Given ongoing news headlines about cruelty to animals, people and environments in crisis, war torn countries, mistreatment, and general malaise, I was feeling overwhelmed and wanted to do something about these sufferings. Closer than headlines, I witnessed a man killed by a drunk driver at a street festival directly in front of me. So close, it could have been me. As I was running the next day, pondering my near death, I felt such powerful energy in my heart, and was reminded how fleeting is this precious life. I committed to do a 24 hour ultra run as a way to honor that man’s life and all of life, as I felt the pain and pleasure of life in my heart. Like the discomfort and pleasure of running, this feeling calls and expands me. As helpless as I sometimes feel to do anything about worldly struggles, I decided I could at least hold a space of kindness for 24 hrs. as a way to tell the universe, “I’m here, use me for good, I feel this pain of compassion. I can do something.” I did do something. The compassion I felt was as tangible as my running, because I shared it with others. The event and the running were elements of an expansive storm of compassion, leading to an optimal experience of sacred activism.
Some may shake their heads in disbelief at the thought of running for 24 hours, or doing anything for a solid 24 hours for that matter, but people do it and for different reasons. A 24 hour ultra run contains the challenge of covering as much distance as possible within 24 hours of time. It can be considered an impossible hardship by some, but for others it’s a worthy physical and mental challenge that may create a profound, life changing experience- an optimal experience. I believe compassion is a main ingredient in optimal experiences, whether running, working, or making apple pie. Sharing that compassion makes it even more powerful and I write about the “24” as a way to share it further.
Compassion: Co-Suffering
Holding compassion and loving-kindness in my heart for as much of the 24 hours as possible, I believed that my experience of the event would be enhanced, and my performance would also improve. Turning the day of running into an exercise in loving-kindness meditation, I intended to hold all the suffering I could think of, my own and that of others’, for the duration while consistently sending kindness to it. That, I believed, would keep me going no matter what physical discomfort or breakdowns might occur.
Let’s get clear about what I was holding in my awareness. According to wikipedia:
“Compassion is the virtue of empathy for the suffering of others. It is regarded as a fundamental part of human love, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism —foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.”
“Compassion is often regarded as emotional in nature, and there is an aspect of compassion which regards a quantitative dimension, such that individual's compassion is often given a property of "depth," "vigor," or "passion." The etymology of "compassion" is Latin, meaning "co-suffering." More virtuous than simple empathy, compassion commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another's suffering. It is often, though not inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism.”
Compassion as a practice can be thought of as Sacred Activisim. Andrew Harvey (2009) suggested that the core message of all the world’s spiritual revelation is that “lasting happiness springs from only true love of the Divine, the world, others, and a true love that expresses itself tirelessly in wise and compassionate action, and can lead not only to lasting inner joy but also to profound transformation of outer reality.” I resonate with this, I’m all about transformation!
Harvey goes on to say that a Sacred Activist is someone who experiences the joy and effectiveness of compassionate service. Acting from deepest compassion and wisdom, a Sacred Activist is someone who is committed to being a “tiny ripple of hope” and a “center of energy and daring” in the face of chaos, suffering, and violence. Yes! I want to be that! The vision of Sacred Activism includes going through danger and difficulty with a “tender heart, peaceful mind, and an increasingly supple and loving body, and a passionate, restless hunger to do all you can to preserve human and animal life on earth.” I’d like to think that my desire to participate and my experience of the “24” was a lab for the skills of the Sacred Activist.
Compassion “Lab” Examples
There was intermittent rain for about 18 hours of the 24. The winds were strong gusts at times, blowing runners’ tents, gear, and crew around. The temperatures dropped to low 40°F during the night. 6.5 hours into the race, a severe hail storm hit that required staying centered through focus. The race director was announcing to all runners to proceed at their own risk and advising all to take cover. I pressed on. I opened my arms wide and breathed it all in, thinking to myself, “I love this experience, I am lucky to be able to do this.” One of my crew members caught up and gave me some gloves, both the warmth of the gloves he offered and his own helped me to be happy and smile amidst “terrible” weather. I kept returning to my focus on compassion, the warmth was inside, no matter what was going on around me, and it was enhanced by the warmth that I shared with a co-compassioner. Tender heart.
Each time it rained, I thought how much I love rain and felt happy. At the same time, I was concerned about my crew and hoped that each of them was ok, whenever I passed and had a moment with one of them, I’d ask how all the others were doing. I didn’t want them to suffer on my behalf, but knew they probably were struggling in the inclement weather. Co-suffering. Compassion for my crew and supporters was present for the duration of the event.
At my lowest mental spot, I began to question if it was compassionate toward myself to keep going. I knew this was a temporary discussion with myself and would pass. “No, the compassion is not for myself right now, I want it to be for others and I will keep going for all those who suffer, as I planned.” Yes of course, compassion for self, but my energy widened when I shifted to compassion for others. It was at this time that another member of my crew joined me for some laps, his presence and his blistered feet marked his compassion and co-suffering.
Despite my careful nutritional planning and practicing with all sources during training, something happened around the 8 hour mark. This is where I struggled the most to hold compassion- toward my GI tract. I was frustrated that I had to keep stopping to use the bathroom for fear of “losing it,” and losing precious running time. Then I thought of all the people who suffer with hardships of all sorts, drug problems, depression, anxiety, marital issues, things they think they can’t bear and fear “losing it” in other ways. I kept going and made friends with losing it. I just kept going. The storms of weather and my belly just gave me more opportunity to go deeper into compassion for others who suffer, as I brought them to my awareness over and over again. I sent kindness to them and thanked my GI tract for giving me the opportunity to practice more.
