Give yourself a break

By Sean Rooney on April 20, 2018.

For athletes of all levels, training is a structured concept. You set up whether you’ll be training daily or weekly, what you’ll be working on, and how you’ll monitor your progress. All of these are important steps to help you achieve success.

One step that is often overlooked or scares athletes is the idea of taking a break.

Yes, rest days are often incorporated into training schedules, but even then it’s not a for sure thing. But when is the last time you can say you took time off training for no other reason than you needed a mental break? Probably rarely, as it’s often a stigma that if you’re taking a mental break, you’re mentally cracked or broken, and that something is wrong with you.

More and more we’re hearing about the importance of mental health and taking care of your own brain and well being. This is not a new concept, but rather one that is finally getting the attention it deserves. Taking care of our mental health is just as important as taking care of our physical health. Both should be viewed as equals and should be managed in balance in order to achieve full potential.

Taking care of your mental health can be done in several different ways. Goal-setting to reduce stress, evaluations to track progress and monitor success, celebrating success and achievements in order to boost confidence, but also knowing when to step away and take a break.

Taking a break, whether it is from a moment in a game or a week’s worth of training, is a mental tool that helps with emotional control and energy management. If we think of a short term break, for example an athlete stepping away from a bad call, taking a few deep breaths, and refocusing on a positive approach, this will help to control those emotional outbursts that may bring negative reactions. We often see these negative reactions in the form of fights, officials making calls against players, or penalization of those players who appear out of control. In this case, taking a quick break will allow an athlete to continue to stay focused on what is important, and ignore those things they do not have control over.

What is the value of taking a longer break? First, you’re going to see reduced stress and energy levels, as sport may have become a source of anxiety. With this reduced stress, self-reflection and evaluation becomes a lot easier. Being able to look clearly at yourself, your progress, and re-evaluating your goals as necessary allows you to make the best decisions you can for yourself.

Furthermore, a break is sometimes necessary to reduce the likelihood of burnout. The term burnout refers to the feeling an athlete gets when they start to lose motivation, love, and passion for their sport. Sometimes this is a result of being pushed in a direction they didn’t want to go, and sometimes it is from over-training. Risks of burnout include injury to yourself, others, and dropping out of sport. Obviously none of these are desirable outcomes, so some time away may be necessary to achieve clarity in one’s mind.

Sometimes a break may be necessary to simply evaluate yourself and ask, what is next? It may be a change in goals, a change in career path, or a transition out of sport. All of those are tough decisions to make, but are made much easier with a clear mind. That clear mind will bring a sense of calm and a feeling of control to your training and your approach, and will lead you forward onto your next adventure, whatever that may be.

Taking a break is important to maintain balance, mental health, and clarity. You owe it to yourself to take care of yourself, and don’t overlook the importance of your mental well-being. It is amazing what a change in perspective can do for your game plan, your goals, and your future.

Courtney Marchesin, MA, sport psychology consultant, is the mental skills coach for the Alberta Sport Development Centre — Southeast. She can be contacted at courtneymarchesin@gmail.com.

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