Many athletes have been there- that feeling when you’re mentally and physically tired, have trouble focusing, or maybe you’re a little anxious. I’m referring to the feeling of burnout. Symptoms of burnout in athletes may include:
- Low strength and speed when training, practicing or competing
- Fatigue or trouble sleeping
- Trouble completing simple exercises
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritable or not interested in everyday things
- Anxious or depressed
If you’re an over achiever (you rock!) you’ve probably experienced burnout. As an athlete, a student, a worker and as a mom, I’ve definitely experienced burnout many times in my life. Through trial and error along with the support of my family, I’ve developed a few techniques to help me prevent and treat burnout anytime I feel fatigued, depressed or irritable.
While I don’t do each of the eight steps below every time I feel burned out, I always make sure I’m communicating with others, getting proper rest, eating healthy and prioritize being kind to myself. Here are eight ways I treat symptoms of burnout.
8 Strategies for Preventing Athlete Burnout
Step 1: communicate & set boundaries. Communicating to others is usually the first thing I do when I realize my metaphorical cup is full and I need a break. Even if I don’t know what to do first, I talk to Kurt, pick up the phone to reach family, or send an email to my supervisor if I need to take a rare personal day.
Letting others know that I need time to pause is always my first step. This way, they will know if I need a few moments to myself and will respect that time.
Step 2: set time aside to focus. I usually don’t burn out from one thing. For me, burnout happens when multiple things happen at once, over a few days or weeks: long work hours + seasonal work events + caring for a sick toddler + back to back family activities, etc.
If I’m not sure why I feel irritable, tired, or anxious, I take a few minutes to look at my schedule from the past few weeks: was I able to schedule in ‘me time’ or sessions to workout, watch a show or listen to a podcast? Have I made time for activities that make me feel better at home like making sure my room is clean or making time to do my laundry? Taking time to identify what’s overwhelming me helps me identify what I should focus on next.
Step 3: practice self-compassion. A quick word of advice: treating burnout typically doesn’t happen overnight. One bubble bath or a DIY spa night won’t fix it. I’ve learned a huge part of my burnout treatment is controlling the voice in my head to stop negative self talk. Thoughts like “you should’ve done more of x” or “why didn’t you finish x when you had the time?” doesn’t help me bounce back.
Just like motivational coach, I focus on positive affirmations and give myself a lot of compassion and praise for all of the things I am able to do and continue to get better at.
Step 4: prioritize sleep. No matter if I’m a little sluggish or supper burnt out, I will make time to prioritize sleep. I’ve learned through the years that I’m at my best when I can get at least 8 hours of sleep. Is that harder to do with children? Absolutely, but I adjust my schedule get as much shut eye as possible.
Step 5: grocery shop and meal prep. It might seem counter productive to do more when I’m burnt out, but if I’m able, grocery shopping and prepping a few meals helps me feel better.
When I have a million things on my plate, I usually take short cuts by spending more money eating out and finding shortcuts with my food. Grocery shopping for clean and healthy ingredients like fresh fruits, vegetables, protein and sides help boost my mood.
I don’t cook a whole feast. Instead, I make easy meals that can be eaten fresh (think sheet pan chicken teriyaki & vegetables, or zucchini linguine pasta) or comfort foods I can prep for now and freeze half for later (for example, stuffed shells or mac and cheese). The feel-good effect of eating a home cooked meal, healthy snacks and saving money helps boost my mood.
Step 6: do something fun. While I enjoy my work and what I do, I’ve learned I have to do something fun and completely mindless to help me bounce back. This can include reading a magazine or book. But I’ll be honest: it usually it involves me watching a horror movie or a rom com. Doing something that isn’t productive at all is usually the perfect activity to help me reset and get back to my work.
Step 7: exercise. If you’re a current student-athlete… disregard this…. FOR REAL! You already workout multiple times a week to the point where exercising more won’t help. You know this ?
As a former athlete with a full time job, it’s easy to make excuses or fill my time up with other tasks every week. Instead, I feel best when I prioritize a 30-45 minute workout in each morning. My workouts can be anything from cardio, spin, weights, basketball drills or pick up. Since I don’t have the schedule of a DI athlete anymore, working out daily helps boost my mood before I start my day
Step 8: create an accomplishments list. When I feel really deflated, reading a list of my personal accomplishments helps motivate me to get back on track and more importantly, it helps me see all of the good I’ve done if I’m being really hard on myself.
You can keep an existing list, or write a new list each time. The point is to spend a few minutes reading a list of your proudest accomplishments, athletic and otherwise, that you can reference when you’re not feeling 100%. Review this list to help you realize how hard you work, how amazing you are, and to help remind yourself that this feeling is only temporary.