As much as I can describe my individual experience, as all of us who ran the race could, what stands out to me most is that all of my efforts were really not my own. As much as I sent love to my muscles, embraced the hail, the rain, the wind, the cold, I felt the embrace of the people around me, my crew/supporters and others with whom I had the pleasure to briefly connect. This was truly the embodiment of compassion. I kept feeling love for the Divine and others who were there with me- my crew, fellow runners, volunteers, passersby.
My goal of holding compassion for 24 hrs. was something that naturally enlisted others to do the same, the “tiny ripple” of sacred activism. There was a rawness to what was happening outside of the physical terrain. My crew was “dialed in” to me, especially because of the weather conditions and hardship of it, and I could feel it. It energized me. I felt my raw sore heart more deeply because I had co-conspirators and witnesses. There were people who cared about me enough to brave the conditions with me, and that grew my energy. I hoped to make a difference by holding those who suffer in mind, maybe not directly changing their situations, but creating a space of energy for them, an expansion of awareness. That space of energy in the face of the difficulty of the race and weather, created a ripple of compassion that was directly experienced by those around me. I know that ripple expanded wide to others who weren’t present at the race. That is Sacred Activism. We all had heightened awareness and an energy to “do” something more in the spirit of compassion that went beyond the running event. How can I take this energy and help humanity?
As night gave way to the morning, and the final hours of the event were ticking by, supporters showed up with coffee and donuts. Again, I felt the strength of their presence and was grateful for support. At one point, I tapped my heart and pointed to two of my friends and sent them love. As I strode by, I heard one of them say she might cry. I felt that connection, strongly. It gave me energy in final laps, so much so that I sprinted the final lap as my co-compassioners joined me.
Elements of Optimal Experience: Sharing, Centering, Challenging
Sharing Compassion
As I described in the examples above, the compassion focus helped to create the best possible experience for me. It anchored me amidst the stormy weather and the storm in my body. Because this was my focus, it became the focus of my crew as well (the people who were there to assist me with gear, hydration/nutrition, first aid, and general support). Despite the inclement weather, we all had a fantastic experience together as a team. I could see and feel the contagion of positivity spread to others around us. Sharing the experience made it optimal and sacred.
Centering on Compassion
Finding balance within, or remaining present and centered, no matter what is going on in or around you, is an element of what is termed “optimal experience” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Some find this place when they push on their perceived limits, transcending themselves and somehow feeling more fully alive and awake. Choosing to focus and concentrate on what you want to, you filter what you want to pay attention to from what you don’t. You could think of centered as being able to manage your energy, or manage yourself despite what is happening around you. The process of the continued efforts to do this are what is satisfying, or makes people feel “happy.” My continued focus on compassion made me feel happy even in hail, rain, cold, and cramping conditions. Compassion was a strong anchor for centering, more strong, I believe, than any other goals I have entertained during running in the past.
No matter what role you are playing (athlete, parent, business person), when you are centered and clear about your purpose, the larger mission, the reason for engaging in the activity in the first place, you enjoy it more. When athletes learn to control their minds during sport activities, they put order to consciousness. This ordering makes it possible to enjoy the activity at hand whatever it is, and have an optimal experience- big enjoyment! With enjoyment, performance improves. I created that necessary order by focusing on compassion, and I know that my performance was enhanced. I had a clear mission and goals (24 hours for compassion, 100 miles, injury free), was immersed in the activity, and was very present and focused each step of the way as much as possible. Running for 24 hrs. was a great opportunity to test how much enjoyment could be derived from things that might seem temporarily “terrible”!
Challenges with Compassion
Cultivating optimal experience is knowing how to see challenges as opportunities rather than as threats. There were many challenges within the 24 hours, and I can tell you it was most definitely a standout optimal experience because of these. There was the terrible hail storm that shredded the emergency rain poncho I was wearing. There was heavy rain. There was high wind. There was cold, I couldn’t feel my hands for awhile. I had muscles screaming at me. These were challenges that I met “head on.” I want to emphasize that I believe it wasn’t just what I did personally to manage these things that gave me an optimal experience, it was the shared experience with my crew and others. I felt connected to them, and in that connection I felt connected to the larger web of life, the Divine. With that, it was almost easy to keep framing and re-framing my experience as a welcome challenge, rather than a hardship. It is fitting that the elements were strong as we witnessed to each other in the fury of a storm, the literal one in Cleveland, and the metaphorical one that exists around us in the news and daily lives.
Conclusion
I’ve published other articles about how running and sports teach us about and give us practice in relationship work. Although I draw from scientific and scholarly materials, what I share in these articles is, in part, my personal experience as another form of data. Here is what I learned from this “24.”
The “24” is a challenge I enjoyed. Two years ago, I used it as a way to push my physical limits and see how deeply I could go “inside,” go somewhere spiritually divine because of the physical experience. This time, I wanted to use the time to simply embody compassion as much as possible. Yes, of course, there was the running, the preparation, the nutrition. Those were a context for a grand focus on compassion. The spiritual experience was the main event this time, not just a by-product of the physical push. My intention to connect to compassion made the running enjoyable even when it was physically very uncomfortable. I had an outcome goal of 100 miles in mind that I was prepared for, but that was secondary to the compassion task. Rather than peak or optimal performance, my focus was compassion which I think led to both optimal experience and optimal performance. My results showed me that focus on experience rather than performance, does indeed improve performance. And more importantly, there was a process in place that created energy for transformation internally and externally that fits with sacred activism.
