I remember having so many questions as a collegiate athlete during my junior and senior years. As a DI athlete, there was no rule book on what I should focus on after graduation. What will my workouts look like? Should I bring up my athletic experience during interviews? What is a 401K!? The questions kept coming as graduation got closer.
Guys…. when I tell you I was stressed, I was stressed big time! These days I read about student-athletes’ well being and the concerns remain the same, or are worse due to the constantly changing economy, adjustments from COVID and more.
Focusing on the future as an athlete can be challenging, but there are a few things we can do to help us reach success as we move forward. Here are six areas that athletes can focus on when adjusting to life after being a competitive athlete:
6 Tips for Athletes Adjusting to Life After Sports
Your academic future. If you’re finishing up your final year or two of school, make sure you tie up all loose ends in the classroom:
- Submit all papers, projects, and do well on your exams. Aim for the best grades possible so that you can wrap up your academic career with pride.
- Check in with your guidance counselor to make sure you’re on track to graduate. Find out if you need to complete any classes or internships to walk across that graduation stage.
- Touch base with good professors, friends or peers that you didn’t have time for during the season. Connecting with them now and staying in touch will be something you wont regret.
Your career. Focusing on your career can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be if you start early. If you’re starting from scratch, approach your career search as if you were a young athlete: most athletes don’t practice, lift and compete all in the same day. Success happens over time, so focus on only a few aspects of the job hunt at a time:
- Your network. Find people within your network, or reach out to industry leaders you admire. Learn about potential openings in their industries or ask if any of their connections are looking for new hires.
- Informational interviews. Information interviews are great opportunities to learn about the real life experience of someone working within an organization or company. This technique helped me learn more about different industries before actively applying for a role
- Job applications. Unless you have a direct hook up, you may not score the first job you apply for. Keep applying and don’t feel discouraged when you don’t get that ‘dream job’. There will be bigger and better opportunities for you.
- Volunteer opportunities. Consider potential volunteer opportunities you’d enjoy. If you’re not training or competing anymore, you may have more time in your day. Volunteering gives you a great activity to do that helps the community and opens up your network to more friends and potential job opportunities.
Nutrition. Every athlete I know has had to adjust to their relationship with food once they stop being an athlete full-time. After I graduated it took me a while to realize what portion sizes worked for me, especially since the past decade of my life was focused on fueling and filling up to achieve athletic milestones.
As you plan for your future, I recommend focusing on what you consume, not how much you eat. Sugars, candy, soda’s and more can affect your performance and mood. Find out how your metabolism reacts to certain foods and if necessary, use a food tracker to monitor portion control and identify the different types of food groups you’re consuming each day.
A new workout plan. After I completed my DI playing career I needed time off. However, I knew I’d continue working out because of the health benefits and the feel good effects I experience after a workout. Once you’re ready to get back on the grind, consider the following things when putting together your new workout regimen:
- What types of workouts do you enjoy? Are they the same or different than when you were a student-athlete?
- What time of day is best for your workouts? Does early morning work best or do you prefer later in the afternoon or evening?
- Can you find a free space or facility to workout in, or do you need to find a gym that falls within your budget?
Creating accountability. When there’s no coach or trainer to push you, how ambitious are you? Not having records to break, lifting goals, or a season to prepare for forced me to set my own personal and professional benchmarks… which required me to hold myself accountable.
This also meant rewarding myself when I reached a goal. A HUGE part of helping me with my accountability included rewarding myself with each goal I reached personally and professionally. Keeping track of my progress each week and month also helped me figure out my next steps as I went.
Mental health. If you were that athlete who figured they would deal with mental health after your athletic career, then this is the time to focus on you! Athletes, just like non-athletes, are no stranger to mental health challenges: stress, anxiety, depression and other challenges are all normal especially when making life changes.
I remember being very stressed and anxious when I stopped playing ball. Feeling a little lost on what would be my new identity after DI basketball, figuring out a new schedule, a new workout routine, the list when on. This is the time to give yourself grace, take your time in adjusting to a new life without the team environment you had, and if necessary, seek out the help of a therapist to help you with the transition.