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Running Issues With Elizabeth Carey: Mental Health For Athletes

Published by
DyeStat.com   Mar 22nd 2020, 5:22pm
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How To Take Care Of Yourself When Track Is Canceled And Other Global Crises Strike

By Elizabeth Carey for DyeStat

In light of the global pandemic, COVID-19, track is suspended. The NCAA canceled winter and spring championships, collegiate conferences have called seasons off, and some high school associations are punting decisions down the road. 

This leaves athletes, alongside coaches and fans of the sport, hanging. We’re in a precarious situation. First, primarily, because our health and well-being are jeopardized. Second, because we’re losing — or fear losing— something we love. Third, our individual circumstances might be extra tough right now, whether that’s due to illness, job loss, or other urgent obstacles. 

On top of all that, uncertainty compounds the stress of this crisis. And that stress has implications for our bodies and minds. 

The bad news? I can’t promise it’s all going to be OK. Anyone who promises that everything will return to “normal” is denying the reality that our world is always, constantly changing. That’s unrealistically optimistic (expecting things to turn out well). Rather, let’s lean on hope as Irish poet Seamus Heaney saw it: Hope is something that is there to be worked for, is worth working for, and can work. It requires both conviction and action. 

The good news? We can harness hope, care, and action for ourselves and others. In fact, we must care for ourselves and each other. We can emerge stronger and more resilient, as both athletes and, more importantly, as humans. 

The first step? Following public health guidelines for hand-washing, social distancing and quarantining. This is not a joke. If you’re not convinced, consider:

1. COVID-19 is worse than the flu in several ways

2. Young people are hospitalized with it

3. You could spread it to someone more susceptible to it, like your grandma. For a comprehensive, evidence-based summary of COVID-19, check out Corrine Malcom’s article

So, no, don’t go for a group run. So, no, don’t hit up the gym. So, no, don’t dine out. Yes, missing track sucks. But dying, getting sick, or infecting someone else sucks worse. 

The second step? Tend to mental health. It plays a big role in emerging stronger and more resilient. The loss or potential loss of sport and exercise, coupled with current events, can trigger mental health issues — from stress and anxiety to overwhelming emotions and eating disorders. 

1. MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-IN

If you or someone you know is feeling triggered, depressed, or suicidal, you are not alone. Know that stressful crises, or even transitions, can bring up previous or new issues, including suicidal thoughts, disordered eating, and other issues. Please reach out to one of the free, confidential hotlines listed below, a medical professional, or a trusted friend or adult ASAP if you’re struggling. 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255 

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 

National Eating Disorders Association

1-800-931-2237

Text NEDA to 741-741

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/ 

National Sexual Assault Hotline

1-800-656-4673

Online.rainn.org 

2. HOW ARE YOU ACTUALLY FEELING? 

Stressed, anxious, depressed, confused, OK, nothing, relaxed? Take a minute and sit with how, exactly, you’re feeling. Can you identify it? How does it feel in your body, like a pit in your stomach or tightness in your throat or lightness in your head? Whatever you’re feeling is valid. Tuning into what you’re feeling is practicing a skill — like drills — that will help you in the long haul. 

If you’re feeling sadness over potentially losing a season ... it’s natural. Loss is a part of love, or even just wanting something really bad and not getting it. Grief is a built-in response!

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious ... that too is a natural response. It’s your nervous system responding to what’s going on around you, instigating flight, fight, and freeze reactions.

If you’re feeling angry … it’s a response to a perceived threat, as my therapist frequently reminds me. It’s not an excuse to overreact, but a sign to pay attention to.  

If you’re feeling, well, nothing ... Start to tune in.

Most of us are feeling some friction. It’s right there at the edge of what we want (and want to control) and ever-changing reality. There, at the edge of where we want to go and where we are. This is true always, but especially so now. 

Those of us who are lucky to do track and field and other sports, those of us who are lucky to have freedom of movement and the privilege of training and competition, might not have faced such blatant opposition or restriction before. It may feel like an affront to that which we feel entitled. It might be hard to wrap your brain around, but let it sink in. It might remind you of past trauma or abuse. It might threaten your confidence. 

At the edge, there may be some struggle. Perhaps it’s resistance, denial, fighting feelings, attempts to compartmentalize. Regardless, that struggle adds extra pressure and is a clue to tune in. 

Hone this ability by working with a therapist, counselor, or another mental health professional. Many of these experts are working with people remotely, or through apps, so don’t be shy about looking for one now, especially if you’re having trouble sorting through feelings. Search through your insurance site (if you have it), ask a friend or doctor for a referral, or look online, keeping your eyes peeled for stringent credentials and state certifications, including PhD for psychologists, MDs for psychiatrists, and master’s degrees for therapists. 

3. 6 THINGS TO DO 

1) Observe evidence-based guidelines for promoting health and safety — not just for yourself, but for those who are most vulnerable. Practice social distancing and isolation, because it’s good for your community. Doing the right thing can bring peace and confidence. Kind of like running the 4x400 relay when your legs are already fried from other events, but your team needs points: it’s inconvenient and tough, but worth it. Commit.

2) You don’t really have to do anything extra within the constraints of number one. Our instinct? Do, do, do! But that can be counterproductive to our bodies’ ability to process and heal. Especially during times of stress, the mind and body both need rest. As Koodu tells Pete during a surf lesson in the timeless classic Forgetting Sarah Marshall: “Do less. Try less. Pop up. Nope, too slow, do less.” 

3) Hone your mental skills, starting with self-awareness around emotions, journaling (see below), and therapy. Move on to practicing meditation or mindfulness exercises, and even visualizing competing to strengthen your prowess once you get back on the track and field. Free apps like Insight Timer (https://insighttimer.com/) can help you get started with meditating, even for a minute. 

4) Socialize! You’re on your phone all the time anyway, right?! Plan video chats with your teammates, call your older relatives, check in on your neighbors, and stay in touch (virtually and at a distance) with your people.

5) Help out. One of the most valuable lessons sports teaches us is how to be a good teammate — which translates to being a good human. Does your community have a mutual aid network? Can you volunteer, keeping a safe distance? Will you donate blood? How can you ease someone else’s burden or spread a little joy?

6) Try journaling at least once or twice. Set a timer for five or more minutes, and write out answers to the questions below with pen on paper; keep your pen moving (even if it’s spewing nonsense) and shush any inner critic. You can re-read what you wrote right away, or save it for later. 

Writing, and the pandemic halting the world as we know it, is an opportunity to reveal your “why” for track and beyond. It’s a chance to revisit what motivates you, and what basic human needs and wants sport fills for you — and how you can become a more resilient athlete and human. Your “why” might be different than your teammate’s or your coach’s — and that’s fine! When you revisit your answers, think about other activities or ways to fill the needs (and wants) sports provides. For those of us who have very strong athletic identities, where can we expand or grow or develop more resilience?

WRITING PROMPTS

Five things you can’t stop thinking about

How are you feeling? 

Why do you like or love athletics? 

What do you like or love about exercising?

Why do you like or love competing?

What would happen if you couldn’t compete again?

What does track provide for you? (For example, confidence, strength, endurance, friends, fresh air?) 

What does movement and exercise provide? (For example, feel-good endorphins, stress-relief, fitness)

###

Elizabeth Carey (https://elizabethwcarey.com/) is a freelance writer and running coach based in Seattle, Washington. Sign up for updates on her first book, GIRLS RUNNING, co-authored with Melody Fairchild, forthcoming from VeloPress: https://elizabethwcarey.com/writer-editor/book/



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