I can say without question, that this last running endeavor showed me truly about the power of shared energy, co-suffering, compassion. The energy of my heart to keep going was fueled by the hearts of those around me. I was happy to be there, happy to be alive, I was happy to see the faces of my people each time I completed a lap, happy to see the event volunteers, the timing guy keeping track of all my work, happy to be in the elements, and happy to see other runners on the challenge. I was happy because I was working hard toward that 24 hour mark with a team of people around me and it was all rooted in the “passion of compassion.” Although I carry compassion as consistently as possible in my daily life, this event deepened my experience of it. You don’t have to run for 24 hours to access this, it’s a moment by moment awareness and re-focusing. Compassion is powerful and can bring energy to accomplishing things you might not think possible- especially when you have “co-compassioners,” or like-hearted individuals around you. Your team is important. Your mission is important. Know what it is.
When I felt myself start to suffer physically, I thought of shelter dogs, people who suffer in war, people who suffer in poverty, people who suffer with pain of immobility, people who suffer with anxiety and depression, or painful relationships. I held all of that suffering tight like a sweet baby, and I told her, “It’s all ok, I’m here for you. I have endless kindness for you and all your brothers and sisters.” My own suffering disappeared again, gone. And only my raw, sore, tender heart was in my awareness, again, and again. Each time I passed my crew it would expand, as I touched them with my eyes and smile inside and out. With that connection, I felt the happy/sad, tender heart flooding out of me. It made me want to run faster even when my body was resisting. This personal and shared storm of compassion was, by far, the most powerful element of the day, far more powerful than hail, rain, and winds. In fact, those storms brought me to THE optimal experience- Love. Love for self, for other, for life, for the world and for all good transformational suffering. Oh, and divine running.
Whether a running event, volunteering time, being the best partner in a relationship, daily work, or baking apple pie, I call you to find something Divine that makes you feel useful, gives you joy, and places you in the role of a Sacred Activist. It’s time to transform. “Sacred Activists are being invited to realize, not only the joy and meaning that comes from being truly useful to others, but something even more transformative. They are being invited to experience for themselves, how, when human beings turn consciously to the Divine in whatever form they know it and dedicate themselves humbly to a transformation that can make them instruments of Divine Love, they become individual, living fields of Divine Grace-empty vessels that can be filled with Divine Power that can seem wondrous, even miraculous, to others.” (Harvey, 2009, 13)
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper Collins: New York, New York.
Harvey, A. (2009). The Hope: A Guide to Sacred Activism. Hayhouse, Inc.: Carlsbad, CA.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Breaking Burnout
Are you logging a lot of miles driving to sport practices and competitions, eating dinner and/or doing homework during the rides? And don’t really like to? Are you constantly scheduling multiple team practices and games at the expense of other non-sport activities that you feel like you miss? Are you tired of a sport you once enjoyed? Is it no longer fun? Do you feel run down from running so much? Rigorous training schedules can stretch you to your limits. Olympians and 8 year olds alike need to rest at times. But knowing when it’s time to push and time to rest can be tricky. Coaches, parents, and athletes themselves often go beyond a level of activity and intensity that actually sustains or improves performance. The coach, the parent, and the athlete may say that they are driving toward having best performance, or teaching youth about discipline, but patterns of overtraining can lead to staleness, underperforming, and even burnout and depression.
The demands of sport are part of what make it fun and enjoyable, a flow activity. But, demands can become overwhelming. Many coaches have expectations about activity and intensity that create burnout in athletes rather than improved or best performances. A big factor in burnout comes from coach and parent messages, athletes may internalize these and carry them in and out of sport to adulthood. These may include inappropriate expectations and overemphasis on rankings or winning. Pressure, perfectionism, and physical demands of training may lead to physical and psychological stress, and this turns into burnout over time when it is too much for the individual and the stress is unmanaged.
Many of you know burned out athletes, or maybe you are one, yourself. Some current data supports that burnout is experienced by many athletes. Various research studies conclude: 72% of college athletes reported staleness during their seasons, 47% reported burnout at some point during their college sport career; at least 60% of elite distance runners had at least one episode of staleness in their running careers, and 30% of sub-elite but highly trained runners experienced burnout; individual athlete sports may be related to higher levels of burnout than team sports; once you get stale, you are more likely to be stale again; coaches and trainers are at a high risk for burnout, much like the athletes they assist (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Based on the literature, experience working with athletes, and my own athletic experience, burnout is common. Sport performance suffers- most athletes want to be doing their best, that’s not possible if they’re struggling with burnout. We all want to enjoy ourselves in life, sport is an avenue for that. Without awareness of symptoms that suggest it’s all too much, sport can create more suffering than enjoyment.
So let’s get our terms clear. What exactly are overtraining, staleness, burnout, and related concepts?
Definitions
Individualized Training
One skill that gives an athlete an edge over competitors is arousal management. Athletes that can manage their energy, being aware of what is just the right amount of excitement, the right amount of calm and relaxation, at the right times, will be able to channel energy into their performance in a way that enhances it. For example, some athletes need to be very cool and quiet prior to competition, some need to talk and be loud and move around a lot. Each has an optimal level of arousal that readies them to perform at their best. Similar to this, managing energy in terms of practice sessions and training is equally important. What is negative overtraining for one athlete, may be an optimal training zone for another. This is why it is so important for parents, coaches, and trainers to individualize training programs- some athletes will need more rest than others in order to have optimal performances. The individual athlete has to have a say about activity level and intensity.
