancy of a single role may therefore expose the individual to subsequent identity issues. It has been hypothesized that the loss of a preferred or dominant role may subsequently effect a person’s overall self-concept From that, one can only logically draw the conclusion then that individuals with a high athletic identity at the time of retirement would be more likely to experience a higher degree of emotional adjustment difficulties. Many athletes who have struggled to come to terms with their retirement, often show some level of profound sense of loss in their lives that athletes may experience after putting their competing days behind them. Tunnel Vision Syndrome A “tunnel vision syndrome” affects many elite athletes to varying degrees at some stage of their careers. It is often the case that coaches, parents, professional sports agents and general managers are able to see it, however, athletes who are unaware that they suffer from tunnel vision spend far too much time thinking only of training, competition and results. As a result, athletes are left ill-prepared for the balanced perspective required of “real world” career opportunities. I think people suffer from depression after retiring from sport because they aren’t sure where to apply that focus…there is a lot of focus and a lot of selfishness in sportsmen. Athletes often cannot see their lives following another career path and as soon as the dreaded retirement looms, with this, brings a void that the comfort of a training routine once filled. Potential Biological Factors Of course, one must also keep in the mind the importance that biological factors may play in an athlete who is struggling in their retirement. Athletes have had regular doses of serotonin daily for many years, when this is suddenly decreased or stopped outright, we see a huge upset to the chemistry of the body. A causal link between an imbalance in serotonin levels and depression has been explored by a number of researchers, however, more research in retired athletes posits exploration. We also see athletes who have focused on keeping their bodies in optimal competitive condition break down as the accumulation of wear and tear on the body catches up. When athletes stop training, they may see a huge swing towards letting their physical well being go. So how might they be able to transition from athlete to retired athlete? There are a number of ways that athletes can help to reduce the chances of depression after retirement from sport, these include:
Athletes by nature are mentally tough individuals and are often perceived by the public to be fitter, healthier and happier than others. It is this attitude and stereotyping that can make it more difficult for them to approach someone for help. Therefore it is highly important for close family, friends, team mates and coaches to understand that depression cannot always be seen and the athlete may indeed never admit to how they feel for fear of shame and embarrassment. The most important take home message is to understand that despite their incredible success in their hard-fought and dedicated careers, the process of retirement is a difficult one and it is in this time that social support and communication is of vital importance if the athlete is to avoid the dreaded post-retirement blues. As I have often said, just my humble opinion
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
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