Burnout Is More Than Being Tired
Burnout isn’t an official diagnosis. But it’s very real for athletes who take to the field every day. Put simply, burnout is stress without recovery: emotional exhaustion, reduced sense of satisfaction from play, and feeling like you’re devaluing the sport you once loved to play.
This is completely separate from normal fatigue or having a bad week. Burnout will persist through rest days and through recovery. It can masquerade as laziness or a lack of commitment from the athlete, but make no mistake, it’s real and it can severely hinder enjoyment and performance.
The Possible Causes Behind Burnout in Athletes
The big one: Hyper-specialized single-sport activities and training, year-round schedules, and a lack of a true off-season to recover. “No days off” can sound helpful in theory, but it’s a recipe for a downtrodden athletic mindset. Gone are the days of different sports only being offered in different seasons. Modern youth sports ask players to commit to every sport nearly year-round, exacerbating the exhaustion and lack of recovery that will inevitably take place.
Authority figures: Our parents, coaches, and peers can sometimes be our biggest cheerleaders helping us make the most of every rep and go the extra mile. But this pressure to make them happy and live up to their expectations can be crushing, leading to burnout and dissatisfaction with your sport or activity.
Your Identity: You love to play your sport. You run, tackle, slide, and drive PRs. However, if your identity as an individual becomes difficult to separate from your sport, something like a sports-related injury can lead to problems. Anxiety-inducing questions like, “Who am I without my sport?” or “What do I do with all of this free time?” can be exhausting and lead to burnout.
Catching the Warning Signs for Burnout Early
Athletes experiencing burnout will most likely exhibit:
- Physical sensations like fatigue, lingering soreness, poor sleep
- Emotional sensations like irritability, anxiety, and feeling dread before play/competition
- Performance issues like plateauing or even a decline in performance despite rigorous training
Athletes seldom voice this, and rarely self-report. Just know this condition is common and underreported. Investing in sport psychology assistance can help you tackle this before it spirals out of control.
Note to parents and coaches: If you see an athlete exhibiting behaviors like this, talk to them. It is always risky to assume that kids are going to reach out themselves when they are feeling burnt out.
What You Can Do to Prevent Burnout in Sports
Balance in all things. Including how you approach competition and play.
Rest Days Are Critical
Simply put, making sure you have days to rest your mind and body is critical to help prevent burnout. Ask yourself: Can you play 4 consecutive games back-to-back without a rest day? Not safely. Aim for 1-2 rest days per week, both mentally and physically. Don’t think about the sport and don’t play it. 24-48 hours devoted to anything else is healthy and rejuvenating.
Sleep Must Be Protected at All Costs
Rest and sleep are as critical as the routines and regimens you follow. Sleep is where your mind and muscles recover. Sleep is a performance variable. Poor sleep equates to poor performance. Don’t sacrifice sleep as something you can “catch up on later” as your mind and body will suffer NOW for it.
Build Interests and Relationships Outside of Sport
Regardless of your path in life, your value and self-worth aren’t tied to the medals you earn or the points you score. You are very good at what you do, but you are more than what you do. A sport psychology consultant can work with you to help you define yourself in and outside of competition, so you can aim to operate at peak performance. Even the greatest athletes in the world are more than just the talent they exhibit on the playing field.
When Burnout as an Athlete Has Gone Too Far
When you find yourself withdrawing from sport or experiencing a loss of enjoyment when competing, the issue is beyond a scheduling fix. At this point, it might be beneficial to seek professional support to help you navigate the burnout. Sport psychology can be used to address the patterns and problems that exist underneath. Working through these issues head-on will help make you an athlete who’s excited to train and compete while feeling adequately rested and recovered as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I ever fully recover from burnout from competing?
Yes, you can. You are not the first and will not be the last athlete to experience burnout. Recovering from burnout due to sports and competition will be the result of changed behaviors and routines. These habits are developed with the help of a sport psychology consultant.
How do I reverse burnout fast?
You must rest and take time off. However, this is a temporary fix. It’s important to develop preventative tools to ensure you don’t get to the feeling of “burnt out” in the first place. This includes building a consistent performance routine that holds up to the long-term demands of sport competition.
Can you push through burnout from sports?
Simply pushing through burnout is not recommended. Pushing through when our mind and body is telling us to notice ourselves and stop is what leads to further mental harm and even sports injury. Listening to your body is one of the critical components of preventing burnout. So, no, don’t try to push through it and instead try to find proper rest and seek out support.
Feeling Burnt Out on Your Sport?
Burnout doesn’t fix itself with one weekend off. Dr. Mike can help you rebuild rest, routine, and enjoyment so you’re excited to train and compete again.