Periodized training
This is the strategy of engaging in high volume and high intensity training loads, followed by lower training loads, a.k.a. rest or taper. The goal is to condition oneself so that performance peaks at a specific date or time frame, for a race or competition. The trick is to slowly increase the load so that optimal adaptation occurs and injury and staleness do not. For those who may be negatively addicted (see definition below) to exercise, tapering and rest may be very difficult.
Overtraining
A few days to a few weeks of excessive training loads that are at or near maximal capacity, max efforts. Overload creates adaptation, after rest and recovery, resulting in more strength or fitness and improved performance. If training volume is too much, if there’s too much stress (constant soreness, negative coaching behavior, parental pressure, work stress, family issues, etc.), or lack of rest, overtraining will instead lead to deteriorated performance. So overloading can lead to gains or losses in performance, as well as no changes at all. Negative overtraining first leads to staleness, then to burnout. The right amount of overtraining varies highly by the individual, so what leads to improved performance for one athlete, may decrease another’s.
Positive vs. negative exercise addiction
Positive exercise addiction means one incorporates fitness into a daily routine and this enhances quality of life, while not interfering with other important things such as family, relationships, work, etc. Some refer to it as a “healthy habit.” Negative addiction to exercise means one is consumed by exercise and fitness at the expense of well being. An exercise addict will continue exercise activity even when injury could be made worse, and when it is interfering with work and social relationships to the extent that everything “takes a backseat” to the exercise. There is tolerance and withdrawal, for example longer and longer distances in running to get the same feeling, and mood disorder symptoms present when one has to stop temporarily (i.e., injury, taper, rest). Tension, restless, irritable, depressed, relationship problems, and guilt may be present when someone who is negatively addicted to exercise can’t exercise. These athletes are usually aware that they have a compulsion to workout.
Staleness- “I’m tired, I can’t seem to get the job done in the last few games/races.”
Stale means having a hard time training in the usual way, performance is suffering. It usually results from overtraining, coincides with a reduction in performance for 2 weeks or more, and fails to improve even after short term breaks or reduced intensity training. The main behavioral sign of staleness is impaired performance. The main psychological symptoms include disturbance in mood (angry, irritable, flat, lethargic) and increase in perceptual effort during exercise. Practice and fitness seem harder than they used to be. Symptoms of depression may be present.
Signs and Symptoms of Staleness:
Poor performance, apathy, lethargy, sleep disturbance, weight loss, elevated resting heart rate/blood pressure, muscle pain or soreness, mood changes, GI disturbances, slow recovery from exertion, loss appetite, overuse injuries, immune system deficiency/getting colds more frequently, loss of concentration
Burnout- “Don’t want to do it, don’t like it, and leave me alone.”
Physical, emotional, and social withdrawal from a formerly enjoyable activity signify burnout is on the scene. It’s characterized by exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and devaluing the sport of choice. Chronic stress due to an imbalance in what is expected of the athlete and their real or perceived capability is related to burnout as well as changes in motivational orientations. People experience a loss of energy, loss of interest in things, low job productivity, feeling like a failure, depression, emotional numbness. They tend to stop caring about the sport and what is important to them within it.
There appear to be 2 strains of burnout: 1) social psychological- athlete perfectionism or situational pressures/other pressure are the big factors. Stress results from expectations to win in an effort to please others and feel worthy; 2) physically driven- just can’t meet the demands of physical training, leading to physical and psychological stress, and then burnout.
Signs and symptoms of Burnout:
Low motivation/energy, concentration problems, loss of desire to play/practice/train, lack of caring, sleep disturbance, physical and mental exhaustion, lowered self-esteem, negative affect, mood changes, substance abuse/more drinking than usual, changes in values/beliefs, emotional isolation/social withdrawal, increased anxiety, more highs and lows than usual
Case Study- Darla S.
Double axel, camel spins, pairs lifts, tango dance routines. I was a competitive artistic rollerskater from the time I was 7 yrs. old until I retired at the ripe old age of 16. My practice schedule was daily, right after school until 7 p.m. Weekends were filled with practice- midnight to noon sessions on both Saturday and Sunday, sometimes a little shorter, sometimes with afternoon practices added. With such a high volume of intense training, I can speak from experience about how negative overtraining leads to burnout. I remember feeling it at the age of 8.
In my skating days, I spent a lot of time in burnout mode. More breaks from burnout may have helped me be a better skater and maybe I wouldn’t have hung up my skates in the way I did, totally cut off. Aside from the effects on my sport performance, my understanding of relationships was also impacted by the experience of unattended burnout. I share this to show an example of how sports, coaches, and burnout impact youth development and athletes into adulthood, beyond sport performance. So, yes, the effect of burnout on sport performance is clear and important to monitor, but it can have some other far reaching effects.
My youth was almost entirely spent practicing a sport for which I really had little love. I remember many discussions about “quitting” for various reasons along the way- financial, coaching issues, etc. The toll that the years of intensive training took on me was physical and emotional as I consistently got the message, “Keep going, no matter what.” The power of this pattern of thinking in my sport experience groomed my discipline and perseverance. But it also led me to engage in relationships about practicing and working hard, whether there was true love there or not, whether it was good for me or not. I have been in relationships where I felt like (gasp) a “quitter” if I wanted to end the relationship, rather than see that it’s ok to retire and even quit something that’s not good for me. The “never quit” aspect of skating in formative years translated to my frame around relationships- suffer and work hard no matter what, keep going. I believe this stemmed not only from high volume, negative overload training, but from the relationship that I was in with my coach, full of pressure to continue with skating and with him as my coach, despite the suffering.
