Creating Balance as an Athlete

Have you ever felt guilty for not training in your free time? 

You feel like you should train because you have big goals, but at the same time you want to chill a little bit. 

Do you ever feel like your sport is your entire life? 

You’d love to hang out with your friends but instead you're living in FOMO because you’ve got a tournament to go to. Or maybe you have other things/activities you want to try but sport is your priority always. 

Sometimes when sport becomes your entire life, it can lead to dreading it or even resenting it. 

Without an even balance in your life, you can get burnt out. 

And if you add in the pressure to meet certain expectations, goals, or standards to the life balance equation, sport doesn’t feel as fun or enjoyable anymore. 

There’s a feeling of having to perform or be perfect because sport is your entire life. But this is a dangerous line to walk. You may end up wrapping your identity completely into being an athlete. Your value can get wrapped into your performance. 

This means you feel like a failure if you don’t perform perfectly. If you’re not getting results then you feel that you’re letting people or yourself down. Or you feel guilty for not training in your free time.

This is the exact reason why balance is such an important thing to have in your life as an athlete. 

So often I hear professional athletes discussing how they overcame a spurt of not performing at their best. And you know what they say helped? Having more balance in their life! As they reflect they found that their sport became their entire life. They ended up wrapping their entire identity around being an athlete. And once they created more balance in their life and found other ways to express themselves beyond sport, their performance improved as well. 

The answer isn’t always more practicing. Sometimes, taking a step back can be just as beneficial. 

So how can you create more balance in your life? 

First, ask yourself these questions: 

• Who are you beyond sport? 

• What do you like? 

• What are you interested in?

• What are you passionate about? 

• What are things you want to try? 

These questions can help you discover parts of you aside from being an athlete. They can help you to try new things, put more time into your interests so that you don’t feel like sport is your entire life. So, how can you find more time for some of these activities, interests, and hobbies? You’ll never regret having a greater sense of identity beyond your sport. 

Second, giving yourself time for rest and recovery is equally important. Recovery isn’t only beneficial physically but also mentally. Your mind needs time to shut off from sport, to process things, and to put it to use in other ways. 

How do you rest and recharge your mind? Find what nourishes you. Maybe it’s journaling, spending time with friends and family, or listening to music. Find what works for you and try to make time for this once a week. 

Having balance in your life will provide benefits in and out of sport. It allows you to see your value beyond the field, and as a result you will perform better. And, when you don’t feel like your sport is a job, you enjoy it so much more! 

Need a little more balance in your sports life? Schedule a consultation today!