Burnout in sport clearly grows within the context of relationships, whether it’s a relationship with coach, parent, the self. When the focus is overly placed on externals (winning, performance, training), at the expense of internals (satisfaction, enjoyment, competence, choice)- these can exacerbate the drain on the athlete’s energy and strain the relationship. Intimate partners, like athletes and their sport, function well when they are together out of choice, rather than feel they are trapped and have to remain together. There needs to be a dialogue among all parties occurring, asking, “What do we need to do to best support this particular athlete, at this particular time?” that includes the athlete and the potential to choose to exit or change the relationship with the sport in terms of its intensity.
Being able to assert when I want to work hard, when I need to rest, when I want to stop altogether is a valuable lesson that I learned after years of experience of pushing through burnout. By giving youth more control over their experience, they can notice and appreciate their limits, while still pushing them for better performance. This translates into multiple life lessons, one of which is learning to pay attention to individual needs and asserting those as important, rather than perhaps, keep going at all costs, including personal well being. “No pain, no gain” is distorted thinking.
The Practice of Breaking Burnout
Burnout occurs over time and it is something that can be reversed. Here are some suggestions for how to address it.
Get some help, “coaching”
It can be difficult to figure out if burnout exists because of your sport or other things in your life, past or present. Depression and/or anxiety may pre-date the burnout or they may be a symptom of it. Talking with a professional who can help sort out the variables involved can potentially help you to shift your experience of staleness/burnout into one of enjoyment and satisfaction again. Support, strategy, and mental skills work may be extremely helpful. A neutral party can help sort out struggles such as coach and parent pressure and expectations. Also, the concepts of positive and negative addiction to exercise can be addressed, as well as a full assessment of the variables that may be contributing to the current concern.
Practice “choice,” remember “more than an athlete”
Some suggest that young athletes feel powerless with parents and coaches having so much control over decisions about their lives. There is not enough time with peers outside of sport, injuries or lack of success interfere with quality of life, identity gets wrapped up solely in sport- all of these things may lead to burnout. The suggestion here is to give young athletes more decision making, time outside of sport, and remind them of all the things they are and all the qualities they have aside from athlete related ones.
Practice “support”
Another framework for understanding burnout is that athletes who are prone to burnout feel trapped by the sport (entrapment theory). They lose motivation but continue to participate because they think have to, even if there is some piece of “I want to” as well. Reasons some athletes may feel this way: identity, lack attractive alternatives to sport, believe invested too much time or energy to stop. Suggestions include keep things focused on fun, support the athlete but do not pressure, and make sure athletes have decision making regarding practice and competition.
Practice “choice” and “helpful relationships”
Self determination theory suggests that if autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs are satisfied, athletes will less likely be burned out. So again, decision making should be in the hands of the athlete, coaches/parents/trainers should emphasize what they do well and engage in competence reinforcing behavior, not outcome based reinforcement- praise for what they are doing in the process, not praise for the win. Of utmost importance, athletes need to feel they have supportive relationships that are not tied to how well they perform, and feel loved and accepted even if they don’t perform well.
Additional practices to break burnout:
Communicate, express feelings with coaches/parents/significant other, relationship management
Set short and long term goals for practice and competition
Take breaks, vacations from sport
Self regulation skills: relaxation, imagery, self-talk, realistic goals, thought replacement, helpful vs. unhelpful thoughts
Manage post-competition emotions: be in a supportive atmosphere, be with the team, group activity, stay away from demanding peers/parents, avoid gloating/depressing over a loss, start preparing for next opponent/event at next practice
Eat more carbs, hydrate
Lower intensity of training, stretch
No physical activity, sleep
Massage, bodywork
Conclusion
Athletes may suffer temporarily in the midst of pushing limits and driving to have best performances, engaging in overtraining that leads to improvement. But, too much suffering, crossing the line to the land of negative overtraining, is not helpful to performance and interferes with one’s quality of life. In our search for satisfaction, we find sport, sometimes we need to navigate away from it.
As coaches and parents, we need to be wary of burnout symptoms displayed by youth. As trainers, we can educate clients about positive and negative overtraining. We need to take care of ourselves as athletes, and take better care of those we train or coach because the effects of burnout go beyond sport. We can effectively push, sometimes when we do less of it. Within scientific training recommendations, only the individual can know how much is the right amount of training, intensity, and rest, but they have to be given the option to pay attention to their own bodies and assert decisions on their own behalf. This is so they can enjoy their sport, but it is also for the sake of their relationships with their own selves and the people they want to love.
References:
Weinberg, R. & Gould, D. (2011). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, (5th Ed.). Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL.
The demands of sport are part of what make it fun and enjoyable, a flow activity. But, demands can become overwhelming. Many coaches have expectations about activity and intensity that create burnout in athletes rather than improved or best performances. A big factor in burnout comes from coach and parent messages, athletes may internalize these and carry them in and out of sport to adulthood. These may include inappropriate expectations and overemphasis on rankings or winning. Pressure, perfectionism, and physical demands of training may lead to physical and psychological stress, and this turns into burnout over time when it is too much for the individual and the stress is unmanaged.
Many of you know burned out athletes, or maybe you are one, yourself. Some current data supports that burnout is experienced by many athletes. Various research studies conclude: 72% of college athletes reported staleness during their seasons, 47% reported burnout at some point during their college sport career; at least 60% of elite distance runners had at least one episode of staleness in their running careers, and 30% of sub-elite but highly trained runners experienced burnout; individual athlete sports may be related to higher levels of burnout than team sports; once you get stale, you are more likely to be stale again; coaches and trainers are at a high risk for burnout, much like the athletes they assist (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Based on the literature, experience working with athletes, and my own athletic experience, burnout is common. Sport performance suffers- most athletes want to be doing their best, that’s not possible if they’re struggling with burnout. We all want to enjoy ourselves in life, sport is an avenue for that. Without awareness of symptoms that suggest it’s all too much, sport can create more suffering than enjoyment.
So let’s get our terms clear. What exactly are overtraining, staleness, burnout, and related concepts?
Definitions
Individualized Training
One skill that gives an athlete an edge over competitors is arousal management. Athletes that can manage their energy, being aware of what is just the right amount of excitement, the right amount of calm and relaxation, at the right times, will be able to channel energy into their performance in a way that enhances it. For example, some athletes need to be very cool and quiet prior to competition, some need to talk and be loud and move around a lot. Each has an optimal level of arousal that readies them to perform at their best. Similar to this, managing energy in terms of practice sessions and training is equally important. What is negative overtraining for one athlete, may be an optimal training zone for another. This is why it is so important for parents, coaches, and trainers to individualize training programs- some athletes will need more rest than others in order to have optimal performances. The individual athlete has to have a say about activity level and intensity.
Periodized training
This is the strategy of engaging in high volume and high intensity training loads, followed by lower training loads, a.k.a. rest or taper. The goal is to condition oneself so that performance peaks at a specific date or time frame, for a race or competition. The trick is to slowly increase the load so that optimal adaptation occurs and injury and staleness do not. For those who may be negatively addicted (see definition below) to exercise, tapering and rest may be very difficult.
Overtraining
A few days to a few weeks of excessive training loads that are at or near maximal capacity, max efforts. Overload creates adaptation, after rest and recovery, resulting in more strength or fitness and improved performance. If training volume is too much, if there’s too much stress (constant soreness, negative coaching behavior, parental pressure, work stress, family issues, etc.), or lack of rest, overtraining will instead lead to deteriorated performance. So overloading can lead to gains or losses in performance, as well as no changes at all. Negative overtraining first leads to staleness, then to burnout. The right amount of overtraining varies highly by the individual, so what leads to improved performance for one athlete, may decrease another’s.
Positive vs. negative exercise addiction
Positive exercise addiction means one incorporates fitness into a daily routine and this enhances quality of life, while not interfering with other important things such as family, relationships, work, etc. Some refer to it as a “healthy habit.” Negative addiction to exercise means one is consumed by exercise and fitness at the expense of well being. An exercise addict will continue exercise activity even when injury could be made worse, and when it is interfering with work and social relationships to the extent that everything “takes a backseat” to the exercise. There is tolerance and withdrawal, for example longer and longer distances in running to get the same feeling, and mood disorder symptoms present when one has to stop temporarily (i.e., injury, taper, rest). Tension, restless, irritable, depressed, relationship problems, and guilt may be present when someone who is negatively addicted to exercise can’t exercise. These athletes are usually aware that they have a compulsion to workout.
Staleness- “I’m tired, I can’t seem to get the job done in the last few games/races.”
Stale means having a hard time training in the usual way, performance is suffering. It usually results from overtraining, coincides with a reduction in performance for 2 weeks or more, and fails to improve even after short term breaks or reduced intensity training. The main behavioral sign of staleness is impaired performance. The main psychological symptoms include disturbance in mood (angry, irritable, flat, lethargic) and increase in perceptual effort during exercise. Practice and fitness seem harder than they used to be. Symptoms of depression may be present.
Signs and Symptoms of Staleness:
Poor performance, apathy, lethargy, sleep disturbance, weight loss, elevated resting heart rate/blood pressure, muscle pain or soreness, mood changes, GI disturbances, slow recovery from exertion, loss appetite, overuse injuries, immune system deficiency/getting colds more frequently, loss of concentration
Burnout- “Don’t want to do it, don’t like it, and leave me alone.”
Physical, emotional, and social withdrawal from a formerly enjoyable activity signify burnout is on the scene. It’s characterized by exhaustion, reduced sense of accomplishment, and devaluing the sport of choice. Chronic stress due to an imbalance in what is expected of the athlete and their real or perceived capability is related to burnout as well as changes in motivational orientations. People experience a loss of energy, loss of interest in things, low job productivity, feeling like a failure, depression, emotional numbness. They tend to stop caring about the sport and what is important to them within it.
There appear to be 2 strains of burnout: 1) social psychological- athlete perfectionism or situational pressures/other pressure are the big factors. Stress results from expectations to win in an effort to please others and feel worthy; 2) physically driven- just can’t meet the demands of physical training, leading to physical and psychological stress, and then burnout.
Signs and symptoms of Burnout:
Low motivation/energy, concentration problems, loss of desire to play/practice/train, lack of caring, sleep disturbance, physical and mental exhaustion, lowered self-esteem, negative affect, mood changes, substance abuse/more drinking than usual, changes in values/beliefs, emotional isolation/social withdrawal, increased anxiety, more highs and lows than usual
Case Study- Darla S.
Double axel, camel spins, pairs lifts, tango dance routines. I was a competitive artistic rollerskater from the time I was 7 yrs. old until I retired at the ripe old age of 16. My practice schedule was daily, right after school until 7 p.m. Weekends were filled with practice- midnight to noon sessions on both Saturday and Sunday, sometimes a little shorter, sometimes with afternoon practices added. With such a high volume of intense training, I can speak from experience about how negative overtraining leads to burnout. I remember feeling it at the age of 8.
In my skating days, I spent a lot of time in burnout mode. More breaks from burnout may have helped me be a better skater and maybe I wouldn’t have hung up my skates in the way I did, totally cut off. Aside from the effects on my sport performance, my understanding of relationships was also impacted by the experience of unattended burnout. I share this to show an example of how sports, coaches, and burnout impact youth development and athletes into adulthood, beyond sport performance. So, yes, the effect of burnout on sport performance is clear and important to monitor, but it can have some other far reaching effects.
My youth was almost entirely spent practicing a sport for which I really had little love. I remember many discussions about “quitting” for various reasons along the way- financial, coaching issues, etc. The toll that the years of intensive training took on me was physical and emotional as I consistently got the message, “Keep going, no matter what.” The power of this pattern of thinking in my sport experience groomed my discipline and perseverance. But it also led me to engage in relationships about practicing and working hard, whether there was true love there or not, whether it was good for me or not. I have been in relationships where I felt like (gasp) a “quitter” if I wanted to end the relationship, rather than see that it’s ok to retire and even quit something that’s not good for me. The “never quit” aspect of skating in formative years translated to my frame around relationships- suffer and work hard no matter what, keep going. I believe this stemmed not only from high volume, negative overload training, but from the relationship that I was in with my coach, full of pressure to continue with skating and with him as my coach, despite the suffering.
Burnout in sport clearly grows within the context of relationships, whether it’s a relationship with coach, parent, the self. When the focus is overly placed on externals (winning, performance, training), at the expense of internals (satisfaction, enjoyment, competence, choice)- these can exacerbate the drain on the athlete’s energy and strain the relationship. Intimate partners, like athletes and their sport, function well when they are together out of choice, rather than feel they are trapped and have to remain together. There needs to be a dialogue among all parties occurring, asking, “What do we need to do to best support this particular athlete, at this particular time?” that includes the athlete and the potential to choose to exit or change the relationship with the sport in terms of its intensity.
Being able to assert when I want to work hard, when I need to rest, when I want to stop altogether is a valuable lesson that I learned after years of experience of pushing through burnout. By giving youth more control over their experience, they can notice and appreciate their limits, while still pushing them for better performance. This translates into multiple life lessons, one of which is learning to pay attention to individual needs and asserting those as important, rather than perhaps, keep going at all costs, including personal well being. “No pain, no gain” is distorted thinking.
The Practice of Breaking Burnout
Burnout occurs over time and it is something that can be reversed. Here are some suggestions for how to address it.
Get some help, “coaching”
It can be difficult to figure out if burnout exists because of your sport or other things in your life, past or present. Depression and/or anxiety may pre-date the burnout or they may be a symptom of it. Talking with a professional who can help sort out the variables involved can potentially help you to shift your experience of staleness/burnout into one of enjoyment and satisfaction again. Support, strategy, and mental skills work may be extremely helpful. A neutral party can help sort out struggles such as coach and parent pressure and expectations. Also, the concepts of positive and negative addiction to exercise can be addressed, as well as a full assessment of the variables that may be contributing to the current concern.
Practice “choice,” remember “more than an athlete”
Some suggest that young athletes feel powerless with parents and coaches having so much control over decisions about their lives. There is not enough time with peers outside of sport, injuries or lack of success interfere with quality of life, identity gets wrapped up solely in sport- all of these things may lead to burnout. The suggestion here is to give young athletes more decision making, time outside of sport, and remind them of all the things they are and all the qualities they have aside from athlete related ones.
Practice “support”
Another framework for understanding burnout is that athletes who are prone to burnout feel trapped by the sport (entrapment theory). They lose motivation but continue to participate because they think have to, even if there is some piece of “I want to” as well. Reasons some athletes may feel this way: identity, lack attractive alternatives to sport, believe invested too much time or energy to stop. Suggestions include keep things focused on fun, support the athlete but do not pressure, and make sure athletes have decision making regarding practice and competition.
Practice “choice” and “helpful relationships”
Self determination theory suggests that if autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs are satisfied, athletes will less likely be burned out. So again, decision making should be in the hands of the athlete, coaches/parents/trainers should emphasize what they do well and engage in competence reinforcing behavior, not outcome based reinforcement- praise for what they are doing in the process, not praise for the win. Of utmost importance, athletes need to feel they have supportive relationships that are not tied to how well they perform, and feel loved and accepted even if they don’t perform well.
Additional practices to break burnout:
Communicate, express feelings with coaches/parents/significant other, relationship management
Set short and long term goals for practice and competition
Take breaks, vacations from sport
Self regulation skills: relaxation, imagery, self-talk, realistic goals, thought replacement, helpful vs. unhelpful thoughts
Manage post-competition emotions: be in a supportive atmosphere, be with the team, group activity, stay away from demanding peers/parents, avoid gloating/depressing over a loss, start preparing for next opponent/event at next practice
Eat more carbs, hydrate
Lower intensity of training, stretch
No physical activity, sleep
Massage, bodywork
Conclusion
Athletes may suffer temporarily in the midst of pushing limits and driving to have best performances, engaging in overtraining that leads to improvement. But, too much suffering, crossing the line to the land of negative overtraining, is not helpful to performance and interferes with one’s quality of life. In our search for satisfaction, we find sport, sometimes we need to navigate away from it.
As coaches and parents, we need to be wary of burnout symptoms displayed by youth. As trainers, we can educate clients about positive and negative overtraining. We need to take care of ourselves as athletes, and take better care of those we train or coach because the effects of burnout go beyond sport. We can effectively push, sometimes when we do less of it. Within scientific training recommendations, only the individual can know how much is the right amount of training, intensity, and rest, but they have to be given the option to pay attention to their own bodies and assert decisions on their own behalf. This is so they can enjoy their sport, but it is also for the sake of their relationships with their own selves and the people they want to love.
References:
Weinberg, R. & Gould, D. (2011). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, (5th Ed.). Human Kinetics: Champaign, IL.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Tough, Vulnerable, and Beautiful
Beauty is Embarrassing. This is the title of a film I saw recently at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The subject of the film is an artist, Wayne White, whose message is stay true to yourself, no matter how hard that is, stay true to yourself and your passion. All will fall into place. He suggests that our creative impulses will always lead us where we need to go.
The title of the film comes from White’s premise that when we see beauty, we often feel vulnerable, “Who am I to see this?” “Who am I to create this, what will others think?” A deep feeling wells up within us when faced with beauty and somehow we are embarrassed because of the vulnerability that is created. But in spite of this vulnerability, we forge ahead with the creative impulse that compels us to do so in endeavors that we love.
As compelling as the concept was for me, what I’d like to consider is how this relates to athletic performance. Do some athletes unknowingly stand down from their best performances because they are afraid of or embarrassed by their own potential for beauty? “Who am I to do this?” “Who am I to think I can…” Like the artist in the film, questions may arise like, “Am I good enough to do this sport (make this art)? “What will people think?” But despite the doubts or questions, the conclusion is, “I have to play this sport, I love it, even if I might embarrass myself (make this art and put it out there even if people don’t like it).” There is desire and energy to follow the creative impulse expressed by sport.
I would further suggest that it requires mental toughness to continue to follow those creative impulses, especially when there is a lot of pressure to perform at a high level, such as in spectator sports or making art for a gallery show. Mental toughness can be defined by things such as the ability to focus on what’s important and tune all else out, staying in control under pressure, working on meaningful goals to maintain motivation, managing self doubt, having a “fighting spirit,” rebounding from mistakes, being resilient in the face of struggle. Mentally tough athletes are those that never resign to a certain outcome because of a past performance. They go in with renewed creative sport spirit and go for it, able to put aside doubts. I suggest that mental toughness stems from being able to embrace vulnerability, the idea that maybe I won’t succeed, but I’ll give it all I’ve got anyway because I am compelled to and I can.
Who am I to put myself out there like that? What makes me think I can skate in front of all those people, run all those miles, cycle in those mountains, swim in that ocean? Who are you not to.
For some, physical movement captured by participation in sport, is following creative impulse. They may not make paintings, but they move in flow with others in a most creative and spontaneous way, within the structure of the sport they embody. That is why the flow experience is described by athletes and artists alike. They become so engrossed in the activity that they lose track of themselves, time, and others. All fades away except for the activity itself in the moment. And that experience is beautiful, if you’ve ever felt it.
Struggle is beautiful because it presents us with vulnerability. Mentally tough people embrace this kind of beauty, even if it might be embarrassing.
The title of the film comes from White’s premise that when we see beauty, we often feel vulnerable, “Who am I to see this?” “Who am I to create this, what will others think?” A deep feeling wells up within us when faced with beauty and somehow we are embarrassed because of the vulnerability that is created. But in spite of this vulnerability, we forge ahead with the creative impulse that compels us to do so in endeavors that we love.
As compelling as the concept was for me, what I’d like to consider is how this relates to athletic performance. Do some athletes unknowingly stand down from their best performances because they are afraid of or embarrassed by their own potential for beauty? “Who am I to do this?” “Who am I to think I can…” Like the artist in the film, questions may arise like, “Am I good enough to do this sport (make this art)? “What will people think?” But despite the doubts or questions, the conclusion is, “I have to play this sport, I love it, even if I might embarrass myself (make this art and put it out there even if people don’t like it).” There is desire and energy to follow the creative impulse expressed by sport.
I would further suggest that it requires mental toughness to continue to follow those creative impulses, especially when there is a lot of pressure to perform at a high level, such as in spectator sports or making art for a gallery show. Mental toughness can be defined by things such as the ability to focus on what’s important and tune all else out, staying in control under pressure, working on meaningful goals to maintain motivation, managing self doubt, having a “fighting spirit,” rebounding from mistakes, being resilient in the face of struggle. Mentally tough athletes are those that never resign to a certain outcome because of a past performance. They go in with renewed creative sport spirit and go for it, able to put aside doubts. I suggest that mental toughness stems from being able to embrace vulnerability, the idea that maybe I won’t succeed, but I’ll give it all I’ve got anyway because I am compelled to and I can.
Who am I to put myself out there like that? What makes me think I can skate in front of all those people, run all those miles, cycle in those mountains, swim in that ocean? Who are you not to.
For some, physical movement captured by participation in sport, is following creative impulse. They may not make paintings, but they move in flow with others in a most creative and spontaneous way, within the structure of the sport they embody. That is why the flow experience is described by athletes and artists alike. They become so engrossed in the activity that they lose track of themselves, time, and others. All fades away except for the activity itself in the moment. And that experience is beautiful, if you’ve ever felt it.
Struggle is beautiful because it presents us with vulnerability. Mentally tough people embrace this kind of beauty, even if it might be embarrassing